Articles

Major conflict has broken out in the Middle East, following Israeli and US airstrikes against Iran, and followed by retaliation by Iran against both countries, as well as others in the region.

Cost pressures for the transport industry remained mixed in the December 2025 quarter, with decreasing costs for some inputs but continued pressure across other categories.

Nationwide average house prices are still sitting about 15% below their 2021 peak, falling during 2022 and 2023 as mortgage rates rose, and then largely tracking sideways over the last 2½ years.

New Zealand’s economic recovery is building momentum, with higher activity in all but one region in the December 2025 quarter, according to Infometrics’ latest monitoring of regional economies.

Eighteen months ago in August 2024, the Government introduced a traffic light system and new sanctions for beneficiaries who do not meet their obligations. Here we look at how the number of benefit sanctions has changed since the measures were introduced, unpack which groups are over-represented in the sanctions numbers, and discuss whether the policy has worked.

Buried amongst the numerous post-census data releases is a low profile yet critical release – the post enumeration survey (PES). From the PES, Stats NZ revises their historical population estimates.

The pace of supplier cost increases to Foodstuffs supermarkets moderated slightly in the year to January, with the Infometrics-Foodstuffs New Zealand Grocery Supplier Cost Index (GSCI) showing an average 2.3% increase in what suppliers charged in January 2026, compared to a year earlier.

Freight volumes provide one of the clearest real-time signals of activity in the New Zealand economy.

Freight volumes provide one of the clearest real-time signals of activity in the New Zealand economy.

The housing market had a soft-ish finish to 2025, with stock levels still elevated, monthly sales roughly in line with the average of the last year, and prices down 0.4% since the end of 2024.