Economic & Market Analysis

Bringing clarity to complex problems

Our focus is to help our clients understand the issues and opportunities they are facing. We do this by providing robust and insightful economic analyses of complex issues.

We provide critical insight and expert advice in legal and regulatory proceedings, strategic decision-making, and public policy and competition analysis.

Our professionals are skilled in a wide range of research methods and analytical tools to provide evidence-based expert economic advice.

Our clients value the insights we offer from decades of practical experience working alongside regulators, governments and businesses.

What we do

We conduct sophisticated, bespoke analysis and modelling support.

Our experts provide our clients with the theoretical framework and evidential basis to support decision-making in a variety of contexts, including economic regulation and investment planning.

We routinely apply our economic skills in fields such as:

Regulatory economics and policy analysis, including economic impact, benchmarking, regulatory impact statements, cost-benefit and cost-utility analyses
Industry, market and competition analysis
Pricing, revenue and asset strategies
Project and programme investment analysis
Market monitoring.

Examples of some of our recent work in economic and market analysis:

Energy market reforms in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Singapore
Use of economic instruments used for managing natural resources including water use
Design and application of revenue regulation of network industries, such as electricity, gas, rail, telecommunications and critical infrastructure such as air and sea ports
Cost-benefit analysis for public policy decision-making and regulatory approvals including resource consents
Principal-agent analysis and analysis of expected performance for purposes of interpreting contracts and estimating damages.

Our team includes leading economists and analysts, with expertise across a wide range of sectors. We thrive on solving complex problems, which means each project we do is tailored to our client and the circumstances.

If we don’t know the answer, we will use our extensive international connections to find someone who does.

The collective skill sets and experience of our experts mean that we can offer economic services with a truly independent perspective, beyond superficial or obvious conclusions.

Key contacts

Kieran Murray

Managing Director
AUCKLAND
kmurray@thinkSapere.com

Dr Richard Tooth

Director
SYDNEY
rtooth@thinkSapere.com

David Graham

Managing Director
MELBOURNE
dgraham@thinkSapere.com

Preston Davies

Director
AUCKLAND
pdavies@thinkSapere.com

Corina Comendant

Principal
AUCKLAND
ccomendant@thinkSapere.com

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.