Food prices increase 1.9 percent in January – Stats NZ media and information release: Selected price indexes: January 2025

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Food prices increase 1.9 percent in January14 February 2025 – Food prices across Aotearoa New Zealand rose 1.9 percent in January 2025, following a 0.1 percent increase in December 2024, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

This is the largest monthly rise in the cost of food since a 2.1 percent increase in July 2022.

About 65 percent of items priced in the food basket were more expensive in January 2025, compared with an average of 54 percent per month in 2024.

“The proportion of the food basket that increased by over 5 percent in price was the highest in five years,” prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.

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Stats NZ information release: Māori descent population: 2023 Census

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Māori descent population: 2023 Census13 February 2025 – Māori descent population: 2023 Census provides information and data on Māori descent population concepts through a number of different products, such as Aotearoa Data Explorer tables, an infographic, and a methods paper, Māori and iwi population concepts in the 2023 Census.

Māori descent statistics tell us about the number of people usually living in New Zealand who descend from Māori. These statistics provide important insights into the needs and outcomes for Māori, and help determine the number of Māori and general electorates and their boundaries.

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Stats NZ information release: Electronic card transactions: January 2025

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Electronic card transactions: January 202513 February 2025 – The electronic card transactions (ECT) series cover debit, credit, and charge card transactions with New Zealand-based merchants. The series can be used to indicate changes in consumer spending and economic activity.

Key facts

All figures are seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified.

Values are at the national level and are not adjusted for price changes.

January 2025 month

Changes in the value of electronic card transactions for the January 2025 month (compared with December 2024) were:

  • spending in the retail industries decreased 1.6 percent ($103 million)
  • spending in the core retail industries decreased 1.5 percent ($86 million).

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Update on December 2024 and January 2025 rental data

Update on December 2024 and January 2025 rental data

The national-level stock measure for actual rentals for housing for December 2024 and January 2025 will be included in Selected price indexes: January 2025, which is due out on Friday 14 February.  

The administrative data used for this measure is provided by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), which recently upgraded their tenancy bond-lodgment system. The stock measure was not included in last month’s SPI release as time was needed to integrate the new system’s data into the rental price indexes.  

The completed update does not affect the results for the December 2024 quarter consumers price index (CPI), so no revision is required.

The release does not include the flow of rental properties measures (national and regional) as we are still working to integrate the new system’s data for these measures. The flow measures, which do not affect the CPI, will be included when we are confident they meet customer expectations.  

Stats NZ would like to thank MBIE and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for collaborating on this work and making it possible to release the latest data. We will provide a further update in due course.

If you have any questions, please contact our Information Centre at info@stats.govt.nz.

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Stats NZ information release: Ready-mixed concrete: December 2024 quarter

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Ready-mixed concrete: December 2024 quarter12 February 2025 – Ready-mixed concrete statistics provide an indicator of construction activity.

Key facts

  • In the December 2024 quarter, the actual volume of ready-mixed concrete produced was 967,964 cubic metres, down 6.2 percent compared with the December 2023 quarter.
  • In the year ended December 2024, 3.82 million cubic metres of ready-mixed concrete was produced, down 7.7 percent compared with the year ended December 2023.
  • In seasonally adjusted terms, the volume of ready-mixed concrete fell 4.7 percent in the December 2024 quarter, following a 0.6 percent rise in the September 2024 quarter.

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Total greenhouse gas emissions fall 0.7 percent in the September 2024 quarter – Stats NZ media and information release: Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): September 2024 quarter

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Total greenhouse gas emissions fall 0.7 percent in the September 2024 quarter5 February 2025 – Seasonally adjusted industry and household greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Aotearoa New Zealand decreased 0.7 percent (136 kilotonnes) in the September 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

“The decrease in emissions this quarter came mainly from manufacturing, with falls in emissions recorded in most other industries,” environment statistics spokesperson Tehseen Islam said.

Over this quarter, industry emissions (excluding households) decreased by 1.2 percent (204 kilotonnes). By comparison, gross domestic product decreased 1.0 percent in the same period.

Emissions attributed to households rose 0.3 percent (6 kilotonnes) in the September 2024 quarter.

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Unemployment rate at 5.1 percent in the December 2024 quarter – Stats NZ media and information release: Labour market statistics: December 2024 quarter

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Unemployment rate at 5.1 percent in the December 2024 quarter5 February 2025 – Unemployment continued to grow, with the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate reaching 5.1 percent in the December 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

In the December 2024 quarter:

  • the unemployment rate was 5.1 percent
  • the employment rate was 67.4 percent
  • annual wage inflation was 3.3 percent
  • average ordinary time hourly earnings were $42.57.

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Home consents up in Otago in 2024, down in all other regions – Stats NZ media and information release: Building consents issued: December 2024

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Home consents up in Otago in 2024, down in all other regions4 February 2025 – There were 33,600 new homes consented in Aotearoa New Zealand in the year ended December 2024, down 9.8 percent compared with the year ended December 2023, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

“Otago was the only region with an increase in the number of new homes consented in 2024,” economic indicators spokesperson Michael Heslop said.

The five regions with the highest number of new homes consented in the year ended December 2024 were:

  • Auckland with 13,939 (down 10 percent compared with the year ended December 2023)
  • Canterbury with 6,544 (down 6.0 percent)
  • Waikato with 2,755 (down 22 percent)
  • Otago with 2,338 (up 19 percent)
  • Wellington with 1,833 (down 24 percent).

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Household living costs increase 3.0 percent – Stats NZ media and information release – Household living-costs price indexes: December 2024 quarter

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Household living costs increase 3.0 percent3 February 2025 – The cost of living for the average New Zealand household increased 3.0 percent in the 12 months to the December 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

The 3.0 percent increase, measured by the household living-costs price indexes (HLPIs), follows a 3.8 percent increase in the 12 months to the September 2024 quarter. The most recent high was 8.2 percent recorded in the 12 months to the December 2022 quarter.

Meanwhile, inflation – as measured by the consumers price index (CPI) – was 2.2 percent in the 12 months to the December 2024 quarter, following a 2.2 percent increase in the 12 months to the September 2024 quarter. The most recent CPI high was 7.3 percent, recorded in the 12 months to the June 2022 quarter. Consumers price index (CPI) has more information.

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US now New Zealand’s second largest export partner – Stats NZ media and information release – Overseas merchandise trade: December 2024

Source: Statistics New Zealand

US now New Zealand’s second largest export partner30 January 2025 – The United States (US) was the second largest export destination for New Zealand goods in 2024, with a total value of $9.0 billion, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. The US overtook Australia but remains behind China.

“Although the US is our second largest export partner, New Zealand ranks outside the top 50 countries from which the US purchases goods,” international accounts spokesperson Viki Ward said.

New Zealand exports to the US surpassed $9.0 billion for the first time in 2024, with the US receiving 12 percent of our total exports by value ($71.0 billion). By comparison, in the year ended December 2014, the US received 9.4 percent ($4.7 billion) of New Zealand’s total goods export value ($50.1 billion).

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