Consumer confidence holds up despite drought and job cuts

Consumer confidence holds up despite drought and job cuts
March 18 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealanders continue to feel relatively chipper about their economic circumstances, despite the national spread of drought conditions and a string of high profile job cuts, according to the latest Westpac McDermott-Miller confidence survey. However, public servants are less optimistic than private sector workers and a gap is opening between mens' and womens' confidence levels, which Westpac senior economist Felix Delbruck puts down to construction activity, particularly in Christchurch, with far more men than women...