The Committee
Anna Curnow (Chair)
Democracy, and how to do it better, is what my career is focused on. As a former local government politician, I have first hand experience of the challenges democracy faces. I now run a small consultancy (Decision Works) helping organisations to bring those affected more deeply into the decision making process, especially using deliberative processes.
Studying with the Tamarack Institute grew her understanding of how to work with communities to achieve the best outcomes. She completed the Facilitating Deliberation training with newDemocracy Foundation and Mosaic Lab in Melbourne. Anna is a member of the Institute of Directors.
She believes the relationship between those who deliver services and produce products, and those who use or are affected by them, is under severe stress. A great believer in “leaning in” to challenging problems, Anna continues to immerse herself in new and more inclusive decision making and democratic models.
Anna lives in Mangawhai, Northland.
Greer Forde-MacNaughton
Greer (she/her) is a community engagement specialist based in Pōneke with a long-standing belief in the importance of a responsive democracy, one that actively grows and adapts to meet the needs of communities now and into the future.
Over eight years across government and NGO settings, she has worked at both the grassroots and strategic level, supporting genuine, mana-affirming systems shifts that enable tamariki, taiohi and marginalised communities to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect them.
Greer brings hands-on experience delivering Wellington City Council’s 2023 Citizens’ Assembly, and has seen first-hand the transformative power a shift toward deliberative processes could bring to our democracy. She also brings a deep passion for building campaigns and mobilising communities, including leading the council’s 2022 and 2025 Local Body Election campaigns, the latter achieving the highest voter turnout in 30 years. She has worked with elected members to advocate for a lowered voting age and brings governance experience as a trustee of Evolve Wellington.
Underpinned by a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an equitable Aotearoa, Greer combines empathetic, strategic ways of working with a strong belief in the ability of a renewed democracy to restore agency to communities and enhance our collective wellbeing.
Finn Shewell
He brings a wide range of experience across community engagement, facilitation, and movement building. As a committee member he has played major roles in organising Iain Walker’s New Zealand speaking tour and his Wellington public event, and the Place of Firsts event about the Porirua Assembly on Climate.
He has also recently published an article about deliberative processes in Hapai Social’s Public Sector journal entitled “Citizens’ involvement in Government Decision-making: An overview”. A more detailed follow-up article is scheduled for later in 2026.
Finn has served on the boards of Social Change Collective and Collective Intelligence, working with both to bring the voice of their respective communities to the table. He has also led community-building efforts with Collective Intelligence and City for People; with the latter successfully advocating for more housing in Te Whanganui-a-tara.
Campbell Sharplin
Cam’s background spans international relations, economics, and strategy, but it’s his understanding of the human impact of systems that drives his work. He is the co-founder of Buzzy, a deliberative democracy app that helps communities and organisations reach consensus by supporting members to raise proposals, vote on topics, and gain insights from the results. Buzzy educates people on what others need and why, providing citizens with a meaningful way to participate outside of formal election cycles. Leaders can also make use of Buzzy to offer communities a genuine voice in the decisions that will shape their futures.
Cam grew up near Rangiora and moved to Wellington to study at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a Master’s in Strategic Studies in 2023. Cam joined the Trust Democracy committee because of the strong overlap between what Buzzy is building and what Trust Democracy stands for, and is always keen to connect with anyone interested in civic tech or deliberative process design.
Rakesh Pinao
Rakesh was previously a meteorologist who became interested in change; working for the last 20 years in technology, then education and lately local government sectors on a range of projects. He is currently the programme manager for Northland’s climate change adaptation programme.
He lives in Kaikohe in the Far North with his young family. He is also a school board member, a Forest and Bird branch member, and a contributor to Climate Actions Te Taitokerau (NGO). Rakesh is interested in advancing and innovating democracy practice.
Harry Cosslett
Harry is drawn to deliberative democracy because he believes the shift from public opinion to informed public judgment is one of the most promising ways to strengthen our institutions. Based in Wellington, he works on how people engage with public budgets and decisions as a co-founder of Weigh In, which helps communities work through real budget trade-offs rather than just registering opinions, and through Budget Bird, a government budget simulation used in New Zealand high schools.
He also spent four years as a senior financial analyst in central government. He’s keen to help Trust Democracy with events, communications and technology, and to keep learning alongside people working on something he cares about.