Category: Business

Source: Radio New Zealand

Higher food prices could have New Zealanders rethinking their Christmas meal plans – and a barbecue is likely to be an expensive option, one economist says.

Infometrics has released its latest Grocery Supplier Cost Index, which measures the change in the cost of grocery goods charged to Foodstuffs supermarkets.

It shows there was an average annual increase of 2.5 percent in October.

“October’s rise was the fastest pace of supplier cost increases since mid-2024,” said Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen.

“Material cost increases for a number of key items continue to drive an acceleration… with protein cost rises now a more dominant driver.

“Underlying costs for other items, like chocolate, are also continuing to rise. Supply constraints globally, relative to demand for these items, are pushing costs higher, which are influencing domestic cost decisions too. Supply has improved for dairy products, which has limited cost increases and seen some relief in high butter prices.”

Month on month, just over 3200 products increased in cost from September to October 2025.

Seafood costs were up 4.5 percent, bakery almost 4 percent and butchery just behind.

Chilled foods were up just under 3.5 percent.

“It’s less that you’re seeing everything or a lot of items increasing in cost, it’s instead that you’re seeing some bigger increases for some specific and fairly vital household costs.

“Not only was it beef, not only mince, but steaks as well, an increase coming through for lamb and for fish… the protein story I think is pretty well understood but it’s been a key part of the increase whereas the likes of butter have eased back.”

Produce prices should ease into the summer months, he said, but there was little sign that the price of meat and fish would fall.

“Supply is limited both in New Zealand and overseas and demand is still strong.

“If you look at the recent livestock kills in New Zealand, both lamb and beef kills over the 12 months to September were sitting 3.9 percent lower than a year ago which is why you’re still seeing those slaughter prices, input costs and similar increasing. We’ve got less meat coming through at the moment so all of that is contributing.”

He said while 2.5 percent was uncomfortable it was nowhere near the double-digit percentage increases of recent years.

“But I think part of feeling it is just how noticeable it is, you go for a shop at least once a week at least, if not sometimes once a day, that means it is so much more in your face… especially coming into summer when people often think about doing bigger shared meals and the cost starts to come up a lot more.”

He said people might be thinking about adjusting their Christmas plans.

“I would expect to see less steak, burgers, mince patties or lamb roasts this year and probably more chicken or pork chops.”

There could be more demand for ham, he said.

“Domestic pork slaughter numbers are actually up on a year ago. None of these are massively material but at the margins they do start to make a bit of difference so I’d be expecting a bit more focus on Christmas hams and that sort of thing this year. Chicken from a relatively affordable point of view… trying to think about doing a barbecue is a pretty expensive endeavour these days.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A new report reveals that ethnic businesses contributed $87 billion to New Zealand’s GDP in 2023, an increase from $64 billion in 2021.

The Economic Contribution of Ethnic Communities 2001-2023 report – commissioned by four organisations, including the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities – was unveiled at the Ethnic Xchange Symposium in Auckland on Friday.

The symposium, organised by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, followed last year’s inaugural event in an attempt to boost economic growth and expand ethnic enterprises.

Nearly 500 ethnic representatives attended the event alongside Finance Minister Nicola Willis, Ethnic Communities Minister Mark Mitchell and Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing Chris Penk.

Mervin Singham, chief executive at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, said an additional $10 billion in untapped potential was waiting to be unlocked.

“That is quite a big contribution,” Singham said.

“Our recent research has highlighted that more can be done to unlock entrepreneurial capability of that community. This is why we have symposiums like this to continue to lift that contribution.”

Ethnic businesses make up one in five of all New Zealand enterprises, reflecting nearly the communities’ population share of 25 percent, according to the Ministry for Ethnic Communities.

Asian-owned firms export goods worth almost double the national average, the ministry said.

Dave Ananth, president of the New Zealand Malaysia Business Association, highlighted the importance of government engagement and people-to-people ties.

