New Zealand has a new Prime Minister and a new government, and we wish Jacinda Ardern every success in her new role.

Topics such as housing, immigration, and regional development will be the focus of her team of policy makers. In our latest economic forecasts, released last week, we continue to analyse and comment on these issues. The first article this month is the Media Release for our latest forecasts, which touches on some of our insights, if you'd like to know more - please contact us.

Kelvin Davidson takes a look at commerical property in Wellington, and predicts that landlords in the capital are likely to enjoy tidy returns over the next few years.

David Kennedy, our Associate Economist based in South America, takes a look at how strong leadership played a role in the building of the Panama Canal.

And lastly, Shaun Twaddle sits down with Claire Byrne, ServiceIQ's Senior Workforce Development Advisor, to discuss the launch of the first in a series of Service Sector Regional Roadmaps and how Infometrics' Sector Profiles have been used by ServiceIQ.