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New Zealand and the EU have concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement. We will explore what the potential gains and losses for New Zealand are from this agreement.

Consumer confidence is at the lowest it’s been since 1988. Households have been battered by tough economic conditions and fear it will get worse.

We look at broad movements in the aggregated financial statistics of businesses and are surprised at what we find.

GDP shrank by 0.2 percent in the March 2022 quarter. Omicron-related factors continue to cloud the outlook.

The value of both exports and imports has been rising, but export volumes are dropping. The result is that the balance of trade has slipped further into deficit.

Business price inflation has risen rapidly to levels not seen since the Global Financial Crisis. Will it jump past 10 percent in 2022?

Unemployment has fallen to very low levels during the time of COVID-19. Which groups in the population have benefitted the most? And can low unemployment last?

How has COVID affected NZ’s labour force? Despite the turmoil the pandemic has caused, there has been remarkable stability. But there are challenges ahead.

We summarise what we liked and what could have been better in Budget 2022.

New Zealand released its first Emissions Reduction Plan, which sets out how we will meet our first emissions budget. The plan seems ambitious and not entirely convincing.

The Black Budget reminds us that budgets can destroy political careers. This article looks at the Black Budget to understand why it was so unpopular. 

March 2022 inflation results officially show what we already knew. Prices of necessities like food, housing and transport all increased, putting households under pressure

Māori authority businesses continue to display resilience in the face of economic turmoil.

We take a look at how New Zealand was back in the 1950s, when BERL was founded. We explore the differences in our economy, population and culture at that time.

The latest survey reflects the wariness felt by businesses. The biggest problems facing businesses is no longer just the pandemic. 

We look at money markets since the year 2000 to try and get a handle on how interest rates might move in the near future.

Fast growth in Asian, Māori and Pacific populations will lead to increased ethnic diversity across the nation.

GDP rose less than most observers expected in the fourth quarter of 2021, though by more than the Reserve Bank was picking.

We explain what’s causing the price of everything from food to housing and travel to skyrocket, and what the future holds.

With the borders opened for citizens and residents young professionals will look elsewhere for better employment opportunities, as wages are stagnant at home.

Despite a small improvement in 2021, the average household in the lowest income group paid a staggering 41 percent of its disposable income on housing.

High productivity growth can lift living standards greatly, but New Zealand’s record has been poor for decades. Will this begin to improve anytime soon?

Global and domestic shortages of labour and inputs continue to drive up producers’ prices, but there is some evidence of inflation cooling down.

Rents continue to increase and food prices are rocketing. These increases will hurt low income households disproportionately. 

The labour market is under stress, growing demand for labour combined with closed borders puts pressure on wages, but inflation is putting pressure on workers.

Over the past decade, our exports to China have more than doubled and trade with Australia has fallen. We take a look at some of the trends shaping our export revenue.

Beef, dairy and sheep farms will enjoy a profitable season so why is there a feeling of unease?

The easing of restrictions in Auckland just in time for Black Friday created the perfect scenario for a lift in sales of apparel and household items.

In the year to September 2021, a massive 47,330 residential building consents were issued. We look at how well actual building activity is keeping up with this demand

Budget 2022 will see significant investment to address long term challenges, with $6 billion of new spending to support reform programmes.