“I think there should be more engagements, not once a year, but more often things like this,” he said, adding that the hundreds of participants can all act as ambassadors for New Zealand.

“I think people need to understand that business in Asia is building trust,” Ananth said. “It’s who you know rather than what you know.”

Ananth said it was easy for him to pick up the phone and ring contacts in another country to conduct business and he would also happily introduce New Zealand business to his friends overseas.

He also encouraged business to think outside the box and look for business opportunities, for example in a country that’s less well-known.

John Hong, an investment consultant, was encouraged to see that many people from all ethnic backgrounds – especially younger generations – participated in the event.

He said the government should try to retain staff who were knowledgeable and skilled, calling for a stronger continuation of government policies.

“There has also been a high level of staff turnover within government agencies … especially after the pandemic,” Hong said.

“If an entire agency ends up being staffed with new people, then of course they don’t understand the international environment, and they don’t understand the domestic context either,” he said.

“There’s no continuity. If you don’t know the past, how can you possibly plan for the future?

“It takes time for [new people] to know each other and settle in. But with elections every three years, the cycle is so short that many things simply don’t have enough time to get off the ground.”

Supporting female entrepreneurs

The symposium also unveiled a report titled Ethnic Women Entrepreneurs on Friday that was also commissioned by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities.

The report said four in 10 of ethnic business owners were women, facing challenges that “reflect the combined effects of gender, ethnicity, migration status and systemic bias”.

Structural barriers, cultural disconnects and persistent under-representation characterised ethnic women’s entrepreneurship, the report said.

While ethnic communities comprised 25 percent of the employed workforce as of May 31, women from ethnic communities earned 16.4 precent less per hour than European men, it said.

Speaking at a panel focusing on stories of ethnic female entrepreneurs, KPMG partner Bineeta Nand said it was hard for ethnic women to secure bank loans or venture capital and, as a result, they needed to rely on personal loans and community funding, which could restrict their project’s scalability.

“Think about those stereotypes and biases that you might have when you’re looking at another ethnic woman in business or a proposal or an application for funding,” she said.

“I think that’s where we can actually start making a difference. Unless we start changing some of those mind sets, we … will be having the same discussion again.”

Singham said women entrepreneurs were most successful because they were highly relational in a multi-dimensional way.

He said the report would provide an insight into how to better support this cohort of entrepreneurs.

“We want to make sure that there’s a bit more of an even keel for ethnic women entrepreneurs to be supported,” Singham said.

“We feel there’s more support that could be put in place to support ethnic women entrepreneurs.”

Singham said there had been more engagement between business councils and ethnic businesses after last year’s symposium.

“The government is taking into account more of what ethnic communities [and] businesses are saying about immigration, regulatory settings in the country and so on, and this is an ongoing conversation that we’ve started,” he said.

However, he hoped the “ethnic community’s voice could be heard a little bit more”.

Mitchell said ethnic businesses were a “huge enabler and competitive advantage” for New Zealand.

“We’ve got diasporas with entrepreneurs, businesspeople, business leaders [and] people with deep connections back to countries that we want to increase our trading relationships, our sporting relationships, our cultural relationships,” he said.

He said the government was very focused on taking big trade delegations that were always heavy in presence with ethnic leaders to leverage the relationships they had.

Mitchell said the government was working on identifying and reducing red tape.

“The government should be pulling the levers … to support and help our entrepreneurs, business leaders [and] businesses grow, and give them an environment so they can grow unimpeded,” he said.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Manufacturing activity expands, rises 1.3 points to 51.4 – above 50 is expansion
• Four of five sub-indexes also in expansion – employment still contracting
• Manufacturing expanded four months in a row, first time in three years

New Zealand’s manufacturing sector expanded for a fourth consecutive month in October, led by a rise in new orders and improved demand.

The BNZ-Business New Zealand Performance Of Manufacturing Index (PMI) for October rose by 1.3 points to 51.4 from 50.1 in September.

