Articles

Economic data doesn’t usually feature on the Christmas wish list, but it does have a habit of showing up at the checkout. For many households, the festive season is as much about budgets as it is about BBQs, pavlovas, and full fridges for visiting family.

Resilience continues to be an important long-term factor for the New Zealand economy, and our Chart of the Month highlights the continued emergency challenges we face over time.

New Zealand’s rarest stamp, the upside-down Lake Taupō, has changed hands again, but its modest long-term return highlights how investment performance can vary widely. As our Chart of the Month shows, some assets have delivered far stronger growth over the same period, even after accounting for inflation.

A few cold days in recent months prompted a question around what the usual temperature of a New Zealand home actually was, and if there was any data to use to answer this question. In short, how warm is the average home? Turns out the answer is 21.4°C.

Concerns about the economy, and household confidence, remain strong at present. Despite falling interest rates, a number of households costs are rising at an accelerating rate, and higher unemployment is worrying all.

Recent announcement about end of the Census have stirred more questions that we thought would pop up about this topic. Although some have raised concerns about the changes, it’s important to recognise that things have already changed.

Despite clear trade concerns globally, New Zealand’s primary sector is in a strong position, and high food commodity prices reinforce this strength. But Fonterra’s opening farmgate milk price forecast for the 2025/26 season provides a major signal of caution, highlighting the heightened volatility in global economic conditions, dairy supply dynamics, and trade tensions.

Fuel is critically important to any economy, given it literally powers and enables the movement of goods and people, supports production, and underpins supply chains. A stable, secure, and affordable fuel supply helps maintain economic stability, and so knowing where fuel is sourced from better informs security of supply and the importance of strong trading relationships.

New data from Stats NZ shows a number of items becoming more popular over time, particularly as technology shifts, while other products fall out of favour with households as preferences change.

President Trump’s “on-again, off-again” tariffs, and the uncertainty associated with them, have thrown financial markets into a tailspin over the last couple of months. Although New Zealand is not directly in the firing line from tariffs yet, it’s a possibility in coming weeks.