Kia ora! I’m Emily Garden.
Social researcher, evaluator, designer.
I am motivated by social and environmental justice, and am passionate about centring the voices and lived experience of communities – in how evaluations are designed, and in how findings are communicated.
Over the past decade I have worked across the health, social services, environment, philanthropy and central and local government, with clients including Auckland Council, the Department of Internal Affairs, universities, and a wide range of NGOs and community organisations. I am an associate with the Centre for Social Impact.
My most recent substantive role was as a Senior Consultant and Evaluation Specialist with Dovetail Consulting, where I led evaluation and research projects across the climate response, recovery and resilience, health, and community development sectors.
A background in communication design means I bring an unusual skillset to research: I can design the outputs as well as produce the content. From frameworks and funder reports to community case studies and public-facing documents, I care about making research accessible and genuinely useful, as well as rigorous.
I am based in Laingholm, on the edge of the Waitākere Ranges, where the bush comes to meet the back fence. Outside of work I am a student of permaculture, find joy in growing food for my whānau, and take seriously my role as kaitiaki of the small piece of bush I am lucky enough to steward.
Qualifications
Masters of Arts, Sociology (Communication, Culture, and Society) Goldsmiths College, University of London
Postgraduate Certificate of Proficiency (Advanced Social Enquiry) Massey University
Bachelor of Art and Design (Graphic Design) Auckland University of Technology
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Certificate in Professional Mentoring and Supervision, Unitec Auckland
Design Kit (the course for Human Centred Design), Introduction to Human Centered Design, IDEO and +Acumen
Certificate in Mental Health Support Work (Level 7), Mind and Body Learning and Development
Selected publications
Field A, Gregg O, Garden E, Hunter A, Schiff A, Spee K. 2025. Waikato Region Trends and Opportunities – for Waikato Regional Council
Garden, E., Sa’u Lilo, L., ‘Ofanoa, M., Field, A., Witten, K., So’onalole, T. N., & Tupou, S. 2025. Street redesign, active mobility and well-being for Pacific elders. Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 20(4), 484–506.
Garden E, Parslow G, Field A. 2024. Resilient and Responsive Communities in Emergencies Report – for Pasifika Futures
Garden E, Hunter A, Spee K, Field A. 2024. Community-Led Development Programme Impact Evaluation – for Hāpai Hapori, Department of Internal Affairs
Moss M, Garden E. 2024. West Auckland Recovery Needs Assessment – for Auckland Council
Moss M, Butler R, Garden E, Parslow G, Porima L, Schiff A, Spee K, Field A, Gregg O, King J, McKegg K. 2024. Impaired Driving Rehabilitation Programmes Evaluation Report – for Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand
Field A, Crocket A, Garden E, King J, Moss M, Parslow G, Schiff A, Spee K, Wehipeihana N. 2023. Youth Primary Mental Health and Addictions Evaluation – for Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand
Butler R, Garden E. 2023. Māngere Recovery Needs Assessment – for Auckland Council
Butler R, Garden E. 2023. Puketāpapa Recovery Needs Assessment – for Auckland Council
Field A, Crocket A, Garden E, Goodwin D, Mills R, Parslow G, Schiff A, Sessions L, Wypych A. 2022. Trends for the Waikato Region: A discussion – for Waikato Regional Council
Field A, Cram A, Garden E, et al 2022. Community-Led Development Programme Evaluation – for Department of Internal Affairs (note full suite of evaluation reports can be uploaded here)
Field A, Hollis M, Garden E. 2022. Community-Led Development Evaluation Summary Report – for Department of Internal Affairs
Field A, Cram A, Garden E, Goodwin D, Moss M, Were L, Wypych A. 2022. Lotteries COVID-19 Community Wellbeing Fund Evaluation – for Department of Internal Affairs
Field A, Garden E, Greenaway S, Wypych A. 2021. State of the Arts Survey reports – for Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi, Arts Wellington, Creative Waikato, and Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Walters, V. M., Garden, E., & Chamberlain, K. 2021. Beyond markets: food poverty and the noncommercial food system. Food, Culture & Society, 1-18.
Garden, E., Walters, V., Chamberlain, K. 2019. Reasserting food in place: the case of Kai Whau. Social and Cultural Geography.1-20.
Field A, Garden E, Davies N, King J, McKegg K, Mackie H. 2019. Innovating Road Safety: Lessons for transport planners. Auckland: Dovetail and Kinnect Group
Field A, Garden E, Davies N, King J, McKegg K, Mackie H. 2019. Innovating Road Safety: Lessons for transport planners (Summary Report). Auckland: Dovetail and Kinnect Group
Blake, D., Tipler, K., Garden, E., Johnston, D.M., Becker, J.S. 2018. Wellington household preparedness survey. Lower Hutt, N.Z.: GNS Science. GNS Science report 2018/23. 109 p.; doi: 10.21420/G2GH10
Lynch, I., Morison, T. & Garden, E. 2017. SeViSSA Brief 1: A culture of silence that normalises widespread violence. Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council. Available at https://www.ru.ac.za/criticalstudies/policybriefsfeedbackreports/
Lynch, I., Morison, T. & Garden, E. 2017. SeViSSA Brief 2: Very high rates of sexual violence with younger learners most vulnerable. Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council. Available at https://www.ru.ac.za/criticalstudies/policybriefsfeedbackreports/
Hodgetts, D. Groot, S. Garden, E and Chamberlain, K. 2017. The precariat, everyday life and objects of despair, in Psychology, Politics and Everyday Life. Howarth, C and Andreouli, E (Eds.) London: Routledge.
Lyons, A. Garden, E. & Chamberlain, K. 2017. Social Media: An Alcohol Saturated Space: the case for regulation of alcohol marketing on social media sites. (Policy Brief). Massey University.
Garden, E. 2014. Why Escaping the Debt Trap is So Hard for Poor Auckland Families. Metro.
Hodgetts, D. Garden, E. Groot, S & Chamberlain, K. 2015. Debt in the everyday lives of 100 families experiencing urban poverty in New Zealand, in Carl Walker and Serdar M. Degirmencioglu. (Eds.) Social and psychological dimensions of debt and the debt industry (pp. 19-38). London: Palgrave.
Garden, E., Caldin, A., Robertson, D., Timmins, J., Wilson, T., & Wood, T. 2014. Speaking for Ourselves: The truth about what keeps people in poverty by those who live it, Auckland City Mission. https://www.aucklandcitymission.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Auckland-City-Mission-Family100-Speaking-for-Ourselves.pdf
Garden, E. 2013. Representing Recovery: An Iconography of Mental Health. International Journal of the Image, 3(4).