A reading above 50.0 indicates expansion.

BNZ senior economist Doug Steel said the lift to 51.4 from September’s 50.1 was not large, but was moving in the right direction.

“The October result sees the PMI now boasting four consecutive months above the break even 50 mark for the first time in three years.”

BusinessNZ director of advocacy Catherine Beard said that after two months of flatlining activity in the sector, at least October showed more signs of life.

“Four of the five sub-index values were in expansion during October, lead by New Orders, which showed its highest level of expansion since August 2022.”

Production and Finished Stocks also rose, but Employment remains in contractionary territory at 48.1.

Steel said manufacturers were still shedding workers and employment was usually the last sector to rise in an economic recovery.

Manufacturers were also less negative above the future, the proportion of negative comments fell in October to 54.1 percent, down from 60.2 percent in September and 58.1 percent in August.

Manufacturers reported a lift in orders and improved demand, helped by seasonal activity, new customers/products, and signs of economic confidence returning.

Many also noted better efficiency and productivity, with process improvements and automation supporting stronger sales and output.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Manufacturing sector activity expanded in October thanks to higher new orders and improving demand.

The BNZ-Business NZ Performance of Manufacturing Index rose by 1.3 points to 51.4 in October, although it was still below its long-run average of 52.4.

A reading over 50 was regarded as expansion in the sector.

The survey showed a rise in new orders and production, but a further weakening of employment.

BNZ senior economist Doug Steel said the lift to 51.4 from September’s 50.1 was not large, but it had moved the right way.

He says Friday’s result was the fourth consecutive monthly expansion, something that had not happened for three years.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The co-founders of education technology platform Kami have been named EY entrepreneur of the year, with a fast growing global business expanding in more than 180 countries, except New Zealand.

Kami’s educational products is used by 70 million teachers and students around the world, including 90 percent of US classrooms.

Kami was co-founded in 2013 by chief executive Hengjie Wang and chief operating officer Alliv Samson, after developing their first interactive educational tool while still in university.

Samson said the company was still just getting started, with long-term plans to continue.

“We’re still scratching the surface,” Samson said. “There’s still a lot of classrooms out there that need help, including New Zealand.

“One of the biggest challenges that we see in Education NZ is we don’t have really good structure in ways on how we use technology in the classroom, and we can see how progressive the other countries are, but unfortunately, we’re really lacking here in New Zealand, and that’s something that we would love to see change.”

Wang said he would use the win to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon who spoke about the importance of technology and entrpreneurship at the annual awards gala.

Kami will be competing with the other country winners at EY’s Global event to be held in Monaco, June 2026.

Category winners

• Alliv Samson and Hengjie Wang (Kami) Alliv Samson and Hengjie Wang, Kami
• Kate Gatfield-Jeffries (Moodi), Young Entrepreneur
• Chris Benham (The Village Goldsmith), Product Entrepreneur
• Taurus Taurima (Topline Contracting), Services Entrepreneur
• James Annabell (Egmont Honey), Master Entrepreneur

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Real Estate Authority is fielding a record number of complaints about real estate salespeople amid challenging housing market conditions.

The authority’s 2025 annual report noted a 35 percent increase in formal complaints in the year to June 30, to 487.

It said 9 percent of licensees subject to complaints had findings of misconduct or unsatisfactory conduct made against them.

The authority said complaints related to customer service, skill and care, disclosure and misleading advertising.

Poor communication was also a common theme.

But the authority said many did not raise issues that justified strong regulatory intervention.

Chief executive Belinda Moffat said the results indicated that most real estate licensees were maintaining high standards of professional conduct.

“REA is holding to account those who don’t.”

But she said the increase in consumer dissatisfaction needed to be a focus for the industry and said some cases raised complex and serious matters.

“Licensees are expected to maintain high standards and to have the skills to navigate challenging market conditions. Fairness, transparency, skill and care are critical expectations of the conduct regulatory system we oversee.”

