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There is no going back to normal, COVID-19 will have an unprecedented impact on our world. Although the full impact has yet to be determined, it will continue to… read more
Last year our article New Zealand’s criminal justice system fails New Zealanders, shared a few of the many concerning statistics reported by Hāpaitia
The number of cases of COVID-19 virus in the world’s wealthier places like Europe and USA seem to be higher than in the poorer ones like Africa, or ev, Incidence ranges from 500 to five cases per million people
The incidence of cases per million people in the main continents are very different. The, The incidence rate in New Zealand last Thursday was 60 cases per million people, Incidence currently related to average wealth in each continent
The easiest way to express the answer to that is with a chart of incidence rates ag, covid scatter_0.png, Covid-19 Case incidence highest in wealthy continents, The general situation seems to be that the incidence is currently higher on the wealthier continents.
The high early number of cases in Asia seems , New Zealand has relatively low COVID-19 incidence
The chart indicates that New Zealand’s average wealth is greater than that in East Europe and in , It is promising that New Zealand to date appears to have contained the spread relatively well, What are some of the indications from this picture?
The fact that COVID-19 incidence is currently higher in wealthier countries may be because havi, Controlling the spread to, and within poorer countries may be critical over the next few weeks, In the early weeks of the outbreak international travel was the main means of spread. Since then community transmission has become dominant in many pa
Unprecedented is a word that has been over-used many, many, times in the past. But this time its use is justified.
Other words and phrases for 2020, It is this level of extreme uncertainty that makes these times so difficult, The 1918 flu was widespread and devastating for many. In 2020 though, it is the wholesale lockdown of a third (or more) of the world’s population that, If commentators were honest, they should acknowledge that the level of unknown uncertainty, along with the unprecedented nature of this situation, may, It is also why we stated that “the most valuable commodity required by all now is a clear head”. Yes, it is difficult, but only bad decisions are made, The costs of going into hibernation are almost certainly less than the costs of having to start-up again from scratch, Remember, though, there will be a time when we will be able to emerge from hibernation. It will be a world that is different, and will require differe
Wage subsidy scheme
Available to virtually all businesses who have employees including NGOs, charitable organisations, post treaty settlement gover
In 2018, the Census dwelling form asked households for the first time whether or not any part of their dwelling was affected by mould at least A4 in s, Regional Dwelling Mould.png, Does it matter where you live in the country? Or if you own or rent your home?
Exploring the differences between the North and South Island, we exa, Northland had the largest proportion of households afflicted by mould issues, with 16 percent of owner-occupiers, and 28 percent of rented households., Does it matter what heating system you use?
Further, we investigated if types of heating makes a difference in households with mould issues. Our an, At the other end of the spectrum, houses with heat pumps or fixed gas heater only, heat pump and electric heater, or heat pump and wood burner, had le
GDP grew by 0.5 percent in the final quarter of last year, and the annual growth rate was 2.3 percent. The annual growth rate was last at that level i, The news about what happened to GDP in the December 2019 quarter might well pass unremarked. But, for the record, it slipped to its slowest growth rat, The table below shows the six fastest and six slowest growing industries in 2019, and it reveals some interesting contrasts. The fastest and slowest g, GDP growth.png, The table also indicates that Central Government GDP increased strongly1, while Local Government GDP fell slightly. In addition, it indicates a mix of, COVID-19 means that the future will be different, but there will be opportunities to rebuild the national and local economies, and to promote wellbein, Uncertainty abounds and we are undoubtedly facing economic turmoil. But as the latest edition of Birds Eye View reminded us, the most important , 1 The industry also includes the Defence, Police, Ambulance and Fire services, but it is likely that the Central Government component is the one that
Kel Sanderson started work at BERL in April 1970. Keith Holyoake was still Prime Minister of New Zealand, Te Tiriti was never heard of in mainstream c
If you weren’t convinced by now, then the package should convince you that this is not a drill. This is big. Big enough to force a Government to spend
Pressure is building on the Reserve bank to cut the OCR in response to the threat of COVID-19. Most enthusiastic is ANZ which began calling for a ‘dou
With historically low interest rates, bank deposits have very little return, and after inflation, often no real return at all. The Reserve Bank of New
