Businesses get some reprieve in March quarter on cheaper prices
By Paul McBeth | Thu, 16 May 2019
By Paul McBeth May 17 (BusinessDesk) - Businesses got a reprieve in the March quarter as cheaper wholesale electricity helped push down the prices producers paid in the period. Prices paid by p...
NZ manufacturing activity expands on month in April but down on year
By Rebecca Howard | Thu, 16 May 2019
By Rebecca Howard May 17 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand's April manufacturing activity expanded versus March but was well down on the year as demand growth continues to cool. The Bank of New Zeala...
Tourism set to grow 4% annually to 2025, spending to reach $15B
By Jenny Ruth | Wed, 15 May 2019
By Jenny Ruth May 16 (BusinessDesk) - International tourist arrivals in New Zealand should grow 4 percent a year between now and 2025 and reach 5.1 million visitors in 2025. That’s up from 3.9 m...
BUDGET 2019: Govt redirects $197M fees-free underspend to vocational training
By Pattrick Smellie | Tue, 14 May 2019
By Pattrick Smellie May 14 (BusinessDesk) - Fewer students than expected have taken up the government's offer of free fees for tertiary education, allowing nearly $200 million over four years to be...
March guest nights down 4% from last year's earlier Easter
By Rebecca Howard | Tue, 14 May 2019
By Rebecca Howard May 14 (BusinessDesk) - Total guest nights spent in hotels, motels, backpackers, and holiday parks fell 4 percent in March from a year earlier largely due to the timing of Easter....
March-year migration rises, according to provisional data
By Gavin Evans | Mon, 13 May 2019
By Gavin Evans May 14 (BusinessDesk) - Provisional migration data suggests the country gained a net 4,500 permanent and long-term residents in March, down from a revised 8,565 in February but up fr...
Jones defiant, apologetic over Provincial Growth Fund politics
By Pattrick Smellie | Mon, 13 May 2019
By Pattrick Smellie May 13 (BusinessDesk) - Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones mixed defiance with apology for his handling of the Provincial Growth Fund during a briefing intended...
Kiwis splash out on travel, food in April as card spending rises
By Rebecca Howard | Fri, 10 May 2019
By Rebecca Howard May 10 (BusinessDesk) - Spending on credit and debit cards increased in April as people took advantage of the extended holiday period to travel and eat out more. Seasonally-ad...
Govt opens low-carbon summit with $47M commitment to new energy research
By Pattrick Smellie | Wed, 08 May 2019
By Pattrick Smellie May 9 (BusinessDesk) - The government will invest $27 million to establish a new energy centre in Taranaki as a gesture towards assisting the region's transition from a multi-bi...
Economists say more RBNZ rate cuts are coming
By Rebecca Howard | Wed, 08 May 2019
By Rebecca Howard May 8 (BusinessDesk) - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut rates by 25 basis points to a record low 1.5 percent and economists expect it to cut again. Changes to the central b...
NZ central bank cuts rates, signals more to come
By Rebecca Howard | Wed, 08 May 2019
By Rebecca Howard May 8 (BusinessDesk) - The Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate by 25 basis points to 1.5 percent and signaled more cuts to come. The New Zealand dollar fell. "The Monetary...
Short-term inflation expectations lift in RBNZ survey
By Rebecca Howard | Tue, 07 May 2019
By Rebecca Howard May 7 (BusinessDesk) - Business managers and finance professionals lifted their short-term inflation expectations in the latest Reserve Bank survey but held their longer-dated vie...