Articles in ‘Economics’

Inflation rises above target as council rates and power drive costs higher

elocal magazine • Economics • 27 Jan 2026

Inflation has moved back above the Reserve Bank’s target range, driven less by discretionary spending than by unavoidable household bills. Council rates and electricity costs are now biting hardest, pushing inflation higher even as families cut back elsewhere. Summarised by Centrist · Statistics New Zealand figures show the consumer price index rose 0.6 per cent in the December quarter. · This has lifted annual inflation to 3.1 per cent. That…

Stats NZ releases rare burst of good news: homebuilding lifts, exports surge, retail rebounds

elocal magazine • Economics • 7 Dec 2025

by Centrist

Stats NZ has delivered a run of unexpectedly positive data across housing, exports and retail, a sign the economy may finally be stabilising after two years of strain. New home consents rose 6.2 percent in the year to October, driven almost entirely by townhouses, flats and apartments. Higher-density homes accounted for nearly 18,000 consents, with Auckland producing half the national lift. · October alone saw a 23.5 percent jump in consents…

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