Meet our Team

Dr Adolf Stroombergen is chief economist at Infometrics. He has a PhD in economics and over 35 years of experience in economic consulting, specialising in mathematical economics, econometrics and economic modelling. His work has included general equilibrium analyses of changes in import protection, roading investment, genetic modification and carbon pricing; and econometric estimation of forecasting models and empirical relationships in the areas of energy use, corporate credit risk and organisational structure. He has applied real options analysis to climate change adaptation and has also developed microsimulation models of savings and of the tertiary student loan scheme.Adolf is an Affiliate of Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.

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Staff

Chief Economist

Andrew oversees the development of Infometrics suite of online products. He likes to conceptualise ways in which complex data sets can be made accessible to a non-technical audience.Andrew has a background in labour market analysis. He has conducted numerous studies on the demand for and supply of skills for industry training organisations, regional organisations and central government agencies. He received training in occupational forecasting at the Bureau of Labour Statistics in Washington DC and was lead analyst in a multiyear study on future skill needs in South Africa.Andrew has a Master&#x27;s degree in economics (awarded Cum Laude) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. He has over 30 years’ economics experience in a range of organisations including the Human Sciences Research Council (Pretoria), Global Insight Southern Africa and the New Zealand Department of Labour.Andrew lives on a lifestyle block in the winelands of the Wairarapa. When time permits, he enjoys casting a line in the Ruamahanga.

Regional

Export Trade

Chief of Product Innovation, Director

Gareth heads up the forecasting team at Infometrics, managing the preparation of the company’s regular forecast publications. Within the forecast process, he is responsible for the macroeconomic overview and building and property forecasts. Gareth has completed a range of consulting projects, many focused on the housing market and construction industry, and he regularly provides presentations that provide relevant economic information in an accessible, clear, and entertaining manner. He is also frequently sought out by the media for comment on topical economic issues.Gareth’s management experience at Infometrics has given him a good understanding of how economic issues affect business decision making and development. Gareth joined Infometrics in early 1999, having graduated from the University of Canterbury the previous year with a MCom (Hons) in economics and a BSc in economics and statistics. He became managing director of Infometrics in 2006, and he moved into the operations director role in 2014.Significant consulting reports prepared by Gareth in recent years include: analysing demand conditions for a residential development looking to be progressed in the upper North Island; a report on the provision of affordable housing in Queenstown; forecasting construction labour requirements in Otago given the rebuild of Dunedin Hospital; and several pieces of expert witness evidence for construction cost escalation relating to remedial building work. He prepared Infometrics’ publicly available Regional Hotspots 2016 report, which highlighted some of the key growth regions for New Zealand over the next decade, discussing the opportunities arising in these growth areas as well as potential challenges posed by growth. He is also the author of Infometrics’ Megatrends Report (2018), as well as Food for Thought, which examines potential demand for exports from regions at the top of the South Island (available for download on our <a href="https://www.infometrics.co.nz/reports/">Reports</a> page).Gareth is a born-and-bred Wellingtonian and has four children. Gareth is a long-suffering supporter of the New Zealand cricket team, and he enjoys going tramping and getting off the beaten track every now and then.

Forecasting

Media

Presentations

Chief Forecaster, Director

Jacqui joined Infometrics in 2010.  Her role has evolved somewhat over the years and now she works predominantly in the Communications and Client Engagement role, while also managing office administration. She is responsible for liaising with clients, creating communications and marketing material and promoting Infometrics. Jacqui enjoys cultivating client relationships and building the best possible client engagement experience.Before immigrating to New Zealand from South Africa, Jacqui completed BA(Hons) in Geographical Information Systems (University of Pretoria). She previously worked in a utilities engineering and software company, principally creating the technical documentation for custom built GIS software packages.She lives in the beautiful Wairarapa, with her family.

