Spring is in the air and the days are getting longer - all the motivation that is needed for many to get out and enjoy things after hibernating over winter. The New Zealand economy continues to blossom, with surging activity though the winter months having set things up for a good finish to 2017.
In this month's newsletter, Shaun Twaddle provides an overview of prospects for Queenstown’s construction sector using insights taken from our exciting new product that forecasts construction activity in New Zealand’s regions and territorial authorities.
Sticking with a building theme, Kelvin Davidson provides an update on rebuilding progress in the Christchurch CBD.
Benje Patterson then puts the spotlight on regional economic growth hotspot, Nelson-Tasman.
The newsletter concludes with an interview of Infometrics Brazil-based economist, David Kennedy, for a post-Olympics economic assessment and to find out more about his way of life in Brazil.
The Queenstown-Lakes District has had some phenomenal growth over the past decade or so. On the back of such strong growth, many would expect the rate of future growth in the area to slow. For the construction industry, this is far from the case. In this article, Shaun Twaddle takes a sneak peek at Infometrics recently released Regional Construction Outlook to see how construction activity in the area is shaping up.
It’s pretty clear when you’re on the ground in the Christchurch CBD that plenty is happening, buildings are going up very quickly, and the perception of a failing rebuild, to our minds, can really only be based on delays to a few isolated (albeit high-value) anchor projects, such as the conference centre. That said, the prospects over the next 2-3 years may not be quite as inspiring, particularly for the office sector.
Nelson-Tasman’s economy grew quickly over the first half of 2016, with Infometrics’ provisional estimate of GDP showing growth in Nelson-Tasman of 4.4% over the June year, compared with estimated growth of 2.7% nationally. Infometrics Senior Economist Benje Patterson says “Several factors have contributed to this growth, including increasing levels of building activity, a growing population, better conditions for primary sector exporters, and soaring visitor numbers into the broader region.”
The Rio de Janeiro Olympics and Paralympics were a success for New Zealand, with a record number of medals being won by our talented athletes. At Infometrics, Brazil is always in the back of our minds, as one of our economists, David Kennedy, works remotely from a city called Belo Horizonte. We took the chance to chat with David as part of our regular feature “A day in the life of an Economist” to learn his take on the Brazilian economy and what he enjoys about living in Brazil and its rich culture.
