Articles

New Zealand’s rural economy has been doing much of the heavy lifting in the recovery. Strong export returns have supported farm incomes and spending across provincial areas, particularly in the South Island.

There has been considerably more interest in exchange rates recently, with the New Zealand dollar under pressure and sinking lower across various currencies.

Jet fuel prices have taken off again, reaching record highs in September and adding another layer of cost pressure for airlines. For New Zealand, the risks extend well beyond airline balance sheets.

New Zealand has an obesity problem. But help might soon be at hand. GLP-1 weight loss medication is now widely available in the US, with mounting evidence of their effects on patients’ diets and subsequent weight loss. They are now available in New Zealand, albeit at significant cost to the patient.

Job ad numbers are a useful lead indicator of where the labour market is headed. Here we examine the latest trends in MBIE's Jobs Online data series.

Housing demand is often discussed in terms of population growth, but the factors that drive the need for new housing extend well beyond how many people live in New Zealand.

The pace of supplier cost increases to Foodstuffs supermarkets in August was in-line with the result from last month, with the Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Grocery Supplier Cost Index (GSCI) showing an average 1.9% increase in what suppliers charged in August 2026, compared with a year earlier.

Oil prices are climbing again, raising fresh concerns about the durability of New Zealand’s economic recovery.

A year ago, we were critical of the government’s assertion that there was plenty of public sector activity taking place in the construction industry, and that the downturn was solely due to a lack of private sector work.

Chicken has well and truly ruled the roost in New Zealand, with the amount processed for local consumption hitting a record high in 2026. Our growing appetite for poultry isn’t just a matter of changing tastes either – the economics are increasingly hard to ignore.