Regional economies : shape, performance and drivers
July 12, 2014
Divergence and the search for a solution Economic performance is uneven across New Zealand’s regions. For example, there are differences across household incomes, unemployment and population growth in the latest Census. Read more
2013 Western market visitor growth : what explains the increase in advanced-economy visitors?
March 28, 2014
A report to Tourism New Zealand. International arrivals to New Zealand in 2013 grew at the fastest pace in a decade. Visitor arrivals were up 6.1% boosted by a rebound across several advanced economies and good performance by emerging markets like China. Our analysis shows that New Ze … Read more
Migrants increase our incomes - NZIER Insight 44
February 10, 2014
A new Insight from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) shows that increasing net migration would lift incomes not just for immigrants but for the native population. An additional 40,000 people a year for 10 years increases GDP per capita by a chunky $410 a year. "A … Read more
Fighting fit? Assessing New Zealand's fiscal sustainability
October 24, 2013
New Zealand faces a huge fiscal cost from an ageing population so we need to start making tough fiscal decisions now. We have the room to make adjustments and history shows our politicians do respond to increases in debt by adjusting taxes or spending. The sooner changes are made, the … Read more
NZ is no Greece or Italy, but needs to face up to long term issues - NZIER Insight 41
March 22, 2013
Like much of the world, New Zealand's economy is still feeling the lingering consequences of the global financial crisis and the hang-over of its own asset price bubble. The economy is recovering slowly. In the last few years, households have spent cautiously and paid down mortgages. … Read more
The host with the most? Rethinking the costs and benefits of hosting major events - NZIER Insight 40
October 30, 2012
Hosting large events like the Rugby World Cup are expensive undertakings. That makes value-for-money evaluation critical. But most impact event analysis doesn't stack up, missing displacement effects. It means benefits are often far smaller than people think. Read more
Use macro-prudential tools to improve inflation targeting - NZIER Insight 39
September 6, 2012
Before Graeme Wheeler starts his new job as Governor of the Reserve Bank, he must sign a new Policy Targets Agreement (PTA) that sets the goalposts for monetary policy. This is an opportunity to introduce macro-prudential tools to help ease the exchange rate impact of inflation target … Read more
Canterbury after the earthquakes : April 2012 update - NZIER Insight 34
April 18, 2012
The Canterbury earthquakes have disrupted lives and the economy. This Insight brings together key economic indicators to provide a second snapshot of the economic disruption. We find encouraging signs of stabilisation. Read more
Seven years lost - NZIER Insight 33
March 14, 2012
Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu (In search of lost time) inspired the Proust index in The Economist newspaper of 25 February 2012. The Economist looked across a number of economic measures to see how far back countries have slipped since the global economic crisis. We replicate … Read more
Grow for it : how population policies can promote economic growth
January 27, 2012
New Zealand struggles to grow its economy partially due to its small size and remote location. There is little that can be done to change location, but the size can be increased over time. It is feasible to adopt a population policy with the aim of the population reaching 15 million i … Read more