The 2023 Infometrics Creativity Index confirms many of the trends and outcomes of previous years, but with some subtle differences below the surface. The overall importance of the arts and creative sector to the New Zealand economy was unchanged in 2023 from a year ago, with 4.27% of the workforce employed in the sector. Read

Although the top-ranking city in the Infometrics Creativity Index remained the same in 2022, there were some movements further down the ranking as local economies bounced back from the impact of COVID. Read

The economics of video streaming services don’t seem to be adding up for anyone at the moment. In the US, screen writers are on strike asking for better pay. The longer the strike goes on, the greater will be the hiatus in original programming, which will reduce industry revenues. All this at a time when investors in video streaming services are looking for greater returns, which is prompting streaming services to cut costs by firing staff and deleting content. Read

The tech sector is often touted as the next big thing for regional economies, representing a huge opportunity to grow our productivity. The ‘weightless’ nature of tech presents a great opportunity to overcome the tyranny of distance, both within New Zealand and for exporting overseas. Unfortunately for economists, it represents something of a slippery fish, with standard industry and occupation classification systems at times struggling to classify and monitor such a dynamic and evolving sector. Read

Budget 2022 was a milestone for the disabled community with the announcement that the Ministry for Disabled People would be established from 1 July. The Government is signalling that the new Ministry marks a move towards a ‘whole-of-life’ approach to disability, rather than viewing it as a ‘health’ issue. Read

Households whose incomes are not keeping up with price rises are experiencing a fall in their standard of living. Lower-income households feel the pinch more because necessities such as rent, mortgage payments, food, and fuel take up a large, and increasing, share of their income. Here we look at those lower-income households: who they are, what pressures they are under, what is being done to help them, and what more could be done. Read

Although the top ranking in the Infometrics Creativity Index remained the same in 2021, there were some movements further down the ranking as COVID-19 impacted local economies differently. Read

January/February is always a busy time for Infometrics. This is the time we update our Regional Economic Profiles and Sector Profiles, we also release the first forecasts for the year. Read