Mortgage stress tests are a joke
Times are tough for some households and I sometimes forget that as I go about my day-to-day. I […]
Articles written by leading NZ economist about Wellbeing
Affordability not the problem for working homeless in Queenstown
The Minister has boiled Queenstown-Lakes' problem down to an acute shortage of affordable housing that we must build our way out of, but this belittles our short-term problem. Many people living in cars in Queenstown are not poor, with most employed and earning far more than even a living wage - they simply can’t find a house to rent at any price point.
Tourism employment conditions in Queenstown-Lakes
This report puts the spotlight on worker sentiment and employment conditions in Queenstown-Lakes compared to New Zealand. The data shows that workers in Queenstown-Lakes consistently reported higher levels of workplace satisfaction and better employment conditions than the New Zealand average.
Tourism’s recovery is catching us off guard
It was a pleasure to sit down with BusinessDesk for a Sharesies shared lunch. We talked in detail about the tourism recovery, with a strong focus on understanding how demand is returning, but that labour challenges remain a key threat to the recovery.
Who cares about ‘Bourgeois Benje’?
For all the recent talk of inflation, I have been disappointed that the debate largely reduced into conjecture […]
Don’t downplay the inflation boogeyman
Inflation has spiked to its highest annual level in over a decade, after recording its biggest quarterly lift in almost 35 years. Of most concern to me is the economic fallout which higher mortgage rates are having on households’ discretionary budgets.
Level 3 = Level 4 + KFC + 420,000 extra ...
Judith Collins so elegantly put it last year that Level 3 is basically Level 4 with KFC, but she forgot to mention the extra 23% of people heading back to work.
Renters are running out of affordable places
It is one year since New Zealand’s initial Covid-19 lockdown, and the property market has confounded expectations since then. Even though rents are increasing in around 80% of New Zealand’s 67 territorial authorities, there remain a few places where rents have fallen in the wake of Covid-19.
Interview: finding and retaining staff in the regions
I recently spoke to Kerre McIvor on Newstalk ZB at length about how employers can solve the challenge of finding and retaining staff. COVID-19 has left some employers exposed, particularly in regions and industries that had relied on a steady stream of itinerant labour from abroad.
The arts and culture sector in Dunedin
Benje Patterson was commissioned to estimate the economic and social outcomes of Dunedin’s arts and culture sector. The report outlined the benefits to local residents’ quality of life, as well as the reputation and attractiveness of Dunedin to its visitors.
How much did lockdown hurt the average wage earner?
The average lockdown wage haircut was much smaller than the fall in mortgage expenses because of lower interest rates. Consequently, in net terms, an existing homeowner earning an average income was actually better off.
Where have rents risen and fallen?
A tight housing market has continued to put pressure on renters in many parts of the country at a time when incomes are squeezed. But the geographical distribution of rent increases has been uneven.