New Zealand
'Got my full backing': PM Luxon defends Nicola Willis after GDP decline
GDP shrank 0.9% in the June quarter, more than double the forecast drop.
Latest from Inflation
Stories and analysis from The Northern Express Herald.
'Significant value for money concerns': Treasury unleashes at RBNZ for 50% funding increase request
New details emerge of negotiations between departments.
Willis denies RBNZ cover-up; insists she pushed for transparency
The Finance Minister challenged the Reserve Bank's legal advice.
Jenée Tibshraeny: Cut the spin, Nicola Willis and Reserve Bank
OPINION: Why the Finance Minister should have done more to push for transparency.
Liam Dann: Supermarket prices aren’t too high, wages are too low
OPINION: The obsession with supermarket prices distracts from NZ’s productivity problem.
Businesses still feeling winter chill, confidence surveys show
Firms are still waiting for an economic recovery to kick in.
Generate Wealth Weekly: The case for higher-risk funds in retirement
OPINION: Are Kiwis too cautious too soon with their investment plans?
Retail sales better than expected in June quarter
Overall growth was modest but suggested the sector may be turning a corner.
Race for Reserve Bank governorship heats up – who are the contenders?
There are numerous other candidates he believes should be fairly assessed for the role.
Matthew Hooton: Reserve Bank and polls give Luxon a reprieve
OPINION: Westpac speculates tax cuts could be back on the Government’s agenda.
Two more rate cuts to come: RBNZ to the rescue as recovery stalls
A gloomy economic outlook's convinced the RBNZ to lower its expected interest rate track.
'Toxic economic & political cocktail' - Robertson on cost of living; opens up on clash with Orr
The former Finance Minister reflects on political and personal relationships in new book.
Interest rate cut a shoo-in, but how much lower will the OCR go?
Economists are divided over the inflation outlook.
Food prices lift 5%: Milk, butter and cheese drive rise
All five food groups recorded higher prices compared to last year, stats show.
Adrian Orr’s Reserve Bank hiring spree unwound; 1 in 4 jobs proposed to be cut
The proposal would only take staffing back to 2023 levels.
Unemployment hits 5.2% – highest rate since 2020 with 16,000 more jobless in past year
New labour market data show tough times for job seekers.
NZ can absorb 15% tariff shock – ANZ group chief economist
Trump tariffs will hurt exports but the macroeconomy can cope, an economist says.
Unemployment expected to hit nine-year high
Economists fear the labour market downturn will be prolonged.
Liam Dann: NZ economy is still sick, doubts are growing about Govt prescription
OPINION: But two factors suggest our economy's low mood could be the midwinter blues.
Bruce Cotterill: Butter backlash overlooks farming's crucial economic role
OPINION: Why butter prices reflect New Zealand's agricultural success.
Matthew Hooton: Luxon living on borrowed time as stagflation looms
OPINION: Nervous National MPs look to next polls.
Housing market down, council rates up in latest ANZ property focus report findings
People who bought pre-pandemic would have had capital gains but later buyers would not.
Richard Prebble: NZ needs more than interest rate cuts to get economy going
Opinion: To lift our standard of living, we must raise our productivity.
Is Sir John Key right, can the Reserve Bank ignore inflation?
Liam Dann and Ryan Bridge discuss Sir John Key's views on inflation. Video / Herald NOW
August rate cut 'as close to a done deal as can be the case' - Stephen Toplis
Despite food price headlines, inflation continues to ease in the core of the economy.
Inflation hits 12-month high, but enough 'comfort' for likely August rate cut
The consumers price index increased 2.7% in the 12 months to the June 2025 quarter.
Liam Dann: Inflation is back – and that’s a problem for the Prime Minister
OPINION: Regardless of who is to blame, rising food prices will be a political hot potato.
Food stats shock: Prices soar as fruit and veges follow butter spike
The latest Selected Price Index shows food price inflation continues to rise.
Lower interest rates, more money printing - RBNZ considers response to ageing population
Will NZ's central bank go down the path of the Bank of Japan?
Reserve Bank of Australia surprises markets, holds cash rate at 3.85%
Only six of 37 economists predicted the RBA would keep rates unchanged.