Claire Robinson is an award-winning designer, a painter, author, playwright, political scientist, political commentator, former professor of Communication Design and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Massey University’s College of Creative Arts, Currently the chief executive of toi mai, the workforce development council for new Zealand’s creative, cultural, recreation and technology sectors.

C.Robinson@massey.ac.nz
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Claire has been researching and writing about visual political communication, political advertising and marketing, leadership image, media bias, election campaigning and political history for more than 20 years. She is one of New Zealand’s most experienced political commentators.

Since July 2020 Claire has written occasional pieces on New Zealand politics for The Guardian. Her book Promises Promises: 80 years of Wooing New Zealand voters was published in September 2019 by Massey University Press. The book was a finalist in the 2020 Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) Book Design Awards for Best Illustrated Book. Claire’s first play The Lee Letter had its first public reading at Wellington’s Circa Theatre on 13 March 2021.

In 2014 Claire established the Design + Democracy Project, an award winning Massey University research unit exploring the role that design can play in advancing 21st century citizenship and youth voting engagement.

Claire is a two-time finalist in the Fairfax/Westpac Women of Influence Awards in the Arts and Culture category and a finalist in the Education category of the Wellingtonian of the Year Awards in 2017. She has won two Wallace Awards from the New Zealand Electoral Commission for contribution to public understanding of electoral matters.

Under Claire’s leadership the College of Creative Arts was awarded the Creative Gold and Supreme Award at the Wellington Gold (Business) Awards in 2018.

Claire has twice worked in the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as Director of Public Diplomacy and Outreach (2009) and as a Foreign Service Officer (1985-90). She worked as (departmental) Private Secretary (Women’s Affairs) for the Rt Hon. Jenny Shipley in 1991.