My name is Richard Dunbar and I am the founding Director of Nexus Planning and Research, a market research company specialising in local government issues. I got into market research late in life, at the grand old age of 34. Prior to that I worked as a consultant in strategic planning (mostly public sector work) which just about dried up in 1987 when our friend Roger Douglas came to office. Still, the 15 years in market research was really fun and I learnt a lot about people and particularly marketing people! Now I’m trying to apply the skills I learnt about research to the public sector. Lots of people are doing this but not with my background. Before Strategic Planning, I worked as a planner in local and state government in the UK and New South Wales. I have a degree in economics and a post graduate Diploma in Town Planning. So when I look at research topics in local government, I look at them partly as a planner, partly as an economist, partly as researcher. The issues become important to me from all perspectives and I work best with people who want a broad based view of the world. Open minded people who are willing to take a fresh perspective to old problems or else have new problems to tackle. So this blog is a start, an insight into the workings of Richard Dunbar’s business brain (for better or worse!). I’d be happy to blog about literature and the arts and maybe a little about sport and travel. I think I should leave that for Facebook! (and retirement!).
