NZ regional confidence drops on dairy woes

NZ regional confidence drops on dairy woes
Sophie Boot
By Sophie Boot March 30 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand regional economic confidence plunged in the March quarter, with pessimism driven by the economic impact of weak dairy prices, partly offset by stronger tourism. The Westpac McDermott Miller Regional Economic Confidence Survey showed decreased optimism across all regions except Gisborne/Hawke's Bay in the first three months of 2016. Westpac industry economist David Norman said the downturn had been expected but was a little larger than expected in non-dairy centred regions like Otago,...