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The Real Economy
Monthly report

The New Zealand economy, month by month

One page for each month, published on the 1st of the next: the new inflation, jobs and GDP figures when they come out, interest rate moves, fuel and grocery prices, housing, spending, trade and tourism. Every figure comes from the same official data as the rest of the site.

  1. August 2026

    Published · corrected 28 September 2026

    • Unemployment rose to 5.6% in the June 2026 quarter, from 5.4% in the March 2026 quarter.
    • Regular 91 petrol averaged 298.9c a litre in August, up from 294.0c in July.
    • Retail card spending rose 1.2% in July to $7.08 billion (seasonally adjusted), and was 3.4% higher than in July 2025.
    Read the August 2026 report

  2. July 2026

    Published · corrected 28 September 2026

    • Annual inflation rose to 4.1% in the June 2026 quarter, from 3.1% in the March 2026 quarter.
    • The Reserve Bank raised the Official Cash Rate from 2.25% to 2.50%.
    • Regular 91 petrol averaged 294.0c a litre in July, down from 312.5c in June.
    Read the July 2026 report

  3. June 2026

    Published · corrected 28 September 2026

    • The economy grew 0.9% in the March 2026 quarter, and was 1.7% larger than a year earlier.
    • Regular 91 petrol averaged 312.5c a litre in June, down from 323.4c in May.
    • Filled jobs rose 0.2% in May to 2.35 million (seasonally adjusted), and were 0.4% higher than in May 2025.
    Read the June 2026 report