Whangārei economist Brad Olsen says low-income households are being hit hardest by persistently high increases in the cost of grocery supplies. Photo / Tania Whyte
New Zealand economist Brad Olsen has been appointed chief executive and principal economist of Wellington-based economics consultancy Infometrics.
He will take up the position in February 2023.
Olsen, who is currently the principal economist and director with Infometrics, is one of New Zealand’s top economic commentators. He joined the company as an economic assistant in 2015 and has since held a range of roles including economist, senior economist, and most recently, principal economist.
The chief executive position is a new role at Infometrics. Andrew Whiteford, currently managing director at the company, will shift to a new role as chief of product innovation.
“Brad has made a huge contribution to the growth of Infometrics over recent years,” Whiteford said.
He said Olsen had progressed rapidly through the ranks of Infometrics in his seven years of service and has become a trusted advisor on economic matters to senior leaders across New Zealand.
Olsen was a sought-after public speaker and a familiar face in the media, he said.
“We have enormous belief in Brad. He combines incisive thinking, strategic nous, wisdom, and powerful communications skills with a deep knowledge of the New Zealand economy.
“He is empathetic and cares deeply about his community and his country and wants all New Zealanders to get the best deal. Brad is a great workmate who commands a lot of respect from his colleagues. We know Brad is on the path to doing great things in New Zealand and Infometrics is privileged to be part of that journey.”
Dr Amanda Lynn, chair of Infometrics, said Olsen had played a pivotal role in strengthening Infometrics’ reputation as a leading economics consultancy.“We are pleased that we can appoint a chief executive from within Infometrics’ own team. The Infometrics Board has the utmost confidence in Brad, who takes the lead of a thriving company and a top-class team.”
Lynn also paid tribute to the contribution of Andrew Whiteford.
“Andrew has been an exceptional managing director. Infometrics is stronger than it has ever been, and Andrew has been the beating heart of the organisation.
“We’re delighted with Andrew’s continued commitment to Infometrics as both an innovation leader and a company director.”
Olsen said he was excited about the future of Infometrics.
“I’m looking forward to working with the Infometrics team to strengthen connections with our clients and stakeholders across local government, economic development agencies, central government, iwi, and private businesses.
“We’ll build on our successes in recent years to ensure that we provide the same high-quality service and expand our analysis to match the changing world around us.”
Meanwhile, senior economist Rob Heyes has been promoted to the role of principal consultant at Infometrics.
Pre-Christmas spending up
Consumer spending in the third week before Christmas Day was higher than the same time last year, new figures released by Worldline NZ show, but spending patterns were mixed across merchant sectors and regions.
Consumer spending through Core Retail merchants in Worldline NZ’s payments network (excluding hospitality) in the Bay of Plenty reached more than $55 million in the week ending December 10, 2022, which was up 2.7 per cent on the week ending December 10 last year and up 18.4 per cent on the same period in 2019.
Within the national total of nearly $814m for last week, spending through food and liquor stores was up 6.5 per cent on last year, up 7.1 per cent among clothing and footwear merchants and up 4.8 per cent among department stores.
However, spending among the large hardware, appliances, and furniture group of merchants was down 10.8 per cent on last year, while spending among recreational goods retailers was down 11.5 per cent.
Worldline NZ’s chief of sales, Bruce Proffit, said these numbers reflect a similar pattern of spending as was seen over the recent Black Friday sales period, suggesting that while consumers are still spending freely, some are holding off on purchases of big-ticket items this side of Christmas.
“The challenging economic environment is undoubtedly still exerting a strong influence on consumer spending choices this year, but as can be seen from trends of previous years, the tills of merchants across the Core Retail sector will be ringing more over the next fortnight. Whether spending levels persist at rates similar to those of the past week remains to be seen.”
Meanwhile, regional spending for the week ending December 10 was highest in West Coast (15.3 per cent), Nelson (10.2 per cent) and Marlborough (10.1 per cent). Spending was below 2021 levels for the same seven days in Auckland/Northland (-1.9 per cent), Taranaki (-3.2 per cent) and Gisborne (-4.4 per cent).
