The latest Ipsos NZ Issues Monitor shows only 19% of Kiwis see crime as a top issue - the lowest level since early 2022.

Stats NZ data out today shows the average rent in 🇳🇿 didn’t increase over the past two months - something that hasn’t happened before in the 18-year history of the monthly rental series. The 1.6% year-on-year rise in rents is the lowest since 2010.

It's not hard to see the scale of the damage to the terrain caused by the Tongariro fire last week. The width of the scarred area is about 7km.

The 2024/25 🇳🇿 Health Survey out today shows that only 3 out of 4 New Zealanders (aged 15+) had an alcoholic drink in the last year - the lowest proportion since the survey began.

That record lasted all of a month. Milksolids production in New Zealand hit a new all-time high in the year to October, despite the wild weather in Southland and Otago late in the month.

In a remarkable coincidence, the number of New Zealanders who were victims of violent crime in the year to August was the lowest since the 🇳🇿 Crime and Victimisation Survey began in 2018.

The reason higher dairy production matters is because higher volumes + higher prices = billions more flowing into the 🇳🇿 economy. Export data out today shows ~$24B of milk powder, butter and 🧀 exports in the year to October - up 24% from last year.

RNZ noted that officials advised last year that the 2029 target of <165k violent crime victims "would be difficult to achieve and should be replaced with something easier to reach". It's now fallen to 147k - a reminder why official advice needs to be taken with a grain of 🧂.

The price of gold has gone so crazy over the past 18 months that New Zealand's annual gold exports are now worth almost NZ$1.5B - even though we're producing only about half as much gold as we were a decade ago.

It's great that the share of 🇳🇿 kids being treated for asthma has fallen meaningfully over the past decade.

And the improvement has been for both girls and boys.

An interesting new research note by James Kierstead and Dr Michael Johnston shows that getting an A at a 🇳🇿 university is far more common now than it was 10-20 years ago. The trend is consistent across universities, with As steadily squeezing out other grades.

Today NZ On Air / Irirangi Te Motu announced a further $470k of taxpayer funding for the 2026 season of the Mata show on RNZ (after $880k for two previous seasons). The media release says NZ audiences need 'trusted journalism' in election year. Here's a sample of the show's previous headlines.🤔

KiwiSaver assets were worth over NZ$140B in September, up $9B in just three months. Total assets were only ~$90B three years ago, even though the NZD/USD was at a similar level.