New Zealand Economy

Via UBS today: Our economic forecasts (see NZEP 8 September) reflect our base-case scenario election outcome i.e. that the National Party will form a government with the support of NZ First (see NZEP 1 September).

By Leith van Onselen In the lead-up to this Saturday’s New Zealand General Election, the Labour opposition has continually taken aim at New Zealand’s excessive immigration program, which Labour claims is choking housing, infrastructure and public services in Auckland, as well as undercutting working conditions.

Via NZ: It was a rough night for most teams on The Block NZ – but contestants Ling and Zing possibly received the worst deal of all.

By Leith van Onselen The REINZ has released its house price data for August, which revealed a 1.7% seasonally adjusted monthly rise in the national median house price, with prices up 7.6% year-on-year: Outside Auckland, house prices rose by 2.9% in August, with prices up 10.5% year-on-year.

By Leith van Onselen The 23 September New Zealand General Election looks set to go down to the wire.

Via Newsroom: A National Party MP who studied at an elite Chinese spy school before moving to New Zealand has attracted the interest of our Security Intelligence Service.

By Leith van Onselen Back in 2007, then opposition National leader, John Key, lamented New Zealand’s housing crisis and promised to remedy the situation if elected into Government.

By Leith van Onselen The RBNZ has released several pieces of data suggesting that the RBNZ’s recent loan-to-value ratio restrictions targeting investors has been successful in cooling mortgage demand amid record population growth.

By Leith van Onselen In the lead-up to last year’s Australian federal election and since, we have witnessed politicians from both sides feign concern over Australia’s poor housing affordability while at the same time soothing concerns that house prices would necessarily fall.

By Leith van Onselen I wrote yesterday how the New Zealand National Government’s simple minded focus on improving housing affordability by fixing supply had failed dismally, with Auckland’s housing shortage getting worse by the month as annual population growth of 44,500 (35,772 from net migration) overwhelms the circa 10,000 dwellings consented.

By Leith van Onselen With the General Election to be held on 23 September, New Zealand’s National Government remains under heavy pressure for failing to address the country’s worsening housing shortage, especially in Auckland.

Here’s how The Guardian sees the NZ election: The debate between the two leaders was dominated by housing, tax and immigration.

Here’s what the future looks like for any enterprising Australian politician, via the AFR: Kiwi Prime Minister Bill English looked like a shoo-in for re-election a month ago.

From Interest: The Labour Party’s rise and the Green Party’s fall from grace has been reflected in the second major poll since Jacinda Ardern and Metiria Turei’s diverging fortunes caught political attention in recent weeks.

By Leith van Onselen The REINZ has released its house price data for July, which revealed a 1.2% seasonally adjusted monthly fall in the national median house price, although prices were still up 3.3% year-on-year: Outside Auckland, house prices fell by 2.6% in July, with prices up 6.2% year-on-year.

By Leith van Onselen Bernard Doyle, a strategist at JBWere, has penned a ripping new report on the New Zealand economy, arguing that rabid population growth is masking underlying weak productivity and poor per capita GDP growth.

By Leith van Onselen With New Zealand’s general election due on 23 September, immigration reduction party, New Zealand First, remains in the box seat to hold the balance of power and become the kingmaker that decides the next New Zealand Government.

By Leith van Onselen With the New Zealand National Government’s single-minded focus on solving Auckland’s housing crisis by boosting supply failing dismally, and with an election due on 23 September, Prime Minister Bill English has resorted to spin.

By Leith van Onselen Yesterday in Parliament, New Zealand Prime Minister, Bill English, batted away suggestions that Auckland’s housing shortage was getting worse: English trumpeted a growing supply of new houses.