Treasury is warning that New Zealand's government debt will hit 200% of GDP by 2065 ‒ or $246,500 per person ‒ if major policies are not changed, The Post reported. The agency is not recommending any specific policy but notes that with an ageing population the costs of superannuation and healthcare will spiral upwards, without enough working age people to keep paying the taxes for such policies. It noted that New Zealand had seven working age Kiwis for every retiree in 1960, four for every retiree now, and but would hit just two working Kiwis for every retired Kiwi by 2065.
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The New Zealand government has appointed Anna Breman from Sweden’s central bank as the next governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the Wall Street Journal reported. Breman has been deputy governor of Riksbank since 2019 and her appointment follows a global talent search that involved 300 candidates, said New Zealand Finance Minister Nicola Willis in a statement. The search for a new governor began after the sudden exit from the central bank of former Gov. Adrian Orr in March.
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New Zealand home prices edged lower in August, the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) said on Tuesday, as prospective buyers remained cautious despite aggressive interest rate cuts from the central bank to spur the economy, Reuters reported. Seasonally adjusted median house prices dipped 1.3% from July, and were 0.5% lower on the previous year, REINZ data showed. Seasonally adjusted national home sales fell 4.5% from July, but were up 0.6% from August 2024. "Across New Zealand, confidence in the property market is tempered with caution," REINZ Chief Executive Lizzy Ryley said.
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New Zealand home prices will rise slower than previously expected through 2027 as a fragile economy weighs on buyer confidence despite aggressive monetary policy easing, a Reuters poll of property analysts showed. To revive an economy that slipped into recession last year the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has slashed interest rates by 250 basis points since mid-2024 to 3.00% at its August meeting and also surprised markets by signalling more cuts by year-end. However, lower rates haven't sparked a rebound in housing demand like in neighbouring Australia.

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The hit to New Zealand confidence caused by global uncertainty will fade as businesses get used to a time of heightened economic policy unpredictability, the chief economist at the country’s central bank said on Friday, Reuters reported. Paul Conway, chief economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, said the confidence shock will pass and business will “just get on with it.” "I fully expect uncertainty to persist into the future but to some extent, we get used to it,” Conway told Reuters in an interview. "We can't sort of wait and see what's going to happen…forever," he said.
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New Zealand's central bank cut its policy rate by 25 basis points to a three-year low of 3.00% on Wednesday, and flagged further reductions in coming months as policymakers warned of domestic and global headwinds to growth, Reuters reported. The central bank's dovish tone caught markets offguard and sent the New Zealand dollar tumbling 1.2% to a 4-month low at $0.5817, while two-year swap rates slumped as deep as 2.93% -- their lowest level since early 2022.
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