New Zealand
I have worked for over 10 years as a marketing and content writer in the business, tertiary, tourism and events sectors. I am a big fan of Plain English and enjoy communicating complex ideas to the everyday reader.
Prior to moving to New Zealand, I worked as a content writer for Curtin University marketing (servicing all five faculties). I also spent eight months on contract with Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) rewriting their website as part of their website revamp project.
I currently work as a communications and content specialist at Perceptive, one of New Zealand’s leading market research agencies, and have written for clients from a range of industries, including education, real estate, insurance, construction and sales.
In my free time, I write speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy and horror) and occasionally blog about life in the creative lane.
A ghost written thought leadership article done in collaboration with the First Home Buyers' Club to support the release of the Pipe Dream or Possibility? report on first home buyers in 2025.
Explore suburbs with stats on property values, demographics, density, services, crime, and upcoming projects for informed moving decisions.
Looking to invest in Hamilton? Download our free guide complete with suburb profiles and housing market summary. With $2 billion allocated to current and future initiatives, Hamilton is fast becoming a place on the map-and sound market for investors. As beating heart of the Waikato's economy, Hamilton offers a strong property market primed for growth.
Stage like a pro: Declutter, create symmetry, and accentuate key features to enhance your home's appeal and sell faster.
LVR essentials: Balance investment debt and equity to meet bank rules and grow your property portfolio wisely.
We asked New Zealand first home buyers how their perceptions and experience of the current property market.
Awards
Perceptive has won two gold awards and one silver at the 2024 Research Effectiveness Awards (REAWARDS).
Perceptive has had four projects shortlisted as finalists in The Market Research and Insights Excellence Awards 2023.
I was responsible for writing eight award entries (6 business and 2 individual) for this round of REAWARDS—ranging from 2,500 words to 500 words. These entries involved interviewing both client and business directors, reviewing research findings and bringing it all together showcase the effectiveness of the research and meet various award criteria. Perceptive won five business awards—four platinum and one gold—and had two junior researchers recognised as finalists in the Rising Star...
I was involved in writing four award submissions for the 2021 RAEAWARDS—three of which won in their categories. These submissions involved numerous interviews with clients, account managers and data and research specialists to translate several years worth of research and results into 2,500 words for each submission. My article linked here goes into more detail about the winning submissions and was used as a press release that went out to various media including Stoppress, M+AD Daily,...
Whitepapers and guides
We asked New Zealanders about what they planned to spend on over the Christmas and New Year holiday-and what their priorities for 2025 were.
With many Kiwis feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis, we asked New Zealanders what they were doing to improve their financial situation.
With summer fast approaching, we asked New Zealanders if they'd made holidays plans-and what they were.
In January 2025, a representative sample of the New Zealand public was asked about their fitness goals and habits. Here are our findings.
We asked New Zealanders about their food and grocery habits and behaviours.
In January 2025, a representative sample of the New Zealand public was asked about their use and perceptions of generative AI. Here are our findings.
Download our free report to learn how New Zealanders feel about the way their water services are managed, including the new Local Waters Done Well policy.
The brand building guide you need to grow and scale your business from a start-up to a mature enterprise.
Want to improve your company culture and productivity, and attract the best talent? It starts wth employee experience-and these 10 features employees want.
Case studies
Explore how insights into death and dying led to a world-first campaign for Hospice New Zealand.
Learn how Perceptive's voice of customer programme helped LJ Hooker deep dive into their customer experience and drive meaningful outcomes in the business.
A case study on how architecture firm Warren and Mahoney used customer insights to optimise One NZ's retail space for customer experience.
A case study on how Perceptive used data science and app data to help Burger King: Identify its most valuable customers, segment customers according to their in-app behaviours, increase its average cheque by over 30 per cent, double the BK App's monthly sales, and grow app revenue by over 90 per cent.
A case study on how Salt used Perceptive's Voice of Customer and Voice of Employee programmes to stay connected to their customers as they scaled, identify strengths and weaknesses in their customer and employee experiences, embed the Net Promoter Score across 15 office locations and give their employees a voice and encourage open dialogue between leadership and staff.