Retirement village residents donate 100 wellness packs
Residents of Pacific Lakes Village retirement village in Pāpāmoa have donated about 100 “Women’s Wellness” packs to Arataki Primary School.
The Women’s Wellness packs are all different and are made up of donations from our Pacific Lakes Village residents, and will generally include two to four items, ranging from essential self-care items such as toothpaste and shampoo to body wash and moisturiser.
Pacific Lake Village residents and former school teachers, Shona Nimmo, Helen Stallard and Alison Struthers dropped off the wellness packs at Arataki Primary School last week.
Pacific Lakes Village resident liaison Anna Fale said the Women’s Wellness gifts were about “women supporting other women, with the belief a small gift may help a women’s view that other women care about each other”.
“Last year, while sorting items from the Pacific Lakes food bank drive an idea was formed for the Women’s Wellness gifts and this idea was quickly encompassed. The Wellness gifts had an extraordinary outcome this year with just over 100 wellness packs donated to Arataki School.”
Arataki Primary School principal Shelley Blakey got all of her teachers involved who each filled in nomination forms so the families most in need will be the recipients of the wellness packs.
“The Pacific Lakes Village volunteers involved have been inundated with gifts and several residents have returned twice or three times with more donations,” Fale said.
Celebrity chefs cook roof shout lunches for workers
Rotorua’s newest celebrity chefs cooked a barbecue lunch for all those involved in the building of the new multimillion-dollar Ebbett’s Rotorua car dealership.
The Ebbett Group announced it was building a multimillion-dollar car dealership at 270-276 Te Ngae Rd, which would create more than 75 jobs for the city, last year.
The site for the new dealership is owned by Rotorua developer Ray Cook, of the R & B Property group.
Cook planned a barbecue lunch Roof Shout at the new Ebbett’s site to say thank you to everyone who has worked “so hard to get us to where we are at with this exciting project”.
Winners of the new TVNZ1 series Cooks on Fire, Shaun and Alia Branson, were there to cook the barbecue lunch for the workers.
Caregivers recognised for outstanding work
Rotorua caregiver Anne Donnell has been awarded an Excellence in Foster Care Award.
The award recognises the extraordinary efforts and commitment of caregivers or a caregiving couple, not only to the children in their care but also to their community.
Donnell was part of 10 caregiving individuals or couples who were celebrated at the Government House on December 1. They were presented their certificates by the Governor General, Dame Cindy Kiro followed by an afternoon tea at Government House, and a night in Wellington, with a breakfast and tour of Weta Workshop the following day.
Among the stories of the recipients included caregivers who ensure the caregiving journey continues once tamariki establish their own families; a caregiving family who have cared for over 50 children, often with high and complex needs; a caregiving partnership who travelled every day to ensure the birth mother could breastfeed the pēpē in their care; a grandmother who moved countries to care for her four mokopuna; and a couple who have put their tamariki first even during many personal upheavals.
The Excellence in Foster Care Awards were established in 2007 by Caring Families Aotearoa. This year Caring Families Aotearoa partnered with Barnardos, Open Home Foundation, and Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.
Launch of internet service provider that blocks harmful content
Harmful digital content can now be blocked at the source, protecting vulnerable internet users, thanks to a technological breakthrough pioneered by a new safety-first Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Tauranga-based company, The Good Source, aims to provide fast, family-friendly fibre internet that blocks harmful digital content.
The new technology being used features an open and transparent approach to content moderation, empowering users to categorise the Internet using smart AI (artificial intelligence) tools in a first for New Zealand.
The innovation of this new company was revealed at the launch event on December 16 to raise awareness surrounding Internet safety standards, the existing issues, and the importance of keeping children safer online.
The event was hosted by the three dads (and founders) of The Good Source: Darryl McConnell, Ryan Kilfoil, and Steve Turner.
Ryan Kilfoil, co-founder of The Good Source, said, “We’re excited to launch our family-friendly internet service and believe all families deserve to have a safe and secure internet experience. We are committed to providing that for our customers.”
The couple spend five months a year in America running their business.