Principal Consultant Rob Heyes looks at the most recent benefit sanctions statistics from Ministry of Social Development to assess the effects of the traffic light system on beneficiaries.
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.
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.
Infometrics Quarterly Economic Monitor (QEM) has been updated – December 2025 quarter
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.
More details, including our high-level analysis for regional economies, can be found in our media release.
