The Labour Party blames the Government for a material slowdown in building consents and the loss of construction jobs. Statistics NZ data today showed there were 33,595 new homes consented in New Zealand in the year ended February, down 7.4% compared with the previous year. Labour housing and infrastructure spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said the Government should take some of the blame for that. “A lack of certainty around funding has also contributed to stagnating community housing, so the pace of builds isn’t meeting need. The Government has only funded 1500 new social housing places from July 2025. The Government has also reintroduced interest deductibility, which removes the incentive for the private sector to invest in new builds,” he said. Economists expect the economic recovery to increase new building activity and job creation this year.
Whole milk powder held steady overnight after recent price gains and declines at the dairy auction. The price fell just 0.1% to US$4062 per tonne, while the broader GDT index increased to US$4250, with a mix of increases and declines across other commodities on offer. Last month, dairy co-operative Fonterra lifted its FY25 earnings guidance from 40-60 cents per share to 55-75 cents per share. Chief executive Miles Hurrell said this reflected strength in its core ingredients business, in particular. “Our consumer channel has shown good volume and margin growth while recovering the higher Farmgate Milk Price this season.” In the six months to January, Fonterra’s net profit was $729 million, up from $674m a year earlier. Revenue rose 14% to $12.59b.