At the time of writing, most of the cases are in China, but the virus is, evidently, spreading to other countries. The disease will inevitably have a
Larry Fink has declared that business as usual is over. His January letter to CEOs states “climate risk is investment risk” shaking the ideas of some
Labour exploitation is a complex problem requiring a systematic solution
BERL has been delighted to support the New Zealand Festival of the Arts for many years, but imagine our excitement to hear that this year will feature
A “mixed bag” was the summary comment at the presentation of Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Huia Tanagata Kotahi. The report is the latest State of t
Signs of a slowing economy and pressure to address climate change has not curbed consumerism. In 2019 there was a total of $1.9 billion electronic car
In the 2018 deprivation index, decile 10 areas are concentrated in Northland, Gisborne, Eastern Bay of Plenty and Northern Hawke’s Bay. At the other e
Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL) is a research led consultancy that has been in business for more than 60 years. We do not only provide
Estimated annual net migration for the year to October 2019 of 55,600, released in December 2019, had been revised down to 42,980. This is a decrease
Between the 2013 and 2018 Censuses, the number of working Māori in New Zealand has grown by 105,000. That’s a 50 percent increase in five years! Despi
Humans love cooperating. We do it without conscious thought, we travel to our places of work and create things, or write reports, or train others. In
Statistics New Zealand launched a new tool which, if developed further, could give the general public a new level of access to detailed information kn
A Treasury report which BERL is proud to have contributed to was featured in a recent episode of the RNZ Podcast “Two cents worth”. The report investi
An independent review of the 2018 Census released in August 2019 detailed 18 key findings and 13 lessons to be learnt. An overwhelming amount of find
The Government’s financial statements show that $16,756 million was spent on health for the year ended 30 June 20181. This health budget covered doct
The world’s economy has had an interesting year. Uncertainty is everywhere, with political conflicts, trade wars and poor economic outlook around the
According to MBIE “being flexible about how, when and where people work can help to increase engagement and productivity, and help keep turnover low”.
It is distressing to read in the news about Cashmere High School left without a functioning fire alarm system due to the actions of contractors. Unfor
In addition to national and sub-national population counts, Statistics New Zealand also released national level results for a wide variety of topics.
Economists see themselves as different to accountants, even if the public can’t tell us apart. Every economics student learns that economics differs f
According to Statistics New Zealand, the country had 4,699,755 usual residents as at March 2018, up 457,700 or 10.8 percent from the 4,242,050 usual r
More than one in 14 people employed (7.4 percent) have a second job according to the latest Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS). This figure is up fr
Data is not information, information is not knowledge, knowledge is not understanding, understanding is not wisdom – Cliff Stoll.
The latest statistics on disability status and employment show only 23.4 percent of disabled people were in employment and, of those, one in five were
Housing has been a topical issue for years; we’ve had a constant stream of commentary with the housing market at its core. Fears of capital gains tax,
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC was crea
Treasury, under the Living Standards Framework, have stated that a flourishing stock of social capital is essential in a healthy economy. Social capit
“Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” – Winston Churchill. Like the questions of Russia, some of the hardest questions can be a
New Zealand’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 3.9 percent in the June 2019 quarter, down from 4.2 percent last quarter. This is the lowe
As evidenced by the almost 12 month delay in the first release of data from the 2018 Census, Statistics New Zealand has experienced issues in producin
Interest rates have been trending down since the 1980s. We are now approaching zero, and some countries are already there.
The Reserve Bank cut the
China has been the world's most populous country for a long time. Back in 1750, it had a population of 225 million, around 28 percent of the world pop
New data from Statistics New Zealand indicate that, during the past 10 years, superannuitants and beneficiaries have faced the largest increases in th
The discussion document proposes that the agricultural industry pay for emissions through New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in the hope tha
The policy is two part, media focus is mostly on the feebate portion of the policy, the Clean Car Discount, but in all probability, the only effective
On the back of the Government’s Wellbeing Budget at the end of May, StatsNZ has released the latest tranche of wellbeing indicators feeding into the L
Facebook has been leaking details of its new payments system Libra for a while now. On Tuesday 18 June Facebook finally released the full whitepaper.
