Articles
Renters across New Zealand are feeling the squeeze as annual new rentals inflation reaches 5.1%pa. Excluding the mid-2022 peak, annual average rental inflation over the year to February 2024 is at its fastest rate since this series began in 2008. Read
We economists can be a tactless bunch. Last week’s announcement that the economy had contracted for the fourth time in five quarters was greeted with comments about how the recession was necessary, and that the extent of the contraction only highlighted to serve how overheated... Read
High inflation in recent years has prompted much discussion about how households are adjusting their spending to cope. Although wages have been increasing too, meaning that households can also afford more, we haven’t had a clear idea of the changing preferences and priorities that dictate what households are spending more or less on. Read
Electric vehicle (EV) uptake in New Zealand has been accelerating over the last few years. Uptake was helped along with financial incentives including the Clean Car Discount scheme and the exemption of EVs from paying road user charges (RUC). With the discount scheme gone and EV owners about to start paying RUC, the trajectory is likely to change. Read
The annual average increase in the cost of goods suppliers charged supermarkets is now at its slowest since the end of 2021. Costs are still rising – just at a much less intense pace than a year ago. The Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Read
Still too-high inflation and considerably higher interest rates are combining to constrain economic activity across New Zealand, according to Infometrics’ latest monitoring of regional economies. Read
We are excited to launch an expansion of our Quarterly Economic Monitor (QEM) to provide a broader perspective on the prosperity of New Zealand’s communities. In this article, we introduce and explore the 13 new indicators which reflect economic, labour, social, and housing outcomes at a local level. Read
All eyes are on the Reserve Bank this week, with a few different guesses over what they’ll say and do. The variety of opinions reflects a lot of twists and turns in the last couple of months. Financial markets got excited about the possibility of... Read
Migration has become a hot topic over the last year, with a record high net migration gain. This large inflow of people into New Zealand has seen the population increase by 145,000 people once births and deaths are accounted for – slightly more than adding an additional Dunedin over the last year. Read