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

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

Fuel is critically important to any economy, given it literally powers and enables the movement of goods and people, supports production, and underpins supply chains. A stable, secure, and affordable fuel supply helps maintain economic stability, and so knowing where fuel is sourced from better informs security of supply and the importance of strong trading relationships. Read

Earlier this month we introduced the New Zealand Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation (NZDep) to the Regional Economic Profile Census section. In this article we discuss NZDep and what it can tell us about our communities. Read

New data from Stats NZ shows a number of items becoming more popular over time, particularly as technology shifts, while other products fall out of favour with households as preferences change. 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

The emerging international trade war has created uncertainty about global growth prospects and US trade and foreign policy, which could knock as much as 1. 4 percentage points off New Zealand’s GDP growth during 2026, according to Infometrics’ latest economic forecasts. 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