Chris Parker is a leading applied economist and policy advisor with deep expertise in urban economics, infrastructure, and cost-benefit appraisal. Before joining Principal Economics, Chris spent nearly a decade at the New Zealand Treasury as Principal Advisor, providing intellectual leadership across housing, land use, and investment analysis. His work underpinned major reforms such as the Urban Growth Agenda, Resource Management Act reforms, and the Going for Housing Growth programme.
Previously, Chris was the Chief Economist at Auckland Council and has held senior consulting roles at NZIER and Hyder Consulting, leading appraisals for major business cases and methodological research. He also helped lead the recent social discount rate policy reform, improving how New Zealand values long-term and intergenerational impacts.
More informationChris is a recognised expert in urban policy and general economic appraisal. He was Principal Advisor at the Treasury for over nine years providing intellectual leadership across multiple areas of the Treasury. He led advice to senior ministers on fixing the housing crisis, and his advice underpinned the last four governments’ supply reforms (such as the Urban Growth Agenda and the Going for Housing Growth agenda) and the Resource Management Act reforms.
He has led economic research and methodological developments in urban policy and housing forecasts This includes pioneering the concept of competitive urban land markets and alternative public funding and financing methods. Chris helped lead the major change in the social discount rate policy used for cost-benefit analysis to take account of very long-term and intergenerational impacts.
Prior he was Chief Economist at the Auckland Council, which had a public advocacy responsibility. Before that he was Senior Consultant at NZIER and Hyder Consulting (NZ) Ltd leading the economic appraisals for major business cases, industry studies, research to improve cost-benefit analysis methodologies, and transport planning. Prior to that he was the Planning and Reporting Analyst at the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.
- Board Member – New Zealand Association of Economists
- National expert on urban policy
- Housing affordability
- Land
- Transport
- Infrastructure
- Planning
- Local government
- Cost-benefit analysis
- Policy advice
- Going for Housing Growth, 2024-2025. Client: Minister of Housing Hon Chris Bishop, Chris continued to help lead cross-government economic strategy advice to Minister Hon Chris Bishop to fix the housing crisis through supply reform. **
- Social discount rate policy reform, 2023-2024. The Treasury, Chris led the Treasury’s policy analysis to adopt a 2% (real, declining to 1%) social rate of time preference to discount future benefits and costs in cost-benefit appraisals of social policy and investments.
- Urban Growth Agenda, 2017-2020. Client: Minister of Housing, Urban Development Hon Phil Twyford, Lead advisor to Ministers Hon Phil Twyford and Hon David Parker. This involved developing national policy statements, reforming funding and financing systems, spatial planning partnerships, and RMA reform.