State, Regional & Local Government

Navigating Government Policy

Governments across all levels constantly face a range of challenges and pressures, from financial constraints to infrastructure demands, community engagement and regulatory issues.

Our team has extensive knowledge and expertise to assist governments across a range of issues, to drive change and achieve better outcomes for their communities.

What we do

Specialising in providing clear advice, robust research, and quantitative analysis of complex data.

We are committed to helping our clients get to the bottom of tricky policy issues.

Sapere offers consulting services to help governments of all sizes with the issues they face, including:

Policy and service design
Research
Economic development
Strategy
Investment assessments
Financial modelling
Environmental policy.

Our team has a strong track record of working with local, state and regional governments in both New Zealand and Australia.

A large number of our experts have held senior positions in decision-making bodies and have invaluable first-hand perspectives working on challenging policy issues in political economies.

Examples of our work in State, Regional and Local Government

We have conducted a range of projects for decision-making bodies across New Zealand and Australia.

A cost-benefit analysis for a range of investment options for the Auckland Central Library
Development of a business case for the proposed Fairfield Showground Regional Multi-Cultural and Indoor Sports Centre in NSW
Investigating the living wage and minimum wage for Napier and the wider Hawke’s Bay region in New Zealand
Estimating the economic costs of the Havelock North 2016 waterborne disease outbreak.

We are an approved All of Government provider in New Zealand and for whole of government panels in New South Wales and Victoria, as well as other government panels across Australia and New Zealand.

Key contacts

David Moore

Managing Director
WELLINGTON
dmoore@thinkSapere.com

David Graham

Managing Director
MELBOURNE
dgraham@thinkSapere.com

Dr Vijaya Ramamurthy

Some of our recent articles of interest

Staff spotlight – Sue Friend

This month we spotlight Sue Friend, a Managing Director in our Forensics team. Sue shares her love of the outdoors and hiking and finds this brings balance to her work at Sapere.

Thinking about utility customer engagement

In this article Dr Richard Tooth examines developments in how regulated utilities engage with their customers, the problem of uninformed respondent bias and other issues.

Sunset review of the regulations for Victorian private health service establishments

Client: Victorian Department of Health

This report analyses proposed changes to Victoria's Health Service Establishment Regulations, focusing on improving clinical governance, safety, and quality. The RIS reviewed the impact of these changes and provided recommendations.

Staff spotlight – Dr Jamie O’Hare

This month, we spotlight Dr Jamie O'Hare, Managing Economist and proud new dad to baby Stirling, as he shares his professional insights and personal joys.

Distilling success for Victorian spirit exports

Client: Agriculture Victoria

The Australian craft distillery sector has grown significantly, with Victoria now having 188 distilleries. Sapere, commissioned by Agriculture Victoria, identified priority markets and developed market entry strategies for Victorian spirit exporters.

Staff spotlight – Jeremy Thorpe

Sapere welcomes Jeremy Thorpe, our new Director, recently featured in the Australian Financial Review. Kicking off our staff spotlight series, Jeremy generously shared fascinating insights into his career and background.

Unveiling the intrinsic value of nature

Explore the value of nature beyond its aesthetic appeal. Environmental valuation frameworks and techniques allow us to understand the economic value of nature and make informed decisions in environmental policy and management.

How can governments effectively assess and manage climate risk to ensure a sustainable future?

Client: Department of Treasury (Western Australia)

Sapere provided expert advice on the design of a Climate Risk Framework for the WA government, exploring options for a staged approach, and aligning with international standards for climate risk disclosure, to support Western Australia's climate resilience efforts.