Communications and Client Engagement Lead

Dirk is the data modeller behind Infometrics regional data bases. He spends many hours modelling data using various official data sources in the quest to make us understand New Zealand’s regional economies.Dirk grew up in the Netherlands and received a Master’s degree in economics from the University of Groningen. He started his career in South Africa working as a research assistant at Stellenbosch University, followed by a 10-year stint at the Development Bank of Southern Africa and subsequently as an independent consultant. Upon his family’s arrival in New Zealand, he spent 6 years at the Department of Labour as a principal information analyst but has resumed independent consulting over the last decade. These roles led him into the areas of regional economic impact analysis, international trade analysis, input-output/social accounting matrix and computable general equilibrium modelling.Being a part-timer at Infometrics offers Dirk the opportunity to continue his work in Southern Africa where he is member of a team at Pretoria-based <a href="http://www.tips.org.za">Trade &amp; Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS)</a> which facilitates policy development and dialogue in pursuit of sustainable and equitable growth in Southern Africa. Dirk is involved in capacity building and modelling projects in various Southern African as well as South-East Asian countries. This work ranges from developing a social accounting matrix for a typical township in South Africa to green growth strategies in Vietnam, mostly on behalf of local governments and donor funding agencies such as the World Bank and other UN related organisations.

Associate Economist

Dave Grimmond is an independent consulting economist based in Wellington, New Zealand. Dave grew up in Dunedin and studied at the University of Otago.Dave started his career working at the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research where he had a leading role preparing economic forecasts, editing the Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion, and undertaking customised projects for clients. Dave next worked at the Treasury where he led the team preparing economic forecasts for the Budget and later managed the Macroeconomic Policy team, which had oversight over medium term fiscal strategy as well as providing advice on the performance of the Reserve Bank. Dave also spent four years as the Department of Labour’s economic adviser, in which time he also established the Department’s Future of Work unit, and at separate times managed their Research and Evaluation and Labour Market Information units. More recently Dave was the economist for the Greater Wellington Regional Council from 2016 to 2020.For a large part of his career, Dave worked at Infometrics Ltd, later becoming a Director. For many years he led their economic forecasting activities, but increasingly focused on consulting activities, contributing to around 150 projects for clients. The types of services that Dave has provided for clients include:<ul><li data-block-key="9iaq">Project assessment (including cost benefit analysis, social returns on investment, risk analysis)</li><li data-block-key="6hrtj">Customised forecasting services (including the development of client specific forecast models and facilitating scenario development)</li><li data-block-key="eqlp5">Policy and strategic analysis advice</li><li data-block-key="6sipr">Expert witness services in relation to employment, environmental, and investment performance issues</li></ul>Dave has provided advice to clients on labour market performance, education issues, skill requirements, immigration policy, building sector performance and prospects, environmental issues (such as waste management and trade-offs associated with species protection), tax policy, the contribution of social investments to national wellbeing, and tobacco control policies.Dave has a BA (Hons) in economics from the University of Otago and is a member of the American Economic Association. Dave is an active member of the Wellington Masters Cycling Club.