A case study on how Jaguar Land Rover used Perceptive's brand tracking to re-invent their marketing strategy, identify strengths and weaknesses in Jaguar Land Rover's brands, measure and track brand perception, brand equity and brand conversion across its two brands, and change up their marketing messaging and activities to revitalise their brands.
A case study on how Kotahi reinvigorated their customer experience with a combined voice of customer and employee engagement programme with Perceptive.
Case study: Discover how Sapien’s point of sale testing has helped Spark reshape and optimise their in-store experiences.
Case Study: Sapien's implicit association research has helped Just Juice surge back into the minds of NZ consumers.
Sealord has long been New Zealand’s number one brand for frozen and tinned fish. But in 2017, it became apparent that being number one in seafood was not enough. Discover how Sapien helped Sealord uncover the unconscious decisions their customers were making about their products and capitalise on them to take the wider protein market by storm.
At a distance, one might be forgiven for thinking this Beachlands home is clad in timber weatherboard. But it's not. Those classic white weatherboards are in fact Palliside uPVC-and they've helped earn this beachside home Registered Master Builder House of the Year 2018 Silver Award.
When Ralf Fields brought his home in 2010, he had a vision: extend the Golflands villa to make room for an office for his architectural design business. The challenge: make the extension appear as if it was always part of the original home design-down to the Palliside weatherboard cladding used on the original build.
The CX flywheel represents a customer experience strategy revolution. Learn how to use your customers as your growth compass, eliminate customer friction and align your marketing, sales, services and HR teams for customer success.
A case study detailing the how Perceptive's customer insights fuelled one of Burger King’s strongest financial years ever.
For the self-employed, prolonged illness can turn into a business disaster. A week off sick is manageable, but what if it was two years? Learn how the right income protection advice kept one Auckland musician's world from coming crashing down when his health took a turn for the worse.
Since the age of 17, Sam Israelson has worked in the trade industry: first as a qualified boat builder, before becoming a specialised builder at the head of his own business. In all that time, he never had an issue with theft. Unfortunately, his lucky streak didn't last.
Blogs, feature articles and thought leadership
Perceptive's Mind & Matters quarterly report sees Kiwis planning for local, budget-friendly holidays this summer.
A thought leadership piece for Perceptive's senior leadership using in-house research conducted by Perceptive.
A ghost written thought leadership piece for one of Perceptive's senior leadership.
With new technologies such as AI and synthetic data, many are wondering what's changed in the market research industry.
Understanding what makes a brand may sound simple in theory-and even in execution-but getting alignment between all your brand components can be difficult.
A ghost written thought leadership piece for one of Perceptive's senior leaders.
Relying on Net Promoter Score (NPS) as your sole Voice of Customer (VOC) metric could mean you're missing out on valuable insights.
Two alumni, Maya Halilovic and Marina Vasilieva, have each taken out a "pencil" at the 2016 Design and Art Direction (D&AD) New Blood Awards
We surveyed New Zealanders about their consumer behaviours across a range of categories and explored at how these behaviours differed by generation.
Brands with strong Voice of Customer programmes are setting themselves up for generative search to recommend their products and services to consumers.
If you want to drive effective consideration and purchase of your brand, category entry points (CEPs) are a powerful and highly practical lever to pull.
A co-written/ghost written article on the changing landscape of marketing funnels.
Author Nikky Lee now lives in Auckland, but she always keeps a close eye on what's hot in her hometown of Perth. Aside from the fact it is Australia's sunniest state capital, averaging 8.8 hours of bright sunlight every day of the year, Perth is a playground for the active traveller.
Nikky Lee is an award winning young adult writer whose latest book, The Rarkyn's Familiar, was published as the result of a Twitter pitching competition, PitDark. Over 12 hours authors pitched manuscripts to agents and publishers - essentially jumping ahead of the slush pile. What prompted you to pitch on Twitter?
