Consulting
About Infometrics consulting
Infometrics is an independent economic consultancy trusted by central and local government agencies, tertiary education organisations, industry organisations, and businesses across a range of industries for our impartial and robust economic analysis and insights. For almost 40 years we have provided hundreds of clients with analysis of New Zealand industries, its regions, and the broader economy. We offer bespoke economic consulting to meet your needs including:
- customised forecasts specific to your needs
- bespoke population projections
- economic impact analysis
- environmental scans
- workforce analysis including skills supply and demand, demographic trends, and other megatrends
- socioeconomic profiles and analysis of community wellbeing
- sector-specific analysis including the construction sector, healthcare, transport, retail, and tourism
- rates affordability and cost escalation analysis for local council long-term planning
- regional business attractiveness analysis
- regional housing affordability analysis
- regional and sector productivity analysis
- survey research including designing, administering and analysing online surveys of your stakeholders or target groups
Infometrics economists have expertise in a variety of quantitative tools that can be applied to analytical problems such as principal component and regression techniques, structural time series analysis, general equilibrium modelling, microsimulation modelling and input-output analysis. Models are chosen and tailored to the research question being addressed. The economic models we use for consulting services build on, and are consistent with, the regional and national economic and labour market data provided to subscribers of our regional, sector, population, and forecasting products.
Our research findings can be presented to you in a variety of formats from traditional reports, presented in straightforward language, to customised web-based interactive dashboards, and engaging presentations, workshops or seminars. Come to us with your most challenging questions and we will explore ways to find evidence-based answers.
All our consultancy projects are overseen by our Principal Consultant, Rob Heyes, who ensures that every project is completed on time and to budget. Every project begins with a succinct proposal that outlines what we are going to produce, how we will produce it, how we will work with you, how long it will take and how much it will cost. We don’t begin a project until you are happy with the proposal.
Recent projects
Below are a selection of recent consulting projects Infometrics has undertaken.
The Hawke’s Bay economy – historical performance and trends
Infometrics was commissioned to analyse the Hawke’s Bay’s economy, highlighting its performance, productivity, and population dynamics, as well as the contributions and challenges faced by Māori and Pacific Peoples in the region.
Outlook for the Tararua Economy - Report
Tararua District Council commissioned Infometrics to analyse the current state of the Tararua economy, its recovery from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and Cyclone Gabrielle, and Tararua's near-term economic outlook drawing on regional economic data and interviews with local business owners.
The Case for Concrete Roads - Report to Concrete NZ
Report commissioned by Concrete New Zealand, builds on reports from 2013, 2018 and 2020, to present a compelling case for the use of concrete in roading. The report says concrete roads are on average 17 per cent cheaper over whole-of-life, reduce embodied carbon in roading and significantly reduce the cost and frequency of road maintenance.
Hawke’s Bay employment outlook
Client: Hawke’s Bay Regional Economic Development Agency
Infometrics was commissioned to examine the employment outlook across key industries in Hawke’s Bay regional and its four territorial authorities.
The effects of STRA on local housing markets in New Zealand
Client: Airbnb
Airbnb commissioned Infometrics to examine the relationship between the Short-term Rental Accommodation (STRA) market and the housing market in Queenstown-Lakes District, Auckland, Wellington City, and Christchurch City.
Taranaki Regional Research Report Update
Client: Toi Foundation
Toi Foundation commissioned Infometrics to update their 2021 Taranaki Regional Research Report to understand how key indicators of the region’s economic performance and population wellbeing had changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Estimating the costs of an uncertain infrastructure pipeline
Client: Infrastructure New Zealand
Infrastructure New Zealand commissioned Infometrics to examine the costs of an uncertain infrastructure pipeline on the New Zealand economy. These costs include both the monetary and non-monetary costs of uncertainty about the timing, scope, type, and funding of the pipeline of future infrastructure work in New Zealand. This analysis is expected to be used to help inform and develop a more certain pipeline to create a more efficient and effective infrastructure subsector, which has a larger capacity to complete infrastructure projects, and where firms can invest in developing their workforce and growing their business.
Analysing the Whangarei economy, key sectors, and business attractiveness
Client: Whangarei District Council
Whangarei District Council commissioned Infometrics to undertake a three-stage economic analysis project comprising an analysis of the Whangarei District economy’s key sectors, an analysis of business performance benchmarks, and the development and analysis of a ‘Business Attractiveness Indicator’.
This analysis enabled the Council to better understand the make-up and performance of the Whangarei District economy to enhance the understanding by key decision makers of what drivers local economic performance. The project also ensured that the Council had the right information to develop better-targeted economic policy that will optimise the performance of existing businesses and attract more high-performing businesses to the area.
State of the Wellington City economy
Client: Wellington City Council
Wellington City Council commissioned Infometrics to examine the economic outlook for households and businesses in Wellington City, to provide background context for the setting of the City’s 2024/25-2034/35 Long Term Plan (LTP). We drew on our regional and national economic forecasts, supplemented by desktop research, to find that lingering cost-of-living pressures and weak demand conditions will make the coming 1-2 years economically challenging for Wellington households and businesses, and the subsequent recovery is likely to be only gradual. We also highlighted that a change of government could see deep cuts in public sector staffing levels, which is a key risk for the local economy. However, with high employment levels, low unemployment, a relatively highly paid workforce, and several economically resilient sectors, Wellington is arguably better positioned than most areas to weather economic headwinds.
Modelling the economic impact of Te Utanganui freight hub projects on the Manawatū-Whanganui economy
Client: Central Economic Development Agency (CEDA)
Central Economic Development Agency (CEDA) commissioned Infometrics to carry out an economic impact assessment of Te Utanganui freight projects on the New Zealand and Manawatū-Whanganui economies in order to communicate the benefits to potential investors, elected members, and the wider community. We used our ESSAM General Equilibrium Model to estimate the addition to national and Manawatū-Whanganui regional GDP that Te Utanganui will make when it becomes fully operational from 2035 onwards, finding that Te Utanganui will increase national GDP by 0.03% per annum. This additional GDP will be worth $122 million in 2035, or an average of $21 per person and $57 per household. An estimated 77% of the total national economic impact of Te Utanganui will occur in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.