TOM BARRACLOUGH

Tech Policy Consultant | Digital Governance | Legal Researcher

Purpose-driven consultant and researcher driving good practice and clear thinking at the intersection of law, public policy and technology. Committed to making knowledge useful through advisory work with government, international institutions, civil society, and private sector clients.

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Independent consultant and researcher since 2014, specialising in AI governance, platform regulation, digital legal systems, and human rights approaches to technology policy. Founder and director of two organisations delivering internationally recognised advisory and research services:

• Brainbox Institute (2018 | present) | Public interest think tank and consultancy advising governments, tech companies, NGOs, and international institutions
• Syncopate Lab (2023 | present) | Software company and consultancy developing digital technologies for regulatory purposes

Track record: Secured $400,000+ in research funding; advised clients managing $1.3 trillion in assets; led global multi-stakeholder coalitions; pioneered AI-assisted regulatory drafting; delivered nationally significant research influencing ministerial policy decisions.

CORE EXPERTISE AREAS

AI Governance & Regulation | Platform Regulation & Content Moderation | Deepfakes & Synthetic Media | Disinformation & Information Integrity | Rules as Code & Digital Legal Systems | Tech Transparency | Access to Justice | Disability Rights & Accessibility | Human Rights & Technology

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Syncopate Lab | Co-Founder & Co-Director

2023 | Present

Software company and consultancy developing digital technologies for regulatory purposes. Formalises working relationship with Hamish Fraser, global pioneer in 'rules as code' and co-author on 2021 Legislation as Code report.

Key Client Projects & Achievements:

Department of Internal Affairs & Government Chief Digital Office (2024 | ongoing)

• Facilitating review of cross-government API development guidelines
• Publishing guidelines on white-labelled DocRef.Org site
• Leading follow-on digital regulatory design processes
• Pioneered use of AI to draft and evaluate regulatory instruments, potentially first of its kind in New Zealand and globally
• Developed reusable infrastructure using DocRef structured data, semantic search, and MCP servers with full citation preservation
• Validated outputs against government AI principles using separate evaluation framework

Parliamentary Counsel Office (2024)

• Commissioned to produce comprehensive report on access to legislation data
• Examined use cases, technical observations, and recommendations for structuring and accessing legislative data
• Identified applications: automated compliance tools, improved search/analysis, legal publishing systems, regulatory compliance, civic engagement, AI integration
• Work informs PCO's long-term data services roadmap following NZ Legislation website relaunch

Taumata Arowai (2022 | 2024)

• Digitised drinking water quality assurance secondary legislation for computer implementation
• Project nominated for World Summit Award
• Demonstrated practical application of rules as code methodology

Brainbox Institute | Co-Founder & Director

2018 | Present

Public interest think tank and consultancy at intersection of technology, law, and policy. Grew from single research grant in 2018 to team of four delivering globally recognised advisory services. Transitioning toward non-profit status as of 2024 with Dr Ellen Strickland appointed as Co-Director.

International Institution & Government Clients:

Action Coalition on Meaningful Transparency (2022 | present)

• Client: Global Network Initiative & multi-stakeholder coalition
• Appointed inaugural Project Lead for global multi-stakeholder coalition
• Established coalition to ensure tech transparency regulations are meaningful and protect human rights
• Launched Transparency Initiatives Portal website (2024)
• Engagement with global policy and human rights teams at tech companies, NGOs, think tanks, international institutions, and regulators
• Facilitated member sessions in Washington DC, Stockholm, Brussels

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2022 | 2024)

• Client: New Zealand Government
• Prepared July 2022 report outlining transparent, human rights-consistent multi-stakeholder approach to disinformation monitoring
• Supported three procurement processes and multi-stakeholder advisory group through 2023-2024
• Contributed to civil society-led work programme strengthening resilience to disinformation
• Participated in research, community capacity-building, and stakeholder engagement initiatives

Global Partnership on AI (2021 | 2022)

• Client: OECD GPAI Responsible AI Working Group
• Analysed proposal by computer scientists to access social media platform data
• Studied algorithmic recommender system impacts on consumption of terrorist and violent extremist content
• Provided human rights and policy analysis to technical working group

Digital Trust & Safety Partnership & Global Network Initiative (2023)

• Clients: DTSP & GNI member organisations
• Prepared and hosted two-day online workshops for members and invited guests
• Participants included global tech companies and influential European civil society organisations and academia
• Facilitated risk assessment and transparency discussions

Āhau (2022)

• Tribal digital identity project for iwi and hapū
• Supported design of decentralised identity services infrastructure

Human Rights Commission (2021)

• Client: Te Kāhui Tika Tangata
• Research and analysis support on COVID-19 response
• Human rights framework application to pandemic measures

Department of Internal Affairs & Digital Council of Aotearoa NZ (2020)

• Client: New Zealand Government
• Research support and stakeholder engagement on trust and automated decision-making
• Continued work on legislation as code and artificial intelligence
• Provided insights on disability rights and Māori data sovereignty

Private Sector & Institutional Investor Clients:

NZ Superannuation Fund, Northern Trust, Neuberger Berman (2021)