A ghost written thought leadership article. "Perceptive's Oliver Allen says there's a pervading theory that customer loyalty is a myth—that if it ever existed, it's gone the way of Blockbuster. But maybe it's just not for everyone or forever."
Know your customer. It has become a mantra for marketers around the world. To be competitive in today's marketplace, businesses need to stay relevant and understand the needs of their customers. And what better way to plump the depths of customer behaviour than to ask the customers themselves?
Despite the tiresome year that 2020 has been, a survey conducted by Perceptive has revealed that while many New Zealanders have been adversely affected by the pandemic, younger people are willing to spend more this Christmas and 48 percent of Kiwis will be spending the same amount as they have in recent years.
[A ghost written thought leadership article] Covid-19 has been a time for customers to step back and reconsider what really matters, both from a financial standpoint and from a values one. If you're relying on outdated customer segments - or worse, unverified assumptions - to guide your marketing, Rachael Weaver says you need to consider how those communications might land in the current climate.
[Ghost written thought leadership article] COVID-19 has rocked the business world. Priorities have changed and consumer behaviours and attitudes have shifted. Business has slowed; budgets have tightened. The consensus: now is not the time for assumptions and ineffective spending. It's time for smart, evidence-based decisions. To survive the predicted post-COVID slump, businesses need data analytics and business intelligence to light the way.
[A ghostwritten thought leadership article] Data science has come ahead in leaps and bounds in the last decade. With the increase in technologies and computing power, algorithm designs have become more sophisticated, data infrastructure less costly, and the automation of many business functions suddenly viable.
A ghost written article that reflects on the evolution of market research in the last decade and where to from here.
[Ghost written thought leadership article]. You can have all the customer data, strategy documents and initiatives, but they are worth diddly-squat if you're not prepared (or are unable) to change. Change is hard, even on a personal level.
[Ghost written thought leadership article]. Customer Experience (CX) is the latest business buzzword-I hear it everywhere-and with good reason: by next year, it's set to overtake price, product and expertise as a key brand differentiator. But if you're only focusing on customer experience (CX), you could be short changing yourself.
A feature article to promote further interest in science and engineering after a public lecture from NASA engineer Dr Ravi Margasahayam.
Part 1 of a big data feature to promote Curtin's HIVE facility and the research being done in it.
Part 2 of a big data feature to promote Curtin's HIVE facility and the research it involves.
The number of cyber attacks has boomed in New Zealand. In Q1 of 2018 alone, there was a 34 per cent increase in incidents from the end of 2017. The victims? It's not just limited to individuals; small business is the target of 43 per cent of cybercrime.
No matter whether you're looking to buy, sell or invest, it is essential to understand how your local real estate market is behaving. This online guide is designed to provide you with a starting point for your Hamilton property market research.
A feature to accompany a guest lecture from Neil Harbisson.
A two-part feature about the initiatives led by Curtin Sarawak to empower communities in the highlands of northern Sarawak on the island of Borneo.
Part 2 of a feature about the initiatives led by Curtin Sarawak to empower communities in the highlands of northern Sarawak on the island of Borneo.
A piece to promote Curtin's visualisation technology and interactive media course.
Advertorials and sponsored content
One of Lodge Real Estate's campaign blogs turned advertorial on Stuff.co.nz.
A blog article turned advertorial for Lodge Real Estate.
An advertorial about Curtin's astronomy research for Nature Journal. This article required me to translate academic research papers about black holes into plain English. https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj0465#curtin-university
A wrap-around cover for an issue of The West Australian newspaper. My articles were: - Why so Empty? - Schools turn on the green switch - The intellectual economy - Out of the tank.
A wrap-around cover for an issue of The West Australian newspaper. My articles were: - Changing the game - Armour up for the cyber-world - Cosmic time machine - Power to the people - Fit for the future.
A ghostwritten blog to help promote Curtin's second digital marketing MOOC.
A ghostwritten blog to help promote Curtin's second digital marketing MOOC. This was published through LinkedIn.
