No bias in pump price movements up or down - NZIER Insight 29
September 15, 2011
Petrol prices have been rising in recent weeks. It may feel like petrol prices at the pump move up faster and further than they fall, but we find there is no empirical evidence to support this. Prices fall as quick and as far as they rise when crude oil prices change. Read more
Flowing on from the NPS - NZIER Insight 28
July 22, 2011
The National Policy Statement (NPS) on Freshwater Management is a good first step, but it may leave local authorities in the dark about how to meet its intent. Read more
QSBO bibliography : selected research using the NZIER Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion
May 30, 2011
NZIER working paper 2004/2 by Robert Buckle and Brian Silverstone. Revised and updated May 2011 Read more
Is Working for Families working for families? NZIER Insight 27
April 1, 2011
Working for Families (WFF) was introduced between 2004 and 2007 to "make work pay" and ensure income adequacy for families with children. The policy has reduced child poverty, drawn an extra 8,100 sole parents into some paid work, encouraged more of them to work 20 hours or more, and … Read more
The evolving NZ-US trade relationship : selected case studies
March 15, 2011
NZIER contributed the trade and investment chapter of the book Pacific Partners - The future of U.S.-New Zealand Relations, published by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC and the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs (NZIIA) in Welling … Read more
A brief history of the QSBO: 1961-2011
March 14, 2011
NZIER’s Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion (QSBO) is one of New Zealand’s leading economic indicators. March 2011 marked the 50th anniversary of the QSBO. The QSBO provides data driven insights into how firms are responding to current economic events. Due to its reliability and resp … Read more
Reprioritising infrastructure projects - NZIER Insight 26
March 8, 2011
The cost of Christchurch's devastating earthquakes means that the Government's prior promises to undertake specific infrastructure projects now have to be reviewed. As the Finance Ministers signalled, funding Christchurch's recovery will prompt 'a fairly hard look at our capital inves … Read more
90-day trial periods appear successful - NZIER Insight 25
February 2, 2011
The Government has recently announced that it will be extending the policy regarding 90-day trial periods for new workers to all employers, not just those with fewer than 20 employees. NZIER’s preliminary analysis suggests that this extension is likely have a positive impact on employ … Read more
Getting real on a tax-free threshold - NZIER Insight 24
January 28, 2011
Labour's proposed tax-free threshold for the first $5,000 of wages and removing GST from fresh fruit and vegetables will cost around $1.7 billion in the first year. This is to be funded by raising the top tax rate for high income earners. From an economic perspective, these proposals … Read more