Private - no attribution

Brad Olsen is the Chief Executive and Principal Economist at Infometrics and is one of New Zealand’s leading economic commentators. Brad is passionate about using economics to make better informed decisions and can communicate complex and detailed trends in a simple, relatable, and useful manner. With extensive networks across New Zealand’s business, media, community, and social sectors, Brad often brings together a variety of views, data, and emerging trends to inform advice and analysis to key decision makers across New Zealand.Brad is a community leader and is one of New Zealand’s youngest Justices of the Peace. His work in the community has been recognised a number of times: he was named New Zealand’s Queen’s Young Leader in 2016, one of Asia New Zealand Foundation’s 25 to Watch in 2019, and Young Wellingtonian of the Year 2020.As a young person, Brad brings a different perspective to key opportunities and challenges that New Zealand faces and is keen to unlock more potential across businesses and communities. Emerging trends continue to accelerate the pace of change across the world and in New Zealand, and Brad focuses on understanding these trends as they evolve and highlighting way to enhance outcomes for local communities.<h5 data-block-key="1q3lp">Background</h5>Originally from Whangarei, Brad completed his undergraduate studies at Victoria University of Wellington, finishing with a BCom and BA (majoring in Economics, Public Policy, International Relations and Political Science).Since joining Infometrics in July 2015 as a part time data analyst while studying at Victoria University of Wellington, Brad has risen to be one of New Zealand’s most prominent, and youngest, economic commentators. He’s been termed by The Spinoff as a <a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/06-06-2020/who-is-brad-olsen-boy-wonder-and-economist-extraordinaire/">boy wonder and economist extraordinaire</a> for his detailed, comprehensive, but understandable views on the economy. Brad has appeared in various media both nationally and globally, including with TVNZ, Newshub, Radio NZ, Stuff, Newsroom, NZME, The Guardian, and many others.He regularly presents to boards, senior leadership, stakeholders, and key decision makers across New Zealand about key economic trends. Brad is a skilled communicator and works to inform key decision makers and the wider public about emerging and changing trends and getting useful and understandable insights to a wide range of groups.At present, he is focused on New Zealand’s economic recovery from COVID-19 and what emerging trends from the pandemic mean for local economies. He also takes a keen interest in global economic trends and the current shift in supply chains. Since his emergence in the economics scene, Brad has also been a leading commentator on housing and infrastructure issues across New Zealand.Brad’s role at Infometrics covers all parts of the business. In the regional and sector space, he is responsible for interacting with clients and providing key regional and industry-level economic insights. He is also a part of the forecasting team, analysing the latest trends and looking at how the economy is shifting. He has completed a range of bespoke consulting projects, including public policy costings in the education and healthcare space. Brad’s role includes regularly making presentations across the country (or now by Zoom) to examine current and emerging trends.In 2019, Brad co-authored the Regional Wellbeing: A broader view of community outcomes around New Zealand Infometrics report, and designed the Regional Wellbeing Framework, allowing local leaders and their communities to better understand how their area functions and design innovative actions to improve the wellbeing of the wider community.Outside of work, Brad’s an active and engaged member of the Wellington community and is one of New Zealand’s youngest Justices of the Peace (JP), performing both ministerial and judicial duties - as well as being a marriage and civil union celebrant. He is a member of the Institute of Directors, and is the Deputy Chair of the Wellington Branch Committee. He is also a Board Member of Business Central, and is a member of the Global Shapers Community - Wellington Hub, the Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network, and the Wellington District Licensing Committee. He occasionally volunteers with Take10, and was formerly a member of the Wellington City Youth Council. In 2016, he was announced as New Zealand’s Queen’s Young Leader and has met with the Queen on three occasions.<h5 data-block-key="467dv">Key biographical interviews</h5><ul><li data-block-key="4of9l"><a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/06-06-2020/who-is-brad-olsen-boy-wonder-and-economist-extraordinaire/">Who is Brad Olsen, boy wonder and economist extraordinaire?</a> (The Spinoff, June 2020)</li><li data-block-key="e2mth"><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/economist-brad-olsen-opens-up-about-being-the-go-to-guy-on-the-countrys-economy/ZKTZYZNWPG3YDNDT6BP34D3OMI/">Economist Brad Olsen opens up about being the go-to guy on the country&#x27;s economy</a> (Northern Advocate, October 2020)</li><li data-block-key="1j5s9"><a href="https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2020/11/me-and-my-money-brad-olsen-senior-economist.html">Me and My Money: Brad Olsen, senior economist</a> (Newshub, November 2020)</li><li data-block-key="bvc3c"><a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/simon-barnett-and-james-daniels-afternoons/six-and-a-song-with-brad-olsen/">Six and A Song with Brad Olsen</a> (Newstalk ZB, May 2021)</li><li data-block-key="c0npu"><a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018815294/bookmarks-with-brad-olsen">Bookmarks with Brad Olsen</a> (Radio New Zealand, October 2021)</li><li data-block-key="3pj2m"><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/money-talks-brad-olsen-the-economist-giving-gen-z-a-voice/WWV5II2X5EPHLXTTTGX4GX7ADE/">Money Talks: Brad Olsen - the economist giving Gen Z a voice</a> (NZ Herald, March 2022)</li><li data-block-key="c1c9g"><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/real-life-brad-olsen-the-26yo-who-has-become-the-face-of-economics-in-new-zealand/YDNOWXYS2VCZPFEMGOGGX7SYUQ/">Real Life: Brad Olsen the 26-year-old who has become the face of economics in New Zealand</a> (Newstalk ZB &amp; NZ Herald, July 2023)</li></ul>

