It’s another busy month as we head towards the summer holidays. But we also remain vigilant as New Zealand moves to the Traffic Light system later this week, and we continue to learn the Greek alphabet (from Delta to Omicron!)

Housing remains the other hot topic across New Zealand, and this month Principal Economist Brad Olsen has dug into the numbers to uncover what part of the country sees the highest number of First Home Grants to support First Home Buyers. And it’s not Auckland.

Economist Andrew Beattie analyses China’s economic performance and outlook as slower growth emerges and risks remains from the Evergrande financial concerns, and what that means for New Zealand trade.

Brad pops up again to discuss the latest regional economic outcomes in our media release on the September 2021 Quarterly Economic Monitor (QEM), finding that despite a setback from COVID-19, regional economies have been holding up well.

And finally, Technical Lead David Friggens compiles his list of maps created throughout November for the #30DayMapChallenge, what they show, and what new skills he’s had a chance to try out. Check out the pizza map for a new favourite way of displaying and consuming data…