We’re now halfway through 2022! The year is speeding along quick, and this month, we’ve got another intriguing line up of analysis to share.

Up first, we profile our latest report, Housing update: A new lens on affordability, with Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan’s media release highlighting that 2022 is the worst time for first home buyers in 65 years!

In better news, the Infometrics Infrastructure Pipeline Profile has been updated, and as Principal Economist Brad Olsen outlines, shows a whopping $172b in capital investment in New Zealand’s network infrastructure.

Part of that additional investment will see a considerable rise in solar power infrastructure, as Economist Joel Glynn examines in his article this month.

Economic Assistant Lily Stelling analyses the minimum wage and how things have changed for earners over the last 20 years, using data from the IDI.

Finally, we round out the newsletter with an interview of new economist Joel Glynn by Communications and Client Engagement Lead Jacqui Clarke.