Cultivate Logic
Kia ora koutou, ko Angela Halliday taku ingoa. Ko Murihiku (Southland) te whenua tupu. Nō Horowhenua te kāinga.
I work at the intersection of science, policy and decision-making, helping leaders make sense of complex problems where evidence is uncertain, responsibilities overlap and there is no risk-free option.
I’ve spent much of my career working between worlds — across the primary sector, local and central government, research and NGOs, and in roles spanning science, policy, planning, advocacy and strategy. This has given me an appreciation of how differently the same problem can look depending on where you are standing.
My particular interest is in the difficult space between evidence and action: how we make good decisions when the science cannot give us a definitive answer, when risks and responsibilities cross organisational boundaries, and when both acting and waiting have consequences.
About me
I grew up on a sheep farm in Southland and began my career in tourism and have worked in local-government and studied environmental health. Since then, I’ve worked across horticulture, climate adaptation, science–policy partnerships, agricultural research and philanthropy. Moving between these different parts of the system has shaped the questions I now find most interesting: Who owns a problem that crosses organisational boundaries and how do we deal with risk and uncertainty in decision making as it increases with climate change.
I recently completed my Masters research which looked at the interface between research and climate change adaptation policy - namely the barriers and enablers to the uptake of research. You can read a journal article on this work here.
I am based near Ōhau just south of Levin with my partner and our two sons. We also own and run an engineering business in Levin that produces bale feeders and cattle yards www.kiwiengineering.co.nz.
Experience and Research
I work at the intersection of science, policy and decision-making.
I help leaders make sense of complex problems where evidence is uncertain, responsibilities overlap and there is no risk-free option. My experience across government, science, agriculture and advocacy means I’m particularly interested in the spaces between disciplines and organisations — where difficult problems often sit and where no one person has the whole answer.
Roles
General Manager - T. R. Ellett Agricultural Research Trust (current)
Partnerships Director - Deep South National Science Challenge
Natural Resources and Environment Manager - Horticulture New Zealand
Projects
Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation Programme -
Assessment Panel (MPI)
Generation Change (Agri-women's Development Trust)
The Southland Conservation Board
The Land and Water Forum (MfE)
The Matrix of Good Management Project (ECan)
The Southland Sustainable Tourism Project
The Cadmium Management Working Group (MPI)
Women in Horticulture (HortNZ)
Qualifications and Courses
Agri-women's Development Trust (AWDT) Next Level Programme
Master of Applied Science with First Class Honours (Lincoln University)
Kelloggs Rural Leadership Programme
Postgraduate Diploma in Planning with Merit (Massey University)
Graduate Diploma of Environmental Health with Distinction (Massey University)
Postgraduate Diploma of Wildlife Management (University of Otago)
Bachelor of Science - Zoology (University of Otago)
