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Are You Better Off? 20 Economic Stats NZ Voters Need To See

Duncan Garner | Editor-in-Chief

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Elections usually come down to the state of your bank account. The Coalition wants voters to judge them on results, so we did exact comparisons across 20 key economic indicators between 2023 and right now. We bypass the press releases, the excuses, and the party slogans to look at what has actually been delivered to households across Aotearoa New Zealand.

While mortgage holders have seen relief with lower interest rates and the official cash rate dropping, the broader picture for regular families is tough to spin. Inflation dropping to lower percentages does not mean prices go backwards. Groceries, power, rates, and petrol are sitting on much higher bases, while median weekly incomes fail to keep up with the overall 17 percent price surge since 2023. Real wages are shrinking, and unemployment has climbed to 5.6 percent.

We break down the 11 areas where we are worse off, the seven areas that improved, and what this means when you step into the voting booth. Plus, we look at Chris Hipkins speaking to the Iwi Leaders Forum about restoring iwi involvement in the Resource Management Act, and examine the fallout from National's botched leadership spill.

00:00:00 Are you better off than three years ago?
00:01:15 Crunching the 20 economic indicators
00:02:40 Prices, wages, and the reality of inflation
00:03:10 Interest rates vs rising household bills
00:06:40 The final scorecard: 11 worse, 7 better
00:08:15 Chris Hipkins on RMA and iwi consultation
00:09:50 National leadership spill fallout

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20 Comments

@jlowe818 1 month ago

We need a prosecutor's office like they have in Korea where they go after politicians and leaders and hold them accountable for wastage and corruption.

@donaldcochrane8699 1 month ago (edited)

More important question , is, " has new Zealander voters learnt their lesson about voting for National or Labour, as in reality they are different parties with the same policies with the same agenda with the same world corporates pulling the strings. Simple,dont vote for either or you will get the same, wake up New Zealand.

@HeavyAmp 1 month ago

The 5.6% unemployment doesn't account for the jobs that are lost and the people that have headed over to Australia.

@nuttyforyou7509 1 month ago (edited)

If voting mattered the Government would make it illegal , tax serfs need a perceived choice

@operatorsix6933 1 month ago

...they keep you voting for more,.......and the public are pushed under more and looted more....

@anushkacindyshadiack1105 1 month ago

This coalition did nothing they promised. Instead they did things we actually had to go and fight to stop. Nobody voted for digital IDS, more glyphosate in their food, more GM nd data centers. They did not make anyone pay for the Covid crap, they have done nothing about out of control rates and now they are supporting wars on behalf of the yanks.

@AndanteCruises 1 month ago

The Government can say what they like, mostly lies! Their inflation figure is so far from reality I cannot believe that you wouldn’t have done the numbers to quite easily prove them wrong. I would be very happy if inflation was as low as they state. What is their indicator? A brick

@tonyphilpott9500 1 month ago

Looking at the checkout and the fact that I sit in the dark and go within heating so I can afford to pay rates, water bill and insurance, I would have to say no I am not better off. I have no confidence in either party. I can understand why people don't vote. They don't see the point as they equally as bad.

@taurusfilms.5658 1 month ago (edited)

The government as a whole has failed nz . All of them . Fighting acting for themselves and pulling the country down . No common goal but there should be only one goal . New Zealand . Who ever does get in next do better . Do your job and work together for a great country.

@mikeneemia3678 1 month ago

National is Labour-lite. Stop thinking they are National of old. Luxon the fence sitter. Weak.

@KessieLandman 1 month ago

We now have every key indicator why higher
Highest unemployment
Highest homelessness
Highest number of people leaving nz
Highest cost of living
Higher businesses closing
Lowest wage growth in the OECD and economic growth going from 22nd to 33rd

@angelashort1331 1 month ago

Watch out that KIWI SAVER ,is not tampered with , Being a pensioner , power , rates, fuel , cheese milk bread , , and protein , Costs , !! They want us dead sooner , Offers of MAID , turning up on govt documents , anyone else spotted that , ?

@Bruce-v3v 1 month ago

WE ARE IN THE DEATH GRIP OF SOCIALISM.

@MattOrsman-g6u 1 month ago

Very good,sound reasoning and analysis.

@jimbray3812 1 month ago

The simple answer is if you vote for a Labour led coalition you will end up with nothing, with a capital N. They will tax you for all you've got. They have no policy to grow the economy and make it work for the people. They just want to take take take until there is nothing left.

@NZplantgrower 1 month ago

A major problem is rates. The regional councils and local councils need to take responsibility for the proportion of inflation that's caused by increases in rates. The other main contributed was the oil prices, which we cannot do anything about. Food prices are not making us poorer, even if it seems like they are, as food inflation was about 2% last year.

@kareenmclaren9922 1 month ago

The questionis ... Are you better off under 3yrs of National led Govt vs what you would have been with another 3yrs of Labour led Govt?

@TheMymimi 1 month ago

Some of the cost increases are out of the Goverments control, as they are quick to point out. However all this backwards momentum is coming at the cost of slashed enviremental protections. This coalition would sell of the last Kiwi and cut down the last Kauri if it would put money into the pockets of corperations. The hack and slash policies they are persuing will be piad for for decades after they are gone. Not to mention the Brain Drain that seems to be forgotten about.

@numnum5 1 month ago

How can national explain net debt increasing more than during covid and unemployment being worse now than during covid?!

@bigocean1808 1 month ago

I’d add to this low confidence from local business, which was disregarded by Luxon. Exporters gain well, finance and capital sector performing well farming very well, but nothing to do with Nats, by Luxons own admission. Health sector in massive crisis. There seems to be no urgency to solve health, yet it’s critical. When Luxon says fixing the basics, what does he think that is?