Web projects
The French Villa is an Auckland-based specialty retailer of Hamptons, Coastal, French Country and Plantation style furniture and homewares. I provided the written content for the Our Story and the various furniture collection pages.
ATEED web redevelopment project: This project involved working alongside the six branches of Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED) to write and edit content for the new website of approximately 200 pages.
Curtin University's fundraising site.
A copywriting job to develop content from the Curtin Artworks and Gardens Map for distribution on Tumblr and Curtin's social media channels.
Interactive content
Uncover the sentiment and behaviours of the New Zealand public with Perceptive and Sapien's monthly insights tracker: Mind & Matters.
A collaborative project between Perceptive's creative and research teams to generate weekly customer insights to help New Zealand businesses during COVID-19. Weekly updates were also send out to subscribers via email.
An interactive calculator built for a client to use at a trade show.
A full-page ad for Singapore travel agency Chan Brothers.
Writing contributed to Curtin University's biannual magazine.
A publication management job that involved copywriting, editing and print coordination of an eight-page brochure for the Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University. This brochure was awarded Gold in the 2014 PICA awards in the leaflets/folded leaflet category.
An editing job for the Curtin Office of Advancement.
A copywriting job for a four-page brochure to promote a public lecture from NASA engineer Dr Ravi Margasahayam.
A publication management job for the Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University. This job involved copywriting, editing and liaising with designers and various stakeholders from across the university.
A publication management job for the Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University. This job involved copywriting, editing and liaising with designers and various stakeholders from across the university.
A publication management job for the Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University. This job involved copywriting, editing and liaising with designers and various stakeholders from across the university.
A publication management job for the John Curtin Gallery. This job involved copywriting, editing and liaising with photographers and designers.
Video scripts
A video to help promote undergraduate studies in psychology. This job involved interviewing a current student of the course, writing the script and managing the film shoot.
Part of a video series to help promote postgraduate research at Curtin. This job involved interviewing PhD students about their research, writing up a script and running a film shoot with an external provider.
A video to help promote undergraduate studies in nutrition. This job involved interviewing a current student of the course, writing the script and managing the film shoot.
Part of a video series to help promote postgraduate research at Curtin. This job involved interviewing PhD students about their research, writing up a script and running a film shoot with an external provider.
A short video reel for the projector outside the Perceptive/Proximity reception at 318 Richmond Road.
Social media
TikTok recruitment campaign for the Perceptive Panel. This campaign first polled the panel on various Kiwiana to generate content for the promotion.
TikTok recruitment campaign for the Perceptive Panel. This campaign polled the panel on various Kiwiana to generate content for the campaign.
Get the FREE NPS Industry Benchmarks report to see how your business measures up to the rest of your industry! Inside, you'll learn what makes a good NPS score and the NPS benchmarks for over 15 different industries! 👉 https://hubs.li/Q03Xb-6b0 #NetPromoterScore #CX #Metrics #Aotearoa
TikTok recruitment campaign for the Perceptive Panel. This campaign polled the panel on various Kiwiana to generate content for the campaign.
The majority of New Zealanders turn to their general practitioner first when they need health advice. But how does this differ across different age groups? Find out in our free report 🏥 https://hubs.li/Q03T8Qp80 #research #mindandmatters #healthcare #pharmacy
Ready for some good news? Our recent Mind & Matters results saw some positive shifts in New Zealanders' financial situations: the proportion of Kiwis saving to achieve future goals/wealth has increased +6pp after a dip in August. Read more in our FREE report 👉 https://hubs.li/Q03Wclj60 #MindAndMatters #NewZealand #Aotearoa #NZBusiness
TikTok recruitment campaign for the Perceptive Panel. This campaign polled the panel on various Kiwiana to generate content for the campaign.
TikTok recruitment campaign for the Perceptive Panel. This campaign polled the panel on various Kiwiana to generate content for the campaign.
Other
I am a founding committee member of the Te Pae Tawhiti Distant Horizon Awards, which launched in 2025 and held its first awards gala in August 2026 in conjunction with Hamilton Book Month.
News and articles from the world of insights, customer experience, and market research