Doesn’t sound quite right, does it? But the reality is that anyone begging on the street nowadays is finding it more and more difficult to solicit gif
New Zealand’s net migration for the year to April 2019 hit 55,800 according to the latest estimates from Statistics New Zealand. This is an increase o
Uber began with an innocent sounding ambition. If you are planning to drive somewhere, why not take a passenger and make a little money too? A utopian
Māori authority businesses continued strong growth with rising profits, assets, and owners’ equity.
Figures from Tatauranga Umanga Māori 2017-18: S
Total annual residential building consents are at an all-time high in New Zealand, driven by strong demand in Auckland and Waikato. In total 34,392 re
Now the embargo is lifted on the first ever wellbeing budget, BERL will be analysing the numbers and explaining what it means in plain English.
Fre
My comments following last year’s Budget began with “Responsibility won the day. But, for many, a shift to a truly Wellbeing Budget probably cannot co
The Wellbeing Budget opens with, “What is wellbeing?”, a question that has been widely posed and little understood. The Treasury definition is repeate
The Budget Economic and Fiscal Update 2019 confirms what we have suspected for some time, that the economy is experiencing a slow down since mid 2018.
As at April 2019, unemployment is at 3.6 percent, 263,000 new jobs were created in the month, and GDP for the year to December 2018 was estimated at 3
Wellbeing Budget 2019 is set to be make or break for this self-titled transformational Government. And as this administration has done little to manag
2018 Census update
On 29 April 2019 Statistics New Zealand finally announced the first release of 2018 Census data will be on 23 September 2019. Th
Those with a progressive agenda (and, yes, I count myself as one) have been frustrated by our own inability and reluctance to engage head-on in the mo
Disclaimer: This article is not presented as advice, and it should be remembered that the value of funds can go down, as well as up.
According to t
Loan sharks, payday lenders, high cost lenders, they promise easy access to money. While these loans are convenient, they don’t come cheap, often lead
The marriage rate in New Zealand has dropped by more than half in the last 30 years, continuing a downhill trend. While the number of marriages has on
New Zealand’s goods exports rose to $5.7 billion in March 2019. This was the highest monthly figure ever recorded and is an $899 million (19 percent)
Amongst the many challenges confronting the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) was one critically fundamental question – what is an adequate income
The 2018 census has been a highly publicised debacle. With 700,000 people missed by the census, StatsNZ have been filling in the gaps with data collec
Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand (IANZ) has released a list of all the indicators they are considering to be used to measure wellbeing in New Zealand.
Statistics New Zealand has revealed to Parliament the scale of the undercount for Census 2018.
In total around 700,000 people either did not partic
A decline in production activity in 2018 saw decreases in production revenue and overseas funding. Screen revenue peaked at $3.5b in 2017, but decreas
A typical piece of legislation can take a year or more to draft, review, and edit. The supporting Member of Parliament will work with their own staff
The labour force isn’t following the usual script
Historically in the USA, as in other western economies, an unemployment rate this low has been co
Latest statistics confirm a slowing in New Zealand’s economic growth. GDP figures for the December quarter report a 2.8 percent increase in (inflation
Butter prices have gone mad, are we finally returning to sanity?
The dairy industry is one of New Zealand’s largest export industries, with $14 bil
In October last year, BERL posted an article on this website, about the slower growth in international visitor numbers. At that point in time, t
On Friday, New Zealanders saw white supremacist hate. Not in a dark alleyway. Not in the comments sections of news websites. Not on a radio talkback s
Australian GDP growth failed to meet expectations when the December 2018 Quarter results were released on 6 March 2019. Seasonally adjusted Australian
Craft beer, cider and spirits are the fastest growing alcohol markets, with all volumes increasing in 2018.
The availability of alcoholic beverages
The BERL data newsletter is designed to provide commentary on data issues and news, including methodological changes, new measures, reviews, delays, a
The concepts of tax and active tax policies remain the Achilles Heel of those wanting to progress a truly transformative agenda for New Zealand.  
