Jenny Dixon is Dean of the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries at the University of Auckland. She has extensive experience as an academic planner publishing in the areas of urban development and intensification, private urban governance and gated communities. Professor Dixon is currently involved in research programmes funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology which focus on future urban form, the quality of living in intensified neighbourhoods, governance of multi-owned residential housing developments, and sustainable water management.

Harvey Perkins is Professor of Human Geography at Lincoln University. After beginning his career as a teacher he worked for several years in the community development field supporting the provision of recreation and youth programmes. This was followed by periods of postgraduate study in the US and UK, and research and teaching roles in the fields of urban and rural change, urban and environmental planning, housing, recreation and tourism. He has published widely, most recently in areas associated with the meaning of house and home, the development of new residential areas, urban intensification, rural restructuring and the influences of tourism and amenity migration on rural social and economic development.

Philip Morrison is Professor of Human Geography at Victoria University of Wellington. He is an economic geographer with a specialism in housing having completed his PhD on housing markets under a Commonwealth Scholarship at the University of Toronto. Philip has held research positions at the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto, the Department of Regional Science, University of Pennsylvania. Philip was awarded the first Hodge Fellowship by the Social Science Research Fund Committee in 1985 for work on local labour markets and a Henry Lang Fellowship in 2002 by the Institute of Policy Studies in order to explore the geographic implications of social policy. He has been an Urban Studies Fellow at the Centre for Urban Studies, University of Glasgow and Visiting Fellow at the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge as well as a number of Australian universities. He is an active member of the Regional Science Association International. Professor Morrison’s currrent research interests include local housing and labour markets, population geography (esp. migration and mobility), urban growth dynamics and the impact of attributes of place on subjective well-being.

Lesley Baddon is a Strategic Advisor with the Auckland Council. Previously she was General Manager of Policy and Planning at the Auckland Regional Council. She has over 20 years experience in local government and an extensive background in social and economic research and policy development. More recently she has been involved in regional strategy development. Originally from Scotland, where she worked for the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde and Stirling as a researcher before settling in Auckland, New Zealand in 1988.

Colin Dale - Colin has over 50 years experience in local government and was Chief Executive at Manukau City Council for 21 years until 2006. He previously held positions in community development and environmental health at the Council. Colin was formerly Deputy Chair of the Hillary Commission and Vice President of the Auckland Employers Association. Since 2006 he has been a Board member of Housing NZ and the Tamaki Transformation Board. He is a member of Lottery Grants Board committees on Community Facilities and Significant Projects. Colin is also involved in community initiatives including Chairman of the Auckland Regional Migrant Services Trust Board and the Auckland Physical Activity and Sports Trust Board. Since July 2009 he has been engaged as an Advisor by the Auckland Transition Agency in the establishment of the new Auckland Council.