Many of us have come to accept that doing the right thing for the environment comes with a higher cost. However, our recent analysis for the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) found that households can be substantially better off with the benefits of a greener home. Read

Budget 2025 was delivered amid a backdrop of rising global uncertainty, dragging broader economic expectations lower and making fiscal settings more constrained. Domestic economic activity is still set to recover, but Budget 2025 also reinforced views that the government will be less of a driving force for this recovery, as more focus is shifted to households and the private sector to rev up New Zealand’s economic engines. Read

Can a student who doesn’t flourish at school catch up through tertiary education? Second chance learners can improve their prospects, but based on an analysis of average earnings, people who attain lower qualifications at school remain at a disadvantage several years after graduating from tertiary education. Read

There has been endless news on the current unprecedented trade war between the US and the rest of the world. The effects on US consumers and the US economy should not be understated, and forecasts incorporating current policy paint a depressing outlook for the US. Read

We are increasingly looking to grow our international relationship with India, as demonstrated by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s recent visit. Read

Export prices are sitting in a strong position, with healthy demand for New Zealand products across the world and healthy supply here at home. Higher dairy production and a record pay-out will inject an additional $4.5b into the economy in the current season, and meat prices have strengthened over the second half of 2024 too. Horticulture exports are in a strong position too, with rising kiwifruit exports after a tough earlier season, and apple exports have recovered well too after Cyclone Gabrielle. Read

Operating costs for transport companies were broadly lower in the final quarter of 2024, continuing a trend of moderating cost pressures throughout last year. Read

Our recent update of the Infometrics Regional Economic Profile provides us with another year of detailed data across regional economies to examine. Over the March 2024 year, our analysis shows that rural economies had the strongest economic activity growth, with the primary sector a key part of this growth story. Read

Every year, some 60,000 young people leave school and make choices about their next steps that are important for the young people themselves, their whānau, and the New Zealand economy. Here we look at the latest data and research on school leaver outcomes... Read

The labour force participation rate has been consistently rising over the past 30 years in New Zealand, providing a welcome boost to the labour supply. But can participation keep rising? Read