Māori and Pasifika have shorter life expectancy
Economic growth has stabilised and capacity constraints are tight
The minimum wage is high
Real house prices have soared
On average, New Zealand performs well on several OECD How’s Life? indicators
Labour productivity is weak
Perceived corruption is low
Growth has slowed to slightly below potential
Low business confidence has contributed to weak investment
Robust external demand has supported the economy
China and Australia are key export markets
The labour market is tight
Inflation is just below the mid-point of the target band
House prices and household indebtedness have increased markedly
New Zealand is unusual in not having deposit insurance
Proposed new capital requirements exceed those in other OECD economies
Life insurance commissions are high
Government debt is sustainable, but ageing will increase fiscal pressures
The minimum wage is high relative to the median wage
Macro-financial vulnerabilities are generally lower than at the end of the last expansion
Income inequality has increased since the mid-1980s
Income inequality is above the OECD average and relative poverty rates are below
The gender gap is low for wages but high for employment
There are large inequalities in education achievement
Māori and Pasifika have shorter life expectancy than the rest of the population
The LSF Dashboard has a middling number of indicators
Environmental indicators
Emigration from New Zealand is high
Immigration is high
The share of skilled immigrants (and accompanying family) in residence approvals is one of the highest in OECD countries
Net permanent and long-term migration has been high in recent years
Immigrants in New Zealand are highly educated and their children’s education achievement is on a par with that of non-immigrants
Most low-income renters face very high housing costs
Homelessness is high and social housing stocks are low
Inequalities in health outcomes in New Zealand
Large variation in the prevalence of psychological distress in New Zealand
Average cognitive skills for students aged 15 have fallen in New Zealand
Incomes for the top 20% have far outpaced the rest
Asset-based poverty
Māori fare better than other OECD indigenous peoples on income gaps, but often worse on life expectancy, employment and unemployment gaps
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by sector
Regulatory impact assessments in OECD countries are increasingly considering a wider range of impacts
A large income gap with Australia emerged over the 1960s-1990s
New Zealand’s share of the native-born population living abroad is high
The skilled/business category has been dominant in residence approvals since the early 2000s
Student visa holders
Stock of temporary work visa holders by work visa policy
Temporary labour migration
New measures show lower net migration
The contribution of net migration to population growth has increased
The foreign-born share of the population is high in New Zealand
Birthplace diversity is average for the stock of immigrants but high for the flow
Immigrants tend to have better well-being outcomes in New Zealand than in most OECD countries
House price growth
Housing costs for households
The homeownership rate is just below the OECD average
Housing affordability for owners has been supported by low interest rates
Most low-income renters face very high housing costs: Share of population in the bottom quintile of the income distribution spending more than 40% of disposable income on mortgage and rent, by tenure, 2014 or latest year available
Factors driving house price growth
Restrictions on foreign direct investment in construction are substantial
KiwiBuild original planned delivery and progress to date (dwellings)
Spending on housing allowances and number of recipients are high