New Zealand’s energy markets have been in focus in recent months, after low gas production and low hydro lake levels combined to force prices higher. The recent threatening of an energy crisis seems to have been avoided – for now – with prices normalising somewhat. Read

Despite being a relatively small country internationally, New Zealand is geographically diverse enough that there is never a single economic "story". One example of this can be seen if we divide the country up into "Metro", "Provincial" and "Rural" areas and examine rental affordability. Read

Carbon emissions are being given increasing attention as we start to see the dramatic impact of severe weather events exacerbated by climate change. In the July 2024 Chart of the Month, we highlight how emissions have fallen at an industry level – though to reach the Government’s net zero 2050 target, more work is required to further reduce emissions. Read

School attendance rates have come under the spotlight recently as the coalition government has set itself lofty targets to raise New Zealand’s very poor school attendance record. Read

New Zealanders are out exploring the world again, in large numbers. Those travels are easy to see, with scores of young Kiwis documenting their overseas trips across social media. Principal Economist, Brad Olsen, asks the question – how many Kiwis are travelling, and where’s the most popular spot? Read

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

Migration has become a hot topic over the last year, with a record high net migration gain. This large inflow of people into New Zealand has seen the population increase by 145,000 people once births and deaths are accounted for – slightly more than adding an additional Dunedin over the last year. Read

The public sector is a significant employer in New Zealand, and it’s well known that these jobs are concentrated in Wellington. But how significant is the public sector as an employer around the country, and what components of the public sector drive this? Read

Christmas Day is just around the corner, and with it, the culinary delight that is a Christmas Day meal. Often an extravagant smorgasbord of too much food (or enough for lots of leftovers, at least), high food price inflation has made Christmas lunch or dinner an economic curiosity as well as a fami... Read

Global diesel prices have surged significantly over the last few months. Driven largely by supply constraints, our Chart of the Month shows how this surge has led to a significant import cost premium over petrol. Elevated diesel prices will have ripple effects throughout both the global and local economies, and risk inflation remaining higher for longer. Read