Recent Posts

NZ posts first trade deficit for June in six years as imports jump

New Zealand posted its first trade deficit for a June month in six years as imports rose more than expected. Statistics New Zealand said the country had a trade deficit of $60 million in June, its first deficit for the month since 2009, and contrary to economist expectations in a Reuters poll for a $100 million surplus. It compares with …

Read More »

Govt wants to limit UFB involvement, wary of stuffing up sector, English says

The government doesn’t want to spend any more money or stay any longer in the build of New Zealand’s ultra-fast broadband network for fear it might “stuff it”, says Finance Minister Bill English. The government wants to extend the UFB programme to 80 percent of the nation’s population from its original 75 percent target and has also expressed a desire to …

Read More »

Lack of dairy regulation has insulated the economy from price shocks, says English

By Suze Metherell July 23 (BusinessDesk) – Light regulation in the New Zealand dairy industry has insulated the wider economy from the sharp decline in prices for the country’s largest export commodity, according to minister of finance Bill English. Prices for whole milk powder, the country’s key commodity export, have plunged this year and dropped an unexpectedly large 10.7 percent …

Read More »