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

The pace of supplier cost increases to Foodstuffs supermarkets slowed slightly in January, with the Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Grocery Supplier Cost Index (GSCI) showing an average 2.1% increase in what suppliers charged in January 2025, compared to a year earlier. Read

There’s reason for optimism about the New Zealand economy and business conditions over the next 24 months, according to Infometrics’ latest forecasts, as the post-inflation recession gets put behind us and interest rates return to more normal levels. Although economic growth is not forecast to get a... Read

Swimming at our picturesque beaches, rivers and lakes is a Kiwi summer staple as many of us have time off in the summer months. Sometimes our favourite swimming spots can become contaminated with unsafe levels of organisms such as E. coli, enterococci and toxic algae which pose a health risks such a... 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

“Survive until 2025” was the oft-repeated mantra throughout last year as households grappled with high mortgage rates, businesses saw demand fall away, and spending across the economy was down. But for a while in mid-2024, even hopes of a brighter 2025 seemed like they might be too optimistic, until... Read

The pace of supplier cost increases to Foodstuffs supermarkets picked up slightly again in December, with the Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Read

US President Ronald Reagan is famous for repeatedly using the phrase “trust, but verify”, underscoring the importance of testing assumptions to confirm that claims are true. It’s a phrase that economists also keep in mind when dealing with a vast array of different datasets. Read

Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan has penned Infometrics’ traditional Christmas Carol. Sung to the tune of Perry Como's Christmas song “It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas”. Read

2024 has been a challenging year for the economy, and although Infometrics has been sailing the same choppy waters as our clients, we’d like to focus on the positives as we pause for the summer break and reflect on the past 12 months. Read