She said the increase in complaints highlighted the complexity of the real estate transaction process.

The provision of quality information was important to support good decision-making, she said.

There are 15,692 people with active real estate licenses in New Zealand including 12,300 sales people, 1930 individual agents and 605 branch managers.

But that is almost three times the number of monthly residential property sales.

There were 6346 sales across the country in September, according to the Real Estate Institute.

“We were particularly pleased to see the 18 percent increase in branch managers this year given the important role they play as supervisors of salespeople,” Moffat said.

In 2023, there were 15,870 licences, down from 16,902 in September 2022.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s changing demographics in recent years is being reflected in the rising demand for Indian fashion.

The demand has been fuelled by a fast-growing Indian population, which has overtaken the Chinese community to become the country’s third-largest ethnicity, according to the 2023 Census.

Numbering almost 300,000, the Indian community loyally patronises specialist fashion outlets selling sarees, salwar kameez (top and trousers), Patiala suits, lehengas and kurtas throughout the country.

Outlets selling Indian footwear items such as mojaris, juttis and Kolhapuri chappals are also proving popular.

But non-Indian consumers are also bolstering the growing trade in ethnic garments, buying items as part of Indian festival celebrations, corporate events or Bollywood-themed parties.

Not surprisingly, most of the outlets selling Indian fashion and ethnic wear can be found in Auckland, where almost 60 percent of the country’s Indian community resides.

One such outlet is Sona Sansar in the South Auckland neighbourhood of Papatoetoe, which is owned and operated by Harish Lodhia, who is also the honorary consul of Fiji in Auckland.

Naveen Talwar, manager of Sona Sansar, said he had witnessed a shift in consumer purchases as affordability in the Indian community increased.

“Increasingly we are seeing customers demanding designer sarees, and those are made from expensive silk. This is bound to happen as buying power of the community sees an uplift,” Talwar said.

“During the months of September and October, which coincides with Navratri and Diwali, demand for chaniya choli [designs] increases quite a bit.”

Chirag Ahuja, owner of fashion outlet Akarshan in South Auckland, moved to New Zealand from northern India in 2007.

“I have seen a sea change in customer demand over my time in New Zealand,” Ahuja said.

“We started modestly selling readymade suits. Then, as demand increased, we gradually grew,” he said.

“Today, we have the entire range of Indian ethnic wear, from Patiala suits to Kanjivaram sarees,” he said.

“We also sell imitation jewellery, which has proven quite popular with customers not wanting anything valuable but still desire a smart look.”

Nearby Ahuja’s shop is Batra’s Fashion Villa, a multiple outlet store selling everything from shoes and jewellery to leather materials and clothing.

“We have been in Papatoetoe for over two decades now. Apart from the usual stuff, we also have a bridal studio that gets quite busy during the wedding season,” said TS Batra, owner of the business.

“We import everything from various parts of India, as every region has its own distinctive taste. We get stuff from Mumbai, Surat, Delhi and, of course, Punjab.

“We also sell Indian palazzos and a Pakistani suit range. We even have ladies’ size 64, which is very difficult to find in any other shop here.

“I would say the main base of our shop is Fiji-Indian customers.”

Mahesh Kumar owns Roopdarshan outlets in the Auckland suburbs of Papatoetoe and Mt Roskill.

“Our family immigrated from Gujarat in India to Fiji, where we had a retail clothing business. Then I moved to Auckland in 1997,” Kumar said.

“Noticing there were no shops here selling Indian stuff, we started with a 60-square-metre space that was open only on weekends,” he said.

“Now with the growth in population and the subsequent demand, we have four stores.”

Kumar also expanded to Melbourne last year.

“Our most-selling items are sarees and salwar kameez,” Kumar said.

“Our low margins and huge variety have generated customer loyalty over the years, which I feel is the reason for our rapid expansion.”

Indian fashion outlets in Auckland also appeal to Indo-Fijian customers, as well as those in the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities.