The release of new net migration data in January 2019 by Statistics New Zealand using their new migration estimates, saw estimates in November 2018 fo
On 13 February the Education Minister, Chris Hipkins, released a Cabinet Paper discussing his plans on how to restructure the Vocational Education and
The ongoing tensions between the USA and China, two of our biggest trading partners has potential to test our neutral stance, and now it appears the N
New Zealand’s labour market statistics for December 2018 quarter released on 7 February 2019 by Statistics New Zealand showed that for the December 20
As has been widely heralded, New Zealand will have its first Wellbeing Budget this year. Instead of focussing narrowly on growing the economy, the Bud
When Statistics New Zealand announced its new approach to measuring migration, with the removal of departure cards for people leaving New Zealand from
Total residential building consents issued were 32,996 for the year ended December 2018. This article looks at the recovery to the highs of 2004 where
One of the first decisions by the Hon Grant Robertson, when he was appointed to his position as Minister of Finance, was to re-enshrine the Living Sta
Despite state schools receiving government funding and rules preventing parents from being charged fees, the costs associated with getting the kids th
The first in our new series of videos which will demystify economic concepts, bust a few myths, and unscramble those acronyms economists like to use t
Local and central government are emerging as important actors in defining and measuring wellbeing concepts. The current discussion around wellbeing is
The BERL data newsletter has been designed to provide commentary on data issues and news, including methodological changes, new measures, reviews, del
After strong growth the last two years, there may be clouds gathering over the Australian economic outlook. From a peak in the first quarter of 2018,
Just over 280,000 international visitors arrived in New Zealand in the month of October 2018. This is an increase of around 25,000 on the month of Sep
StatsNZ has released its estimates to 30 September 2018 for the national resident population and to 30 June 2018 for the Māori resident population, ah
The New Zealand economy is broad and comprises of diverse and thriving communities contributing to the overall New Zealand economy. As the New Z
The latest results from the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) indicate that the total number of people employed in New Zealand increased by 74,000,
In 2018, fishing and fish processing generated around $650 million of direct GDP, directly employed around 6,630 FTEs, and $1.6 billion worth of expor
The Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry for Primary Industries have now released the Essential Freshwater work programme. This two-yea
The 9th annual World Indigenous Business Forum (WIBF) was held in Rotorua 9-11 October 2018, the first time the event has been hosted in Aotearoa. The
Fresh water and the cleaning up of New Zealand’s streams, rivers and lakes was a major issue during the last election campaign. This is because
In September, the Office of the Auditor-General released a research report entitled Managing the supply of and demand for drinking water. This r
Clean drinking water is crucial to public health. The outbreak of campylobacter in Havelock North in 2016, and the subsequent Inquiry and recommendati
Between 2014 and 2017, the rapid growth in the number of international visitors was a significant factor in the relatively rapid growth in the New Zea
A large proportion of New Zealand homes require insulation to enable them to be warmer, drier and healthier.
There is a range of people in the mark
Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL) is a privately-owned, New Zealand research-led consultancy, with a foundation of economic analysis, advi
Statistics New Zealand’s GDP release on 20 September 2018 showed that for the 2018 June quarter that production GDP had increased by 1 percent.
Nothing is certain … except death and taxes. Once thing that is uncertain, is how our taxes will look in the future. The Tax Working Group (TWG) has r
There is a joke that goes “How do you know if someone owns an EV? They tell you about it”. It seems that those who have made the switch are enthusiast
On Tuesday morning (NZ time) the Trump administration announced further tariffs in the escalating trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.
Net inward migration is great for the economy within reason. In the past we have thought of a net annual inflow of 15,000 to 20,000 as being high. Thi
The BERL data newsletter has been designed to provide commentary on data issues and news, including methodological changes, new measures, reviews, del
With New Zealand Customs announcement of the removal of departure cards from November 2018, there will be a focus on the new migration measures produc
Now that virtually all the data and information we need can be sourced online, most of us at BERL hardly use books for our work. But the recent refurb
Typically a quiet month for short-term commercial accommodation, June 2018 international guest nights fell 8.2 percent compared with the month of June
As a volunteer firefighter I keep an eye on wildfire related events around the world. In thinking about the Californian fires I’m struck by the simila
The BERL data newsletter has been designed to provide commentary on data issues and news, including methodological changes, new measures, reviews, del
Maximising export opportunities for Māori businesses is especially important given the challenges faced by New Zealand in global markets. The Māori ec
The estimated resident population of New Zealand reached 4,885,300 end of June 2018, according to StatsNZ. Population change in New Zealand is c