About us
We’re a Wellington business that’s passionate about helping people understand the machinery of government.
We believe that people should have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of government. But most of us receive little civics education at school.
And while some people are fortunate enough to learn about these topics at University, often it’s not until someone works in government - or engages with it - that decisions around policy and legislation become really important to them.
So our mission is to help people from all walks of life get to a place where they feel more confident about the machinery of government.
We’ve been doing this for 13 years now. And we’re just getting warmed up!
Dr Andy Rigg
Managing Director
Andy oversees the business, including agency liaison, sector engagement, and new learning products. She spends her weekends performing brilliantly in her daughter’s imaginary band.
Andy completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma for Graduates at the University of Otago. She carried out a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) at Victoria University of Wellington. She also holds a PhD from Victoria University on young people’s experiences of parental separation. Her work has been published and presented at a number of New Zealand and international conferences. Andy has worked in academia, with NGOs, and the public sector. She worked for Statistics New Zealand in the Social Conditions Business Unit as the Team Leader and Programme Manager of the Family Statistics Development Programme, before becoming the Team Manager of the Family, Māori, and General Social Survey teams.
Contact: (021) 1892-787, andy.rigg@civicsquare.co.nz, LinkedIn
Dr Ryan Malone
Learning and development
Ryan loves this subject matter - he’s our expert. Ryan is responsible for our training and course creation. His dream Saturday night is watching highlights of Question Time while eating celery sticks and beetroot juice.
Ryan completed an LLB at the University of Otago. He holds a BA (Politics), a Masters of Law, and a PhD (Law) from Victoria University of Wellington. His doctorate considered the effects of MMP on the constitution and was published by IPS. Ryan has worked as a policy advisor at the Law Commission on the major overhaul of New Zealand’s alcohol laws. He then worked for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in the Cabinet Office with responsibility for coordinating the National-led government’s legislation programme during the 49th Parliament.
Contact: (021) 205-5149, ryan.malone@civicsquare.co.nz, LinkedIn
Dominique Nunns
Business development
Dominique is the administrative lead for our learning products. She is the first point of contact for our machinery of government (on-demand) course. When she’s not torturing her family with interesting facts from her latest readings, she loves going for long walks exploring the native bush.
Dominique has a Bachelor of Business Degree at Massey University majoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Contact: dominique.nunns@civicsquare.co.nz