News
Liam Dann: Iran conflict could sink economic recovery ... and Luxon
1+ hour, 46+ min ago (1130+ words) Could the conflict in Iran derail New Zealand's economic recovery? The answer, sadly, is yes. Could the conflict also derail the Government's re-election hopes? The answer also has to be yes. Nothing sinks a Government's popularity like a cost-of-living crisis,…...
Petrol prices rise as much as 14c in first week of Middle East conflict
1+ day, 22+ hour ago (455+ words) Petrol prices have risen as much as 14 cents a litre this week as experts warn motorists that more rises are to come as the Middle East conflict deepens. In Auckland, the cheapest unleaded 91 petrol has increased by 11c a litre in…...
Big bill for rail link: Mayor backs 7.9% rates hike despite cost pressures
2+ day, 15+ hour ago (462+ words) Aucklanders are being asked to have their say on this year's annual plan, which comes with a 7.9% rates increase to fund the running costs of the City Rail Link. The increase will mainly cover the annual $235 million bill for interest…...
Economists put numbers on Middle East war risk to New Zealand's recovery
3+ day, 23+ hour ago (704+ words) Despite high levels of uncertainty, economists are attempting to quantify the risks the Iran conflict poses to New Zealand's economic recovery. Both ANZ and Westpac have produced research notes that look to capture the impact of an oil price shock…...
Inside Economics: Survey shows investors turn away from housing; are Aussie bank profits too big?
4+ day, 6+ hour ago (1808+ words) The Iran conflict is both unavoidable and difficult to write about in a column because events are moving so fast. With that in mind, I won't linger on it this week but will offer some advice for keeping track of…...
Economic recovery rolling north – slowly
1+ week, 3+ day ago (665+ words) New Zealand's economic recovery is finally spreading beyond the southern regions that have led growth for the past year, according to Infometrics' latest monitoring of regional economies. Provisional estimates from the Infometrics December 2025 Quarterly Economic Monitor suggest economic activity rose…...
Inside Economics: Could KiwiSaver replace rate hikes as NZ's main inflation-fighting tool?
1+ week, 4+ day ago (1618+ words) A commenter wonders could inflation be influenced by temporarily raising then lowering personal taxes or contributions to KiwiSaver. In the NZ Herald a few years ago I read how instead of (1) raising or lowering the OCR to respectively cool or…...
Inside Economics: RBNZ to reveal path for rate rises ... here's why we shouldn't panic
2+ week, 4+ day ago (1391+ words) Interest rates are going up. Not today, though. Today, the Official Cash Rate (OCR) will stay on hold. But we'll all scour new Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman's first Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) for clues as to when the first…...
Food prices experience largest monthly rise in four years as grocery prices jump
2+ week, 4+ day ago (619+ words) Food prices rose on an annual and monthly basis in January 2026, breaking a four-month streak of decreases. However, decreasing prices for petrol and diesel will be likely welcomed by Kiwis across the country. Prices for the overall food group increased…...
Interest rate hike sooner? RBNZ expected to bring OCR rise forward as inflation risk grows
2+ week, 6+ day ago (605+ words) Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman delivers her first Monetary Policy Statement on Wednesday. While no one expects a change in the Official Cash Rate (OCR, currently 2.25%), Breman and the Reserve Bank's (RBNZ) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will have to recalibrate…...