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

A new report from leading economics consultancy Infometrics shows building better homes could save New Zealanders tens of thousands in energy bills and mortgage costs. The report, commissioned by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) and released today (Wednesday 7 May) at their annual Housing Summit, reveals homes built to a 6 Homestar standard can save New Zealand homeowners over $62,000 in electricity and mortgage interest over 30 years Read

Aggregates are important. But how important is clouded by a lack of quality data being collected. Based on current production figures and survey response rates, the actual amount of aggregates produced over the last 12 years might be 49% higher than reported. Read

Expectations of a housing market pick-up during 2025 are mounting, with the Reserve Bank having cut the official cash rate by 125 basis points in the last four months. We look at the latest indicators to assess how much substance there might be to the market’s upturn. Read

Concrete roads are well suited for high intensity traffic and are more cost effective in the long run according to a new economic report. Read

Building costs, like prices across most of the economy, surged higher between 2021 and 2023, as a result of supply chain disruptions, capacity constraints, labour shortages, and strong demand conditions. Read

To say that 2024 has been tough on both construction workers and employers is putting it mildly. In this article we use Stats NZ’s employment stocks and flows series to understand where construction workers typically come from, and where they head after construction. Read

We are introducing a new indicator for first home buyer activity – First Home Loans. This article explores first home buyer activity in the housing market from a few different angles and introduces our new measure. Read

Two surveys over the last week have shown rebounding business confidence, despite there being little evidence of an economic recovery any time soon, apart from the start of the easing cycle in interest rates. Read

Infrastructure investment remains a hot topic across the country, with increasing demands for investment, but more limited amounts of funding available. High cost escalation for network infrastructure in recent years have contributed to a need to spend more than anticipated to get less than anticipated. Read