A new report from economic consultancy Infometrics highlights the stark divide in wellbeing between urban and rural New Zealand. Regional Wellbeing marks the first attempt to comprehensively report on wellbeing at a local level around New Zealand. It covers 30 indicators and draws from Infometrics’ online Regional Wellbeing Framework.
Category: Regional
Regional economic issues
Wellbeing: understanding local progress
All eyes are on wellbeing this week, as Finance Minister Grant Robertson unveils the world’s first wellbeing budget. But the Government has been quiet as to wellbeing differs across New Zealand. At Infometrics we thought this was a massive gap that needed to be filled, so we developed a Regional Wellbeing Framework. This article outlines introduces our Regional Wellbeing Framework and provides a teaser to our forthcoming regional wellbeing report that will be released on 11 June.
A day in the life of a Data Analyst – Carl Hodder
Carl Hodder has only been with Infometrics for a short time, but already he’s making an impact. He is our new Data Analyst and works in all areas of the business with responsibility for the data pipeline.
He is also involved in the development and delivery of our product offerings and takes a keen interest in enhancing the client experience.
Chart of the month: one sunny day…
The Treasury hit headlines a month or two back when considering ‘sun and moon feelings’. While sun and moon feelings did not meet our criteria in when developing the Infometrics regional wellbeing framework, we thought it would be fun to shine the line sunshine hours to see what area came up trumps.
Assessing China’s importance to regional New Zealand
Over the last month there have been a range of concerns raised about the diplomatic relationship between New Zealand and China, with the announcement that the 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism launch event has been postponed and government decisions being critical of China setting a foundation for worry.
Love is in the air, and the wallet
It seems that love was in the air again this year, with Cupid’s arrow aiming as much for people’s wallets as their hearts. Looking around and seeing all the hopeless romantics and their gestures of love ranging from rose bouquets to axe throwing made me question just what all the hype is about?
Auckland’s growth dominance continues, for now
Infometrics’ new estimates of regional GDP show that Auckland was the fastest growing region in the year to March 2018, expanding by 3.9% (see Graph 1). Auckland has regularly been towards the top of the regional league table throughout the last seven years. Its growth during 2018 was underpinned by a strong services performance, with industries such as professional, scientific, and technical services, financial and insurance services, and retail trade all expanding by more than 5.0%
New at Infometrics in February 2019
January/February is always a busy time for Infometrics. This is the time we update our Regional Economic Profiles and Sector Profiles, we also release the first forecasts for the year.
Community wellbeing: the next frontier?
Earlier this month, Infometrics economist Brad Olsen spoke at the Economic Development New Zealand 2018 Conference ‘Mahi Tahi’ about how to move towards measuring inclusive growth in NZ’s regions. This article summarises the key points of his presentation.
Chart of the month: New Small Area Boundaries
Small area boundaries have changed in New Zealand and Infometrics is gearing up for the changeover. We are evolving our Small Area Economic Profiles (http://www.infometrics.co.nz/product/small-area-profiles) into a more comprehensive Small Area Economic Framework based on the new boundaries.