Who are we?
Brainbox is a public interest think tank and consultancy sitting at the intersection of technology, law, and policy.
Bringing together deep thinking, broad networks, and world-class expertise, Brainbox has rapidly established a global profile as a leader in this area.
Founded in 2018, organisations across the private and public sectors worldwide have relied on our knowledge, insight, and professionalism.
Brainbox analysts and affiliates are accomplished media commentators and presenters. Our analysts are regular participants at a range of public policy events, and their work has been published or covered in Lawfare, the Guardian, Stuff, Newshub, the New Zealand Herald, Newstalk ZB, RNZ, Newsroom, Business Desk, TVNZ, and the Project.
We work together with clients to figure out what they need to know, give them the answer, and help them leverage it to meet their objectives.
Our
Purpose.
Technology, law and policy are powerful systems, and they can be even more powerful when they interact.
When carefully designed, these systems have the potential to support human flourishing and change the world for the better.
But they can also be clumsy, confusing, and, at worst, cause great harm.
We want a world where technology, law and policy work for people, not against them.
Our Mission.
We are a public interest think tank and consultancy sitting at the intersection of technology, law, and policy.
Public and private sector clients approach us with problems that live in this intersection, and we provide them with the right questions, the right answers, and the tools to use them.
We are independent, pragmatic thinkers, and we believe in the power of sharing knowledge for the benefit of the public.
Our Values.
Human Dignity
Systems are nothing without people, and creating effective systems requires strong, respectful relationships and collaboration. A commitment to human dignity and flourishing is front of mind in everything we do and how we operate as an organisation.
Creative & Entrepreneurial
We are nimble and flexible in a way that many other similar organisations aspire to be. We can zoom out and connect the dots, and pivot rapidly when necessary. We think creatively, holistically, and pragmatically.
Critical Thinking
We strive to look beyond ideology, hype, and rhetoric. We take pride in recognising – and saying – when we or others are asking the wrong question. We always aim to tell the truth as we see it, not just say what people want to hear.
Diversity and Heterogeneity
A variety of ideas and viewpoints are better than groupthink, and we always prefer productive disagreement to negotiate differences, rather than bad faith debate.
Integrity
Our solutions are designed to work with or without our ongoing involvement, and we will never undermine a project’s goals to make more work for ourselves in the future.