Economic Data · 17/06/2026 · 15:07 NZT
Westpac Consumer Confidence Index Drops to 80.4, Lowest in Three Years
The Westpac-McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence Index plunged 14.3 points to 80.4 in the June 2026 quarter.
Employment
22 articles
Fiscal · 15/06/2026 · 05:34 NZT
Government Weighs Payroll Subsidy Return as Tax Debt Forecast Hits $10.5 Billion
The government is considering reinstating a payroll subsidy for small businesses as forecasts show tax debt reaching $10.5 billion. Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand has proposed a two-pronged approach to curb the rise.
Monetary Policy · 03/06/2026 · 12:02 NZT
Labour Market Resilience Tested by Oil Shock and Confidence Collapse
New Zealand's unemployment rate fell to 5.3 per cent in the March 2026 quarter, the first decline since December 2021. This points to pre-oil-shock momentum in the labour market. Yet the sharp drop in April consumer and business confidence, alongside Australia's proactive rate hike, signals transmission risks that could stall the recovery and prompt tighter policy later in the year.
Fiscal · 02/06/2026 · 10:03 NZT
MSD Expands Automated Decision-Making for Benefit Reviews
The Social Security (Mandatory Reviews) Amendment Bill received royal assent on 26 May 2025 and took effect immediately, authorising broader use of automated electronic systems for eligibility checks and payment decisions at the Ministry of Social Development.
Fiscal · 29/05/2026 · 13:46 NZT
Budget 2026 Locks in $4.77 Billion MPI Baseline for Primary Sector
Budget 2026 confirms $4.77 billion in baseline funding over four years for the Ministry for Primary Industries. The allocation supports New Zealand's food and fibre sector as exports head for a record $62 billion this year.
Breaking · Fiscal · 28/05/2026 · 17:02 NZT
Budget 2026 Forecasts $2.6bn OBEGALx Surplus in 2028/29
Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered Budget 2026 on 28 May 2026, forecasting an OBEGALx surplus of $2.6 billion in 2028/29, a year earlier than the December 2025 HYEFU projection of a $900 million deficit.
Fiscal · 28/05/2026 · 16:26 NZT
Budget 2026 Axing Fees-Free Scheme Funds $2 Billion Education Boost
Budget 2026 redirects $1 billion in savings from axing the final-year fees-free scheme into nearly $2 billion of new operating and capital spending on schools and early childhood education over four years.
Fiscal · 28/05/2026 · 15:29 NZT
Budget 2026 Rebalances Housing Support and Tightens Welfare Incentives
The Government will raise the minimum income-related rent contribution for social housing tenants from 25 percent to 30 percent of income from 1 April 2027, delivering net fiscal savings while redirecting most proceeds into higher Accommodation Supplement rates.
Fiscal · 28/05/2026 · 13:36 NZT
NSNZ Nurses Ratify 24-Month Agreement as Health Wage Bill Grows
Health Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the ratification of a new 24-month collective agreement for about 1,000 members of the Nurses Society of New Zealand, featuring a 2.5 per cent pay rise in year one and 2 per cent in year two.
Fiscal · 27/05/2026 · 18:07 NZT
Public Sector Job Seeker Applies to 130 Roles as Government Targets 8,700 Cuts
A jobseeker who accepted voluntary redundancy in 2024 has applied for more than 130 positions without success nearly two years later.
Regulation · 26/05/2026 · 17:22 NZT
Jukes Carriers fined $420,000 over Gisborne worker death
M.E. Jukes & Son Ltd, trading as Jukes Carriers, was ordered to pay a $420,000 fine, $140,000 in reparation and $10,000 in costs after a worker died in a waste shredder at its Gisborne premises.
Fiscal · 26/05/2026 · 07:21 NZT
CTU urges worker focus in tight Budget 2026 amid $13.9bn deficit
The Council of Trade Unions is pressing the government to deliver targeted relief for workers in the 28 May Budget, citing Australia's recent tax measures for low-income earners as an example.
Regulation · 21/05/2026 · 15:37 NZT
WorkSafe charges WasteCo over Te Anau fatality as second death investigated
WorkSafe New Zealand charged WasteCo NZ Ltd on or around May 4 2026 with three alleged breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 following the May 2025 death of worker Lynda Marion Kelly at the Te Anau transfer station.
Regulation · 20/05/2026 · 08:41 NZT
Ministry for Regulation Workforce Swells to Four Times Former Agency
The Ministry for Regulation now targets a permanent structure of 91 full-time staff, more than four times the headcount of the New Zealand Productivity Commission it replaced in 2024.
Fiscal · 20/05/2026 · 08:39 NZT
Median Workers’ Tax Bill Doubles as Fiscal Drag Persists
A median full-time worker paid $15,148 in personal income tax for the year ended June 2023. That amount more than doubled the $7,427 paid in the year ended June 2011. Real wages failed to keep pace with the increase.
Fiscal · 20/05/2026 · 06:21 NZT
Government Sets 55,000 Public Service FTE Target With 8700 Cuts and $2.4b Savings
The New Zealand government will cut 8700 core public service jobs over three years. The plan reduces full-time equivalent staff to no more than 55,000 by July 2029.
Fiscal · 19/05/2026 · 09:56 NZT
Willis Sets 2029 Target to Cut Public Service Below 60,000 FTEs
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will set an explicit target to reduce New Zealand's core public service below 60,000 full-time equivalent staff by 2029 in her pre-Budget speech today.
Economic Data · 18/05/2026 · 13:58 NZT
NZ Services Sector Contracts for Third Month as Fuel Costs Surge
New Zealand's services sector remained in contraction in April 2026. The BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Services Index rose 2.7 points to 48.9 from a revised 46.2 in March.
Fiscal · 18/05/2026 · 10:08 NZT
Health NZ $1.8 Billion Liability Drives Holidays Act Reform
Health New Zealand carries a $1.8 billion liability for past Holidays Act compliance errors. The Employment Leave Bill 2026 targets this fiscal burden with simpler rules.
Fiscal · 15/05/2026 · 15:55 NZT
School Lunches Programme Saves Taxpayers $122 Million in 2027
Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced on 15 May 2026 that the Healthy School Lunches Programme will save taxpayers $122 million in 2027 while delivering meals to 242,000 students each school day.
Economic Data · 15/05/2026 · 15:40 NZT
NZ Manufacturing PMI Falls to 50.5 in April on Fuel Price Surge
The seasonally adjusted BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index dropped to 50.5 in April 2026 from 53.2 in March, marking the weakest expansion in months as fuel costs surge.
Business · 15/05/2026 · 15:38 NZT
Lyttelton Port to Cut 14 Jobs After Union Drops Supreme Court Bid
Lyttelton Port Company will eliminate 14 container terminal roles after the Maritime Union of New Zealand decided against a Supreme Court appeal.