Dr Ganesh Nana

Dr Ganesh Nana is a high profile economist and headed BERL for 22 years. He is now the Chair of the Productivity Commission.

Ganesh has been a regular commentator on the New Zealand economy for various media when he oversaw production of BERL Birds Eye View, which assessed the New Zealand economy’s outlook.

Dr Ganesh Nana is the Chair of the Productivity Commission

Ganesh took up the position of Chair of the Productivity Commission in December 2020, after 22 years at the consultancy Business and Economics Research Limited (BERL). His work at BERL covered a broad range of projects, with a highlight being his work in strengthening relationships with Māori entities and organisations and building an understanding of te ōhanga Māori.   He was appointed to the government-established Welfare Expert Advisory Group, which reported back in 2019 with Whakamana Tangata – Restoring Dignity to Social Security in NZ. 

Prior to BERL, Ganesh acted as primary caregiver to his pre-school children while also employed as part-time lecturer at Victoria University. Before children, Ganesh managed to explore some parts of the world – including working in England as a researcher at the House of Commons gaining experience with IMF and OECD economic models. On his way home to Aotearoa he spent several months visiting family and ancestral lands across India.

Ganesh is a first-generation New Zealander, born, bred, and educated in Te Whanganui a Tara and his interest in economics originally emanated from his love of numbers, which in turn arose out of his passion for cricket. He is a current member of the Government established Welfare Expert Advisory Group.Ganesh and believes economics is fundamentally about people and is best reflected in our collective role as kaitiaki o taonga.

Ganesh has a PhD in economics from Victoria University, Wellington. 

Presentations:

Recent presentations include:
- Securing the Platform for the Next Generation

Testimonials:

‘Dr Nana is a breath of fresh air. So nice to have a economic speaker call it how it is in very basic terms - AMP Financial Services