• Clients: Institutional investors representing $13 trillion
• In response to open letter from global investors, analysed progress by Alphabet, Facebook, Twitter implementing changes following March 2019 Christchurch terror attacks
• Conducted platform assessment work for NZ Superannuation Fund-led investor coalition representing USD$1.3 trillion in assets

Foundation & Public Interest Clients:

Borrin Foundation (2022 | 2023)

• Client: Borrin Foundation (public interest funding)
• Legal research, communications, and public discussion forums on content regulation
• Stakeholder engagement examining voluntary and mandatory content regulation in New Zealand
• Analysis of disinformation response frameworks

NZ AI Policy Tracker (2024)

• Public interest initiative
• Published freely available digital collation of AI policy materials for New Zealand
• Centralises disparate regulatory environment to support public policy discussions
• Received strong positive uptake across government and civil society

Disability Rights & Enforceable Accessibility Legislation (2020 | 2021)

• Public interest funding (NZ Law Foundation)
• Used legislation guidelines to convert Access Alliance principles into concept for domestic legislation
• Draft legislation subsequently used by external drafters
• Engaged with policy teams at Ministry of Social Development

Deepfakes & Synthetic Media (2018 | 2019)

• Public interest funding (NZ Law Foundation)
• Prepared wide-ranging analysis of synthetic media capabilities and potential legal remedies
• Organised, hosted, and presented to forum of ~13 government and non-government agencies
• Established Tom as one of New Zealand's leading experts on deepfakes

Legislation as Code (2019 | 2021)

• Public interest funding (NZ Law Foundation)
• Critically examined domestic and global movement to translate legislation into computer code
• Engaged with global stakeholders
• Report recognised in OECD policy brief

Judgments as Data (2019 | 2020)

• Public interest funding (NZ Law Foundation)
• Examined state of public access to judicial decisions in New Zealand
• Co-designed open source prototype algorithmic system for analysing case law
• Presented findings to NZ Council of Law Reporting
• Recommended publication in LegalDocML and Akoma Ntoso standards

Leadership & Advisory Roles:

NZ AI Forum (2018 | 2019)

• Elected Co-Chair of Working Group on AI, Law, Ethics & Society
• Led policy discussions and stakeholder engagement

ACC Scheme Advisory Panel (2013 | 2024)

• Panel member providing stakeholder input to ACC and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment
• Advised on policy and operations

Warren Forster, Barrister & Researcher | Research Team Member

2013 | 2017 (began working while in third year at university, 2011)

Member of research team led by Warren Forster producing internationally recognised research on New Zealand's medico-legal and accident compensation systems. Supporting role in litigation at multiple levels of the judicial system.

Key Achievements:

Research Funding Secured (~$150,000+)

• Multiple grants from New Zealand Law Foundation for access to justice research
• Shadow Report Award for UN CRPD submission

Publications & Impact

• Published 4 legal research reports with New Zealand Law Foundation funding
• Co-authored UN Shadow Report (2014) to Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Research cited by ACC Minister as basis for policy reform
• Work referenced in Parliamentary debates on ACC reform
• Reports examined in Miriam Dean QC ministerial review

International Engagement

• Traveled to Geneva for New Zealand's first UN CRPD examination (2014)

Research Outputs

• Conducted empirical analysis of 500+ ACC appeals identifying systemic barriers to justice
• Research directly influenced ministerial policy decisions
• Work acknowledged by ACC Minister Nikki Kaye and validated by Miriam Dean QC

Professional Activities

• Supported court appearances in range of Courts and Tribunals
• Worked with disabled peoples' organisations including Acclaim Otago
• Conference attendances and presentations in New Zealand and Australia
• Position as Research Fellow, University of Otago Faculty of Law
• Select committee submissions and presentations
• Direct engagement with MPs, Ministers, and Judiciary

EDUCATION

University of Otago | 2009 | 2013

• Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB Hons) | First Class Honours
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) | Politics major
• LLB Honours Dissertation: "Te Awa Tupua and the Rights of Nature" (second highest grade in year group, cited 25 times)
• Awarded Russell McVeagh school leavers' scholarship; Winner, Kensington Swan Teamwork competition; Semi-finalist, Chapman Tripp Negotiation competition
• Obtained Professionals certificate; did not seek bar admission

PUBLICATIONS & RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles and Book Chapters

1. "The Idea of Access to Justice: Reflections on New Zealand's Accident Compensation (or Personal Injury) System" Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, (2016) 33(2) 197. Co-authors: Tiho Mijatov, Warren Forster
2. "Problems with Access to Law in Personal Injury Disputes" New Zealand Universities Law Review, (2016) 27 NZULR 365 Co-authors: Tiho Mijatov, Warren Forster Shortlisted for Best Published Article 2017
3. "Deepfakes and synthetic media" In: Emerging Technologies and International Security, Routledge (2020), Chapter 16. Co-authors: Curtis Barnes, Tom Barraclough