“Other ethnicities are slowly warming up to Indian ethnic wear in a testimony to the country’s multicultural nature,” Ahuja said.

“We see such customers shopping around for Indian clothes during Diwali and Eid, or when they get invited to Indian homes for dinners or celebrations.”

Indian ethnic items were also in demand for people attending corporate events or Bollywood-themed evenings, Kumar said.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A hotel chain says they are seeing a steady increase in international visitors across the country.

Stats NZ figures show visitor arrivals from across the Tasman reached 1.48 million in the year ended September, up from 1.33m the year before.

Overall visitor arrivals were 3.43m for the year, an increase of 197,000 from the prior year. Aside from Australia, the biggest increases were from the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.

Sudima Hotels chief operation officer Les Morgan told Morning Report business had been good with winter meeting their expectations and good growth continuing.

“Australians especially but all markets are up, maybe with the exception of the Chinese which remains flat.”

The level of domestic activity was harder to measure, but New Zealand corporate clients tended to be travelling and attending conferences a bit more in the last quarter, he said.

But internationally conference numbers were down 12 percent which may be why tourism levels were not back to where they once were, he said.

Queenstown and Christchurch were performing well in terms of tourist numbers, he said.

“Christchurch is looking really good, I’ve recently come back from a sales mission in China and the interest in Christchurch is very strong, people are looking to extend stays there, Rotorua’s been solid – the exception is Auckland for reasons we all know, but the rest of the country is looking great.”

It was likely there would be days over the summer where places like Queenstown and Christchurch were at capacity, he said.

Auckland’s issues included the lack of major events, the fact that the domestic economy was still flat, “and from a hoteliers point of view there’s a huge increase in inventory” which made it tough, he said.

“I think the summer will probably see occupancy levels around the mid 70s [percent], so still plenty of capacity in Auckland.”

The industry largely supported the introduction of a bed tax in Auckland, he said.

“Hoteliers in the last few years we have come around and believe a bed tax is potentially the way forward but we’ve got some concerns about how that might be implemented.”

Morgan said for the first time in four or five years the industry was feeling very optimistic.

The tourism industry was hoping for a big improvement in the short to medium term with the New Zealand International Convention Centre in Auckland and the economy slowly recovering but steadily, he said.

“I think the most pleasing thing is that, you know post GFC [global financial crisis] tourism really bounced back and kind of caught us by surprise, put all sorts of pressure on infrastructure and our communities and we’re not seeing that.

“I think the recovery’s is nice and slow and steady and we’re much more planned and you know I think that gives us a great deal of confidence that things are going to be great.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

author:susan_edmunds]

New Zealand’s Retirement Commissioner is calling for big changes to KiwiSaver to ensure the scheme does not leave anyone behind.

The commission has released its latest three-yearly report into the country’s retirement income systems.

It makes 12 recommendations to government, eight of which it says could be introduced quickly and at little cost.

More support for low-income earners

The report recommends targeting government contributions more squarely at lower-income earners.

They are the group most affected by the government’s recent decision to halve its annual contribution to KiwiSaver accounts.

Previously, people received 50c for every $1 they contributed up to $1042 a year, but that has been cut to 25c.

Commissioner Jane Wrightson said it meant that instead of government contributions forming up to 20 percent of a lower-income person’s KiwiSaver balance at retirement, they might now only form up to 11 percent.

She said the government contribution could be increased for low-income people to give support where it was most needed. That could be funded by phasing out the contribution for higher earners.

People earning up to $49,000 could receive 50c per $1 up to $1000 maximum contribution a year, people earning up to $58,000 could get 50c per $1 on a maximum of $500 contributed and people earning up to $67,000 could get 25c per $1 up to a $500 contribution.

“Although this approach would mean fewer people would receive the government KiwiSaver contribution, they would continue to receive support for their retirement through NZ Super, and through matched and increasing employer contributions to KiwiSaver.

