23 Nov 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
For at least three decades New Zealanders have quietly lamented their lack of 'luck' when it came to natural resources and the performance of their economy relative to the 'lucky country' – Australia.
12 Oct 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Everyone loves – and would love to copy – a winner.
11 Aug 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
There are moments in any public debate where a nerve is struck, when suddenly the issue becomes the thing everyone is talking about and triggers a shift in policy.
21 Jul 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Suddenly it seems everyone in New Zealand economic and political life is an expert on Auckland town planning, blaming it for all matter of ills ranging from high interest rates to housing unaffordability to financial instability and even child poverty.
07 Jul 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
It's the debate no politician, on either side of the Tasman, really wants to have: how can Australia and New Zealand afford their state-funded pensions as populations age and economic growth rates slow? And it's one increasingly relevant as countries around the region face maturing demographics.
30 Jun 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
There was a time through 2014 and early 2015 when New Zealand was dubbed a 'rock-star' economy to be envied and studied by its regional neighbours for its 'magic recipe.'
02 Jun 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Wellington, New Zealand's capital, is a famously compact place. Politicians, bureaucrats and journalists regularly bump into each other walking up The Terrace and back along Lambton Quay on their way to and from The Beehive - the national parliament building - and the main ministries.
08 May 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey looked longingly across the Tasman this week at New Zealand's tax system and its much-healthier Government finances but he is not the only one grappling with big economic headwinds in the quest for a surplus.
21 Apr 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Australians and New Zealanders will be reminded of their shared histories in the deepest way ahead of the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli on April 25.
16 Feb 2015
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
The potential for the New Zealand dollar to rise to parity with the Australian dollar is a powerful symbol of how the neighbouring economies have diverged over the last three months.
20 Nov 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Prime Ministers John Key and Tony Abbott will be rightly satisfied with their APEC and G20 work after finalising long-delayed and much-needed trade deals with Korea and China respectively over the weekend.
28 Oct 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
For decades, New Zealand has been a major exporter of people to Australia, a reflection of the relative economic performances of the Trans-Tasman neighbours and sometime rivals.
02 Oct 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Governor Graeme Wheeler has done it again; defying expectations to intervene in a market to overcome a problem he couldn't fix with conventional monetary policy.
23 Sep 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
At BlueNotes, we’ve already explained why business is the big winners of the NZ election. Today, we break down five reasons why investors are also set to benefit from the re-election of the National Party.
22 Sep 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Investors looking at New Zealand's election result from across the Tasman and up in North Asia should be breathing a big sigh of relief. They may even open a bottle of champagne or two at the re-election, for a third term, of a centre-right government with a strong mandate for economic reform.
15 Sep 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Viewed from afar, New Zealand's election campaign and the possible outcome may seem downright bizarre.
29 Aug 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
It seemed like a marriage made in heaven that would produce a never-ending boom.
28 Jul 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
In monetary policy terms, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has just decided to have a “cup of tea, a bex and have a good lie down” - possibly until well into next year.
22 Jul 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
This year's Matariki or Māori New Year Festival marked a major milestone for both Māori business and the New Zealand economy.
16 Jun 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has stepped further out on its own with last week’s tightening monetary policy again at a time when the rest of the developed world's central banks are either holding rates at record lows or printing money.
03 Jun 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
In a year when house prices and interest rates are already going to be major election themes, strong migration flows become even more polarising than usual. And migration is never politically easy.
16 May 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
Just as Australians are digesting news of a tax hike, New Zealanders can look forward over the next four years at the prospect of tax cuts, budget surpluses and a steady reduction in public debt.
14 May 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s unprecedented policy intervention to deflate house prices has worked According to the bank.
13 May 2014
Bernard Hickey
|
Publisher at Hive News
The Australian and New Zealand Budgets this week illustrate the contrasting outlooks for the two economies. And the distinctly divergent approaches of their Governments over the last three years.