Consulting

Chief Executive and Principal Economist

David specialises in regional forecasting techniques. In particular, he examines how industry trends feed through into regional employment and regional economic growth. This often involves detailed examinations of specific industries like construction, education, healthcare and tourism. He enjoys the process of continuously improving and refining our forecasting processes to make them more realistic and more accurate.His areas of expertise include economics, econometrics, statistics, survey design, modelling and data management. His main strength is in making sense of complex systems and complex data: he uses statistical skills to break down and simplify topics that might otherwise be overwhelming. Some of his interests include time series econometrics, big data, and machine learning.He started his career as a policy analyst, working on climate change and environmental issues, but soon found that his calling was in research and analysis. He was subsequently involved in research into a range of topics, including labour markets and transport economics. Past employers include the Ministry of Economic Development, (MED) the Labour Market Policy Group (LMPG) and Booz Allen Hamilton. In 2007 he started his own consultancy practice specialising in transport economics and econometrics. In 2015 he joined Infometrics and has been with us since then.Since 2016 he has lived and worked as a digital nomad in various countries. During this time, he has travelled to Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, and Aruba. His favourite country is Brazil, and he is fluent in Brazilian Portuguese. In February 2020, he made an impromptu decision to leave Brazil and to return to New Zealand. He has since returned to his nomadic ways. He currently lives somewhere in South America.

Rob is our Principal Consultant with over 25 years’ experience in quantitative economic research, modelling, and analysis. Rob has extensive experience analysing regional economies, sectors, labour markets, migration trends and the tertiary education sector in New Zealand, the UK and in Australia.Rob has expertise in carrying out workforce environmental scans to inform workforce development strategies, economic impact assessments to inform investment decisions and state of the economy regional reports to inform regional decision making.Rob has recently completed a wide range of consultancy projects such as an analysis of the effect that short-term rental platforms have on local housing markets, barriers that Māori face entering and remaining in the health workforce, analysis of the Māori talent pool, valuing the economic contribution of unpaid carers, an economic analysis of the Software as a Service (SaaS) sector, and the post-pandemic outlook for the Arts and Creative sector.Rob has also recently written articles on the effect of cost-of-living pressures on households, the effect of Artificial Intelligence on the labour market, school attendance, productivity, economic diversity, open banking, the disabled workforce, labour market flows, transport economics, the classifications of skills in the labour market, and the implications of zero emissions policies on the labour market.Rob has an MSc in Economics from Warwick University and a BA (Hons, 1st class) in Economics from the University of the West of England in the UK.

Industry & Sectors

Principal Consultant

David leads the technical side of things at Infometrics, to bring innovative data products to clients. Before starting at Infometrics in 2018, he worked at Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, Ministry of Education, and University of Waikato. He is a Full Member of <a href="https://itp.nz/">IT Professionals NZ</a> and has a PhD in computer science from Victoria University of Wellington. David lives on the Kāpiti Coast with one wife, three kids, one dog, two cats and a constantly changing but never shrinking pile of unread novels. In between books and strategy board games he is a keen <a href="http://www.toastmasters.org.nz/">Toastmaster</a> and occasionally updates a <a href="https://david.frigge.nz/">blog</a> with non-work data projects.

Technical Lead

Carl is our new Data Analyst who has arrived to take ownership of the data pipeline and support the development and delivery of our product offerings.Originally from Rotorua, Carl has completed his Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (1st Class) in 2008 and Master of Engineering Management (Distinct.) in 2012 at Canterbury University. He is interested in anything technical, with a passion for data analytics and machine learning/AI.Carl lives to create, so if you track him down outside of the office expect to find him with a keyboard, spanner, or a power-tool in his hands.

Senior Data Analyst

Nick is a Principal Economist and Lead Demographer at Infometrics with a broad interest in regional economies and demographics. Nick combines these interests in our regional population projections – looking at how regional economies are growing, what this means for population growth, and where growth can be accommodated. Nick developed Infometrics' population projection model and has produced projections for local authorities around the country.Nick enjoys supporting clients to make informed decisions about the future of their local communities. Nick is the key contact for a number of our regional clients – supporting them with economic insights, training workshops and presentations. He also carries out consulting work for a variety of public and private sector clients including economic impact assessments.Nick has a Master’s degree in Geography and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University Canterbury. Following his study, he cut his teeth on regional economic development in Christchurch, writing economic updates and researching the stretched post-earthquake housing market. This was followed with two years as a researcher in the building industry, producing public good research and consulting work.Nick lives on the Kāpiti Coast with his wife and young daughter, and when he’s not looking after our regional clients, he likes to go for a run or do renovations.