“These actions are designed to improve adequacy, close savings gaps, and ensure the retirement income system remains fair, sustainable and trusted.”

More contributions for people on paid parental leave

Wrightson also called for the government to increase the amount it gives to people on paid parental leave, to $1000, and pay it regardless of whether the person themselves put money into KiwiSaver.

Since last year, the government has contributed 3 percent to KiwiSaver for paid parental leave recipients who make their own contribution of at least 3 percent.

Wrightson said of the 57,635 people who received paid parental leave in the most recent year, 12,390 contributed to KiwiSaver.

“This [$1000 payment] costs around $34 million, would be simple to administer, would help ensure high take-up, and directly addresses gaps in retirement saving. Implementation would require careful coordination with Inland Revenue and KiwiSaver providers.”

Contributions past 65

She said employer contributions should also be mandated for people over 65. At present, employers can stop contributing when their staff reach this age.

She said it should also be possible for people on temporary visas to join KiwiSaver and receive employer and government contributions.

“If we want people to stay here, migrants to stay here, it would be good to give them another incentive, wouldn’t it?”

Sidecar saving

The report resurrects an idea for a “sidecar” savings account to run alongside KiwiSaver to provide help in financial emergencies.

She said this could be an alternative to the big increase in hardship withdrawals seen recently.

People would save a set amount into a sidecar account, and money contributed beyond that would go into their KiwiSaver account as normal.

But any withdrawals would be limited to the sidecar.

“This approach has been trialled in the United Kingdom to reduce reliance on high-cost credit for unexpected expenses and hardship withdrawals from retirement savings. Financial shocks can derail retirement saving, and sidecars could help mitigate this risk by giving people access to funds without undermining their long-term goals.”

She said when someone had a sidecar fund alongside KiwiSaver, if they hit financial difficulty they could access a limited amount of money without digging into their main KiwiSaver savings.

“If we are watching a rise in hardship applications, which we are, there’s two issues.

“Number one, what kind of applications are these? And there isn’t enough data publicly available to know, so we want to encourage some work to be done around that, so we understand what the rise is about.

“If it’s sheer poverty, that’s one thing. If it’s for, I don’t know, overseas health treatments and the rest of it, that starts to get a slightly different and interesting texture. So we need to understand more about it.

“And secondly, particularly for those who are in poverty, giving a kind of mechanism to go in and out of a tiny amount of your KiwiSaver, the sidecar, is a much better way than having repeated applications for full withdrawal.”

Ban total remuneration packages

Wrightson also wants to ban total remuneration packages.

Someone who is paid via total remuneration receives a set salary package, from which both their own contribution and their employer contribution are paid – rather than a salary with the employer contribution on top.

The review said the legislation clearly stated that compulsory contributions needed to be paid on top of gross salary and wages except where parties agreed otherwise.

“The legislation also includes a provision, described as being for the avoidance of doubt, which explains that a duty of good faith applies when parties to an employment relationship bargain for terms and conditions relating to compulsory contributions and associated matters.”

The report said research showed about half of employers used a total remuneration approach for at least some employees and 25 percent used it for all employees.

“The removal of the incentive that is the employer contribution on top of salary or wages goes against the spirit of the scheme.”

Wrightson said many of the recommendations were about making KiwiSaver easier and fairer for everyone.

“Anybody in a secure, well-paid job has an employer contribution. Those who are self-employed don’t. Those who are low-income, those contributions are small. They’re the ones we’re suggesting we need to target.”

The report also called for improved reporting of balances, contributions and withdrawals to allow smarter policy setting, and a nationally consistent decumulation framework to help people manage their money in retirement.

Political agreement

But Wrightson said there ultimately needed to be long-term political accord across all the major parties to provide certainty for future retirees and encourage sound decision-making.

“The trouble with the approach to KiwiSaver in recent times is that it has been quite piecemeal. We just tinker. What we’re trying to suggest is that if we stopped tinkering and looked at all the issues collectively and combined them with issues around New Zealand Super, we will get much more robust and agreed mechanisms which will help New Zealanders better because it will be more secure. What we don’t want is a system that changes through each election.”

