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

This article explores recent patterns in domestic or internal migration between 2021 and 2022 using a new dataset from Stats NZ, exploring potential factors that shape the flow of Kiwis throughout the country. Read

Annual inflation may have come down to 6.0%pa, but businesses and households alike are still facing extreme cost pressures. A massive influx of migration and a high number of people returning to work has helped to alleviate some labour market pressures, and yet some underlying wage measures are stil... Read

The economics of video streaming services don’t seem to be adding up for anyone at the moment. In the US, screen writers are on strike asking for better pay. The longer the strike goes on, the greater will be the hiatus in original programming, which will reduce industry revenues. All this at a time when investors in video streaming services are looking for greater returns, which is prompting streaming services to cut costs by firing staff and deleting content. Read

New Zealand entered its first non-lockdown recession since 2010 in the March 2023 quarter, with GDP shrinking 0.1%, following a 0.7% contraction the previous quarter. Although this slight decline in GDP confirms that the Reserve Bank’s interest rate rises are having their desired effect, the range of results across different industries shows that some parts of the economy are hurting more than others. Read

Our current economic environment is putting the tourism sector in a precarious position; tourism arrival recovery from several key international markets has declined, if not stagnated, over the last few months. Just this week, Stats NZ confirmed this week that the New Zealand economy has entered a t... Read

The announcement in late May 2023 by the Reserve Bank of one final 25 basis point hike to the official cash rate (OCR) signalled that it felt it has done enough to cool demand and bring inflation pressures under control. Indeed, the Bank forecasts inflation to moderate to below 5%pa by the end of 20... Read