The surprisingly low cost of lockdowns

Fri, 13 Nov 2020

Economists, like many travellers leaving Auckland this morning, aren’t overly flummoxed by the prospect of yet another lockdown in Auckland, largely because of the rapid recovery.“There were a lot of ‘boys who cried wolf’ at the time of the level 3/level 2 episode in August. But what we found in reality was that that episode had only a small lasting impact, because a lot of economic activity was delayed rather than cancelled,” said Westpac NZ chief economist Dominick Stephens.“The surprisingly low cost of loc...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Markets Market Close

NZ sharemarket drops as US market rallies

The S&P/NZX 50 Index closed down 1.02% or 122.14 points.

Tom Raynel 6:10pm

Infrastructure

Interislander's Aratere to be retired this year

KiwiRail CEO Peter Reidy announced the ship's retirement on Wednesday.

Gregor Thompson 5:30pm

Interislander's Aratere to be retired this year

Property

Clarkes fight order to attend interview

The Du Vals may appeal a court ruling that they answer questions about their finances.

Maria Slade 5:00pm

Sponsored

“Not an invisible footprint”: Why technology supply chains need optimising

Outdated hardware is a supply chain and cost risk.

Datacom

Sponsored

Bayleys Total Property Issue 3 out now

Backed by Bayleys’ national strength and global reach

Bayleys

More Economy

Economy

US tariff policy rattles NZ business confidence

Business confidence fell nine points to +49 in April.

Staff reporters 2:45pm

Economy

Govt slashes Budget 2025 operating allowance

Budget 2025 operating allowance is now $1.3 billion.

Rebecca Howard 29 Apr 2025

Retail

Exporter eyes golden growth from revamped investor visa

Could a foreign investor be the solution to Anihana's quest for capital?

Rebecca Stevenson 28 Apr 2025

Economy Free

Consumer confidence back on the up – ANZ survey

Consumer confidence rose five points to 98.3 in April, according to the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan survey, shoring up the upward trend that was starting to look wobbly.But inflation expectations also rose sharply – up 0.5 points to 4.7%, the highest reading since July 2023.“Household...

Staff reporters 24 Apr 2025

The surprisingly low cost of lockdowns

More Economy

Your company has a subscription

Team