The report calls for a Parliamentary working group to set the strategic direction for a “10-year retirement income road map”, and group led by the Retirement Commission to implement it and ensure it addresses KiwiSaver, NZ Super and innovation.

“So when you start going into the NZ Super discussions, if you want to make a systemic change, like, I don’t know, means testing, put the age up, whichever one you want to go for… Firstly, you want to get a broader agreement around that and secondly, you want to understand how to mitigate the harms from that. And thirdly, what will that do to things like government contributions to KiwiSaver, employer contributions to KiwiSaver? These things are interlinked and need to be considered together, and the current system doesn’t easily allow that to happen.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington might have been knocked off the top spot for quality of life and beer might be expensive, but New Zealanders are getting relatively cheaper iPhones, data shows.

Deutsche Bank’s Mapping the World’s Prices report looks at the price of a range of items around the world, in US dollar terms.

It launched in 2012 and said there had been changes in that time.

Japan has slid in purchasing power parity terms, while New Zealand had moved up the rankings – up 20 points in just over 20 years, according to its calculations.

Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan said he thought that was essentially due to the country’s terms of trade.

“Prices for our exports have risen faster than the prices for our imports, meaning that the relative purchasing power of our production has been rising – even if our productivity growth has been poor. For reference, the terms of trade was a record high in June 2025, up 64 percent from June 2000.”

In the 2025 data, Luxembourg took the top spot for quality of life, replacing Zurich and Wellington. Wellington fell to 11th. Auckland was 17th out of 50.

Kiernan said it seemed to be because of mortgage costs. He said there were a number of one-off factors, such as temporarily cheaper public transport, that could have made Wellington look better in earlier years.

But he said much of the data seemed counter to the rhetoric about New Zealand being an expensive place to live. In most cases, New Zealand was in the bottom two-thirds of the rankings.

Switzerland had the highest salaries net of taxes, in US dollar terms.

Wellington was 29th out of 69 and Auckland 34th.

Auckland was top for an assessment of the climate, followed by São Paulo and Lisbon.

Wellington’s housing affordability notably improved this year. Auckland was 32nd most expensive of 69 in terms of price-per-square metre to buy a city centre apartment, and Wellington 44th. To rent a three-bedroom apartment in the city centre, Auckland was 39th and Wellington 44th.

Kiernan said the apartment comparison was useful from a standardisation point of view, to compare cities, but was not representative of the way most New Zealanders lived.

Wellington had the 14th highest disposable income after rents for a scenario with two people working and renting a three-bedroom apartment. Auckland was middle of the pack.

Auckland’s salary net of taxes was up 13.6 percent in five years in US dollar terms, the data showed, and Wellington’s up 21.2 percent.

Both cities were in the 50 percent least expensive for monthly utilities but were 20th and 21st of the most expensive cities to buy groceries.

Switzerland topped the table on that measure, and a number of United States cities, as well as Sydney and Melbourne, ranked ahead of New Zealand.

New Zealand was expensive to buy cigarettes, just behind Australia. China was the cheapest place. Wellington was the fourth most expensive city in the world in which to buy a bottle of domestic beer, and Auckland 15th.

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub said that because excise taxes are high compared to many other parts of the world.

He said there should generally not be much difference between New Zealand cities beyond housing and petrol.

New Zealand was the eighth cheapest place to buy an iPhone. Seoul was the cheapest city, the report said, because competition with Samsung pushed prices down. Auckland was 24th cheapest out of 69 for a cappuccino and Wellington was seven points behind.

Auckland was 18th most expensive out of 69 cities to buy a summer dress in a chain store and 36th equal for a McDonalds meal.

Auckland ranked fourth most expensive for public transport.

Kiernan said movements in the exchange rate could significantly skew how New Zealand performed in international comparisons.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand