Dan Brunskill: The Coalition Government promises an economic growth plan within weeks.....

The Coalition Government promises an economic growth plan within weeks, but can it deliver results?

It is awkward for a Government, elected to get the economy back on track, to have spent its first full year in office watching output shrink almost $2 billion in inflation adjusted prices.

2024 was a year of recession by any definition of the word, although a more useful definition would show the New Zealand economy has been in a recession since September 2022.

Greg Ninness: More than 14,000 overseas workers and 12,000 overseas students arrived in New Zealand during July

The number of people arriving in New Zealand on work visas declined for the second month in a row in July.

According to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), 14,238 people arrived on work visas in July, down from 16,878 in June and 17,319 in May.

That may signal the rapid growth in the number of overseas workers coming to NZ that occurred since pandemic border restrictions were eased, is starting to slow.