Demographics

Principal Economist, Lead Demographer, Director

Robin is our Software Developer who is working on developing and delivering our web products.Robin is a technology enthusiast with a passion for learning and employing new technologies to solve real world business problems through the design and development of robust information systems.Robin has a Master of Computer Applications from India and a Graduate Diploma in Information Technology with Distinction from Otago Polytechnic.

Senior Developer

Chris Whelan is a futurist and entrepreneur with over 30 years of global business experience across multiple industries, including technology and manufacturing. Since 2012, he has held chief executive roles in regional economic development and served on influential boards focused on city and regional growth. His global impact includes leading discussions at the 2014 Brisbane Global Café and the 2013 World Economic Forum (Africa), examining strategies for creating 120 million jobs.Based in Wellington, Chris specializes in organizational change and transformation across New Zealand. As a certified business coach and leadership mentor, he partners with leaders to clarify their vision and implement strategies for success. Focussing on driving growth and fostering innovation, Chris's core strengths include strategic leadership, stakeholder management, financial acumen, and operational expertise. His holds a MPhil Cum Laude (Futures Studies), where he concentrated on growing regional economies and city transformation.Chris excels in building strong stakeholder relationships, high-performing teams, and inclusive cultures. His proficiency in advocacy, vision setting, and strategic decision-making ensures organizations thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.

Independent Director

Independent Chair

Andreas joined the Infometrics team to help modernise and develop our product offerings.As a Bachelor of Business Administration, Andreas gained a deep practical understanding of managing projects, processes and products in various industries before he forged his developer skills at Enspiral Dev Academy. His motivation in this role is to build solutions that solve problems in an elegant and truly useful way.Originally from Switzerland, Andreas settled down in Island Bay but still loves the adventure which he finds when climbing mountains, exploring the outdoors, skiing and rock climbing. As a pianist, conductor and choir singer he also enjoys the profound beauty classical music has to offer.

Software Developer

Kendra Ross has made an indelible mark as a Leader, Entrepreneur, and Community Builder in New Zealand’s cyber security and business landscape.As Co-founder of two cyber security powerhouse businesses, Kendra steered these companies to new heights before exiting in 2021.Kendra&#x27;s impact extended beyond corporations; she played a pivotal role in NZ&#x27;s inaugural CERT Establishment Board and key NZ Government Taskforces, enhancing Cyber Security Skills and SME resilience. She has built two communities and a national awards, contributing to a thriving cyber security eco system.Kendra&#x27;s accomplishments have earned her widespread recognition. She became the first female inductee into the NZ IDG ICT Innovation Hall of Fame in 2018 and received Wellington&#x27;s Gold Awards New Thinking Award in 2017, highlighting her unwavering dedication to advancing Cyber Security within the community and across business.

Stefan joined Infometrics from The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) where he was a Senior Labour Market Analyst. He has a background in frontline client-facing roles across contact centres, employment support, and case management.Stefan's technical expertise and enthusiasm for Infometrics enable him to effectively connect customer needs with technical solutions.Outside of work, Stefan enjoys exploring Wellington's food and coffee scene, reading economics, Tolkien, and Star Wars books, and lives in the Hutt Valley with his partner and dog.He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and English from Victoria University of Wellington.

Senior Analyst

Matthew Allman is an Economist at Infometrics, assisting with economic forecasting, preparing commentary, and consulting projects.Matthew has undergraduate and Master's degrees in Finance and Economics from the University of Canterbury. Following his study, he worked at Ernst &amp; Young which gave him great exposure of all parts of business drivers and decision making.Matthew grew up in Christchurch relocating in early 2024 to Wellington with his partner, in his free time he likes to go to the gym and play football.

Meet our Team

Staff

Independent Directors

Associate Economists

Infometrics

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