Major Research Reports & Client Deliverables

4. "Shadow Report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" (2014) Acclaim Otago/NZ Law Foundation | Cited by Minister for ACC as basis for policy reform Direct PDF
5. "Understanding the Problem: An Analysis of ACC Appeals Processes" (2015) NZ Law Foundation [2015] NZLFRRp 3 | Empirical analysis of 500+ appeals
6. "Solving the Problem: Causation, Transparency and Access to Justice" (2017) NZ Law Foundation [2017] NZLFRRp 10
7. "Perception Inception: Preparing for Deepfakes and the Synthetic Media of Tomorrow" (2019) Brainbox Institute/NZ Law Foundation [2019] NZLFRRp 5
8. "Legislation as Code in New Zealand" (2021) Brainbox Institute/NZ Law Foundation | Recognised in OECD policy brief
9. "Making New Zealand Accessible: A Design for Effective Accessibility Legislation" (2021) NZ Law Foundation [2021] NZLFRRp 8 | Includes draft accessibility legislation
10. "Governing Digital Legal Systems: Insights on AI and Rules as Code" (2024) Syncopate Lab | Published in MIT Computational Law Report
11. "Access to Legislation Data" (2024) Parliamentary Counsel Office/Syncopate Lab
12. Using AI to Draft and Evaluate Regulation (2024) Syncopate Lab | Detailed documentation of pioneering AI-assisted regulatory drafting at transparency.syncopatelab.com
13. "Deciphering Media Literacy" (2023) Brainbox Institute | Calls for national media literacy strategy

Policy Commentary & Thought Leadership

14. "Platforms Are Testing Self-Regulation in New Zealand. It Needs a Lot of Work" Lawfare, September 1, 2022
15. "Building Common Infrastructure for Meaningful Tech Transparency" Tech Policy Press, February 22, 2024
16. "Opinion: Global Issues Require Global Responses" Asia New Zealand Foundation, November 22, 2023
17. “Wasting time on AI Regulation and Sovereign AI (Series)” Brainbox Institute, November 2025

MEDIA & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Selected Media Appearances

• The Business of Tech (16 October 2025) | AI regulation discussion with Peter Griffin
• RNZ The Detail: "The Deep Fake Threat" (July 2020)
• RNZ Saturday Morning: "Are Your Social Media Threads Under Threat?" (June 2023)
• RNZ Nine to Noon: "Bringing the Justice System into the 21st Century" (December 2020)
• RNZ Morning Report: "Deepfakes, Synthetic Media a Threat to Democracy" (May 2019)
• InternetLab (Brazil): "Devouring the DSA: Auditing Mechanisms for Platforms" (September 2023)

Speaking Engagements & International Delegations

• Asia New Zealand Foundation Track II Delegation (Singapore, April 2025) | Delegate on Track II diplomacy mission covering trade, geopolitics, and digital policy including AI
• AI Panel Discussion, Parliament (May 2024) | Panelist alongside ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt and science fiction author Neal Stephenson on AI risks and benefits
• Action Coalition on Meaningful Transparency Launch (March 2024) | Host and panel moderator, Transparency Initiatives Portal announcement
• EU Digital Policy Seminar, Victoria University Wellington (August 2023) | Panelist with EU Senior Envoy for Digital Gerard de Graaf on Digital Services Act
• ASEAN Australia New Zealand Roundtable (Kuala Lumpur, 2023) | Delegate to 15th AANZ Roundtable; extended trip to Kyoto for UN Internet Governance Forum
• TechWeek23 (May 2023) | Presenter on Law as Code project
• Victoria University of Wellington AI & Society Seminar Series | Regular presenter on AI regulation
• Brainbox Institute Webinar Series | Regular host on AI in workplace, AI regulation, EU AI Act

CLIENT SECTORS & FUNDING SOURCES

• Government Agencies: Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Parliamentary Counsel Office, Department of Internal Affairs, Government Chief Digital Office, Human Rights Commission, Taumata Arowai
• International Institutions: Global Partnership on AI, Global Network Initiative, Digital Trust and Safety Partnership, Christchurch Call
• Private Sector: NZ Superannuation Fund, Northern Trust, Neuberger Berman (investor coalition representing $1.3t)
• Foundations & Public Interest: New Zealand Law Foundation, Borrin Foundation, Asia New Zealand Foundation, Access Alliance
• Civil Society: Acclaim Otago, disabled peoples' organisations

KEY COMPETENCIES

Advisory & Consulting

• Multi-stakeholder facilitation and coalition building
• Policy development and analysis
• Regulatory design and assessment
• Strategic advisory for government and private sector

Research & Analysis

• Legal research and comparative policy analysis
• Empirical research design and implementation
• Evidence synthesis and reporting
• Academic writing and peer-reviewed publication

Technical & Digital

• Rules as code and computational law
• AI governance frameworks
• Digital legal systems design
• Algorithmic assessment
• Data structures for legislation

Communication & Engagement

• Public speaking and media commentary
• Workshop design and facilitation
• Stakeholder engagement
• Policy translation for diverse audiences
• International diplomacy and Track II dialogue

CONTACT

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tom-bcgh-tech
Organisations: brainbox.institute | syncopatelab.com | meaningfultransparency.tech

CV compiled December 2025. References available upon request.