CoveragePost
October 24, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Earlier this week, in The Truth about Prices in New Zealand, (on Evening Report, and on Scoop), I showed how the Consumers Price Index (CPI) is a lagging measure of inflation, and that the Producers Price Index (and the use of six-monthly rather than annual data) gives more timely information about turning points in ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – A Quarter-Century of New Zealand’s CPI Inflation" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/10/24/keith-rankin-analysis-a-quarter-century-of-new-zealands-cpi-inflation/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – A Quarter-Century of New Zealand’s CPI Inflation">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
October 21, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The first chart shows annual price increases in New Zealand for businesses (PPI: Producers Price Index) and consumers (CPI: Consumers Price Index), since 1999. We note that the latest CPI datapoint is for the third quarter of 2025, meaning that it’s centred on mid-August. The most recent PPI data is for the second ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – The Truth about Prices in New Zealand" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/10/21/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-the-truth-about-prices-in-new-zealand/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – The Truth about Prices in New Zealand">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
July 31, 2024
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The above chart shows CPI inflation in New Zealand in historical context. The chart shows (in orange) the present policy target band of one to three percent annual inflation. And it shows the ‘home-ownership’ component of the CPI. The chart looks different to most charts of CPI inflation, because it uses ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – New Zealand’s Consumers Price Index: CPI Inflation past and present" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2024/07/31/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-new-zealands-consumers-price-index-cpi-inflation-past-and-present/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – New Zealand’s Consumers Price Index: CPI Inflation past and present">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
July 22, 2024
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Interest Rates and Increasing Prices: The Facts The first chart above challenges the received view that inflation in New Zealand remains stubbornly high, and that it is therefore appropriate for the Reserve Bank’s official cash rate (OCR) to be held for at least a few more months at its damagingly high ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – The Truth in New Zealand about Price Inflation and Interest Rates" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2024/07/22/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-the-truth-in-new-zealand-about-price-inflation-and-interest-rates/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – The Truth in New Zealand about Price Inflation and Interest Rates">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
September 1, 2023
By Russell Palmer, RNZ News digital political journalist Parliament has ended for another term, shutting down ahead of the Aotearoa New Zealand election campaign with a debate where many focused on attacking their political opponents. Labour Party leader and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins warned New Zealanders: “We can continue to move forward under Labour, or ... <a title="Hipkins warns NZ voters against ‘turning the clock back’ on reforms" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/09/01/hipkins-warns-nz-voters-against-turning-the-clock-back-on-reforms/" aria-label="Read more about Hipkins warns NZ voters against ‘turning the clock back’ on reforms">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 1, 2023
ANALYSIS: By Peter Wilson, political commentator for RNZ News Tuesday, February 7, at 2pm. That’s when New Zealand’s new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ parliamentary year begins and he faces National leader Christopher Luxon in the debating chamber for the first question time of 2023. He needs to “Win the House”, as the saying goes. That ... <a title="Chris Hipkins’ first question time as PM – will he ‘win the House’?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/02/01/chris-hipkins-first-question-time-as-pm-will-he-win-the-house/" aria-label="Read more about Chris Hipkins’ first question time as PM – will he ‘win the House’?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 26, 2023
By Russell Palmer, RNZ News digital political journalist Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has put the “bread and butter” issue of inflation at the top of his government’s agenda for Aotearoa New Zealand, saying today’s figures confirm that is the right approach. Opposition leader Christopher Luxon continues to cast the government as having done nothing about ... <a title="Prime Minister Chris Hipkins defends cost-of-living record, promises more action" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/01/26/prime-minister-chris-hipkins-defends-cost-of-living-record-promises-more-action/" aria-label="Read more about Prime Minister Chris Hipkins defends cost-of-living record, promises more action">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 23, 2023
RNZ News Incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of Aotearoa New Zealand has signalled tackling the “inflation pandemic” will be a top priority for his cabinet’s slimmed-down work programme. Hipkins and new Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni — the first with a Pasifika heritage — will take the reins on Wednesday, following Jacinda Ardern’s sudden announcement ... <a title="NZ’s incoming PM Chris Hipkins singles out ‘global inflation pandemic’ as priority" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/01/23/nzs-incoming-pm-chris-hipkins-singles-out-global-inflation-pandemic-as-priority/" aria-label="Read more about NZ’s incoming PM Chris Hipkins singles out ‘global inflation pandemic’ as priority">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
December 20, 2022
RNZ Pacific Unions in New Caledonia have secured a 4.2 percent increase of the lowest salaries from January 1, 2023. The concession by the employers’ organisation MEDEF was announced as a large crowd rallied for a general strike outside its offices in Noumea. According to police, 1500 people had gathered to press their demands while ... <a title="New Caledonia unions win pay rise for lowest earners" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2022/12/20/new-caledonia-unions-win-pay-rise-for-lowest-earners/" aria-label="Read more about New Caledonia unions win pay rise for lowest earners">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
July 22, 2022
Analysis by Keith Rankin. All wars incur economic costs, and not only to the directly belligerent countries. The biggest costs arise when a war becomes a prolonged stalemate. The present war in Ukraine can be characterised, differently, as a Russian Civil War (that’s the Russian view), as ‘just another’ Eastern European conflict that will go ... <a title="Keith Rankin Essay – The Economic Cost of War, especially World War" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2022/07/22/keith-rankin-essay-the-economic-cost-of-war-especially-world-war/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Essay – The Economic Cost of War, especially World War">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
March 16, 2022
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The big new story in the news cycle – in New Zealand but not only in New Zealand – is the rising ‘cost of living’, which is usually conflated with ‘inflation’. These topics – together and separately – are, like Covid19, devolved to ‘social science’ (macroeconomist in this case) ‘experts’; within ... <a title="Keith Rankin Essay – Rising ‘Cost of Living’ and Inflation" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2022/03/16/keith-rankin-essay-rising-cost-of-living-and-inflation/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Essay – Rising ‘Cost of Living’ and Inflation">Read more</a>
