Dr Jamie O’Hare
Meet Dr Jamie O’Hare, a Managing Economist based in our NZ Auckland office. Recently embracing fatherhood, Jamie finds joy in reading to his newborn son, a passion he eagerly shares in our Staff Spotlight series. Balancing his professional insights with personal moments, Jamie brings a unique blend of expertise and warmth to our team.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
Connections, relationships, and people are the most important thing you can cultivate in your career. They enrich your professional journey and can help to open doors to new opportunities and collaborations.
Can you tell me about a project you’re particularly proud of?
I think the project I will be most proud of in my career is yet to come. I wrote a PhD thesis once, though. Like most PhD grads, I don’t look back on my research too fondly, but I’m proud I finished it – PhD programmes across the board have quite high attrition rates.
What’s the most interesting or unexpected skill you’ve acquired?
I know how to harvest a bunch of bananas without damaging the fruit.
What’s the most unusual job you’ve ever had?
I worked on a banana farm outside of Innisfail, Queensland. My job was to harvest bunches of bananas and my job title was banana humper. Humping refers to the carrying of the bunch, which weighs around 80 to 90 kgs, from tree to trailer. Bunches are grown inside bags to protect the fruit from the weather, fruit bats, and insects. However, these bags provide shelter for rats and mice, which in turn attracts snakes. When harvesting a bunch, you can usually hear, feel, or smell the wildlife contents of the bag. I know a lot about banana farming, and I lie in wait for the RfP that requires deep knowledge of the banana industry.
What’s something you’re passionate about and why?
Now, it’s reading to my son, Stirling. The earlier children are read to, the better their linguistic and cognitive development later in life. It also means I get to read the Kiwi classics that I missed out on, like Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy and The Little Yellow Digger.
What’s the most interesting thing about your family history or cultural background?
I am Scottish born and raised. On my mother’s side, I belong to the Clan MacLean. Sean Connery was also a MacLean, meaning he and I are (however distantly) related – “Yesh, Missh Moneypenny”.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
Perfection is the enemy of progress.
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
I think it’d probably be Rasputin. I would want to have the opportunity to separate historical fact from legend. The story goes that he survived three gunshot wounds, a poisoning, and a stabbing. He eventually died after being drowned in the Neva River. I would also want to play him his namesake song by Boney M. and see if he agrees that “…it was a shame how he carried on.”
Have you ever travelled to a place that changed your perspective on life?
That’d be New Zealand. I came here as a backpacker in 2018 after travelling for a while. I decided within a few weeks that I wanted to build a life here. Six years, a fiancé, and a son later, it’s going well.
Can you tell me about a memorable adventure or trip you’ve been on?
I spent a while scuba diving in the Philippines before moving to NZ. There are statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary dotted around diving sites in the Philippines. They look a bit like the remains of a church which has been swallowed by the seas, but actually they have been placed there to disincentivise dynamite and cyanide fishing.
If you could have any superpower for a week, what would it be and how would you use it?
I’d choose the power, oh so sublime,
To make consultants rhyme all the time.
In strategy sessions and client debriefs,
They’d craft their plans in poetic motifs.
