A sociologist, Kay has built up twenty years of solid expertise in community and social policy research. Her research areas include applied social research and evaluation in housing, public policy and community development. Kay established CRESA in 1994 along with co-director Julie Warren who retired from the company in 2010. Prior to establishing CRESA Kay was an academic, policy manager and ministerial adviser. She has extensive experience in quantitative and qualitative research design, evaluation, and policy analysis. Her research includes: benefit and funding policy for health, welfare, housing, disability and social services; mental health services; and housing. In the past she was a member of the Healthy Housing Programme (Otago University), HEEP (BRANZ) and led the Sustainable Neighbourhoods Stream for the BEACON Consortium as well as contributed to the NowHome and retrofit evaluations. Kay is committed to and a successful provider of public good research. She led the public good science funded programme Ageing in Place: repairs and maintenance of older people's housing and is a member of the Building Energy End-use Study team. She currently leads two public good science funded, multi-disciplinary, cross-organisational programmes: Community Resilience and Good Ageing: Doing Better in Bad Times; and Finding the Best Fit: Housing, Downsizing, and Older People in a Changing Society. Kay is a trustee for the Marlborough Sustainable Housing Trust, and was previously a council member for the Lifetime Design Foundation Council and was a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Warm Homes.

Ruth is of Ngai Tahu descent. She has a double Honours degree in law and social policy and has been an indispensable part of the CRESA team since 1995. Ruth’s main interests are in the areas of the rental market, resource management, energy use, and community development. She has extensive experience in face-to-face interviews and focus groups with a range of people and in data management and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative information. Recent research includes her research officer role for the Ageing in Place project and interviews with householders and data analysis for the Heat Pump Study She was also research officer for the evaluation of the Rural Housing Programme undertaken for Housing New Zealand Corporation, the NMT Affordable Housing Study led by MOTU, research on landlord practices for the Department of Building and Housing, and research on access to safe and secure housing for at risk and vulnerable young people.

Having worked with CRESA over many years, Nina has considerable training and experience in face-to-face interviewing with a wide range of stakeholders. She has excellent qualitative and document analysis skills and assists with a variety of research tasks at CRESA, including support at focus groups, literature and file reviews, qualitative data analysis. Nina is also completing her studies in the treatment of animals.