Oli Wilson
Director Research Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts
Associate Professor Oli Wilson is the Associate Dean Research at the College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington. In this capacity, he oversees the college's research strategy and post-graduate programs. His academic focus lies in advancing equity, resilience, and sustainability within the creative industries. He contributes to transformative research initiatives in collaboration with industry and government partners, with notable support from entities including the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Toi Mai: Workforce Development Council, and APRA-AMCOS NZ. Beyond academia, Oli Wilson undertakes music direction and keyboard responsibilities for the internationally renowned New Zealand band, The Chills. His musical contributions extend to multiple NZ Top-40 recordings, as well as tours across North America, the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
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Expertise
Creative Industries, Equity and Diversity, Live Performance Industries, Ethnography
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Recent research successes
Dr Oli Wilson has contributed to several large-scale team-based projects, including:
- The Amplify Aotearoa Community Diversity Project 2019 with Catherine Hoad (co-lead) in partnership with APRA-AMCOS NZ.
- Barriers for Women in Creative Technology Training in Aotearoa with Catherine Hoad and Dave Carter (co-leads) funded by Toi Mai Workforce Development Council in 2022.
- Aotearoa Live Music Recovery Project (ongoing) with Dave Carter (PI) and Catherine Hoad (co-lead). Funded by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, this project partners with 17 venues across New Zealand and has, to date, funded over 1000 live events.
- Measuring The Value of the Live Performance Sectors (ongoing), with Dave Carter (PI) and Catherine Hoad (co-lead). Funded by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, this project will provide an economic cost-benefit analysis of the live theatre, dance, music, comedy, and festival sectors.
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Qualifications
- MusB (Otago University)
- PhD (Otago University)
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Professional affiliations or service roles
- International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM)
- International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM)
- Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM)
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Supervision
Oli has supervised a number of high-profile artists, including Jon Toogood (MFA) of Shihad and The Adults, Devin Abrams (MMus) of Drax Project (Producer), Pacific Heights, and formerly of Shapeshifter, and Wellington talent Estère Dalton (MCE). He is currently supervising two PhD students, Jesse Austin Stewart, who is researching music and democratisation through music technology design, and Anna Edgington who is researching gender inequality through creative recording projects.
