We are increasingly looking to grow our international relationship with India, as demonstrated by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s recent visit. International relations come in many different forms, so in this article we look at how New Zealand’s relationship with India has evolved in terms of mer... Read

President Trump’s “on-again, off-again” tariffs, and the uncertainty associated with them, have thrown financial markets into a tailspin over the last couple of months. Although New Zealand is not directly in the firing line from tariffs yet, it’s a possibility in coming weeks. Our Chart of the Mont... 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

Our recent update of the Infometrics Regional Economic Profile provides us with another year of detailed data across regional economies to examine. Over the March 2024 year, our analysis shows that rural economies had the strongest economic activity growth, with the primary sector a key part of this growth story. Read

The tourism recovery has been uneven, with different country or region markets in focus. Over the 2024 calendar year, the US cemented itself as New Zealand’s second-largest inbound visitor market, with 11% of total tourist arrivals. The US market has fully recovered back to pre-pandemic levels over 2024. In comparison, China has slipped back to New Zealand’s third-largest market (from second-largest back in 2019), with only a 61% recovery over 2024. Read

Every year, some 60,000 young people leave school and make choices about their next steps that are important for the young people themselves, their whānau, and the New Zealand economy. Here we look at the latest data and research on school leaver outcomes... 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 above 2.5%pa during 2025 and 2026, the recovery will be underpinned by increased household spending, a more stable housing market, and strength in export commodity prices. 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