defining Budget week looms as unions demand worker-focused priorities while the government signals more cuts than sweeteners ahead. The Reserve Bank's pending OCR decision at 2.3% adds monetary policy tension to fiscal deliberations, with inflation holding at 3.1%. Meanwhile, diesel prices surge nearly 95% since war began, highlighting energy vulnerabilities amid new fuel response plans prioritising defence and emergency services over smaller operators.

Summary · 31 August 2026

Cost of Living Trends

Showing % change from start of period

Key Indicators

Wholesale Power$25/MWh▼ 41.7%

NZX 5013,806▲ 0.8%

NZD/USD0.5951▲ 1.3%

Groceries$7.64▼ 1.2%

Median House Price$760K▼ 2.6%

Mortgage (1yr Fixed)5.2%▲ 1.8%

OCR2.3%▼ 25.0%

Unemployment5.3%0.0%

Avg. Income$92K▲ 0.3%

Grocery Prices

Daily averages across supermarkets

Milk (2L)

Eggs (Dozen)

Bread (Loaf)

Butter (500g)

Cheese (1kg)

Bananas (kg)

Markets

NZX 50 index & NZ blue-chip stocks (daily)

NZX 50 Index

13,806

Air NZ

$0.39

▲ 0.6%

Fisher & Paykel

$43.91

▲ 0.3%

Meridian

$5.34

▲ 1.7%

Fletcher Building

$3.94

▲ 1.0%

Fuel

NZ retail fuel prices per litre

91 Octane

95 Octane

Diesel

Housing & Mortgages

Median house price and mortgage rate trends

House Price Index

Median House Price

Mortgage Rates

Floating

1yr Fixed

2yr Fixed

Labour & Income

Employment and wage trends

Wage Growth vs CPI

Wage Growth

CPI

Unemployment Rate

Average Income

Currency & Trade

NZD exchange rates (daily)

NZD/USD

NZD/AUD

NZD/EUR

Sponsorship

Reach New Zealand's Economy Watchers

Thousands of professionals, investors, and decision-makers check this dashboard weekly. Put your brand where the data is.