Hon Nicola Willis
Minister of Finance

Economic data released today confirms the economy was growing at the end of last year, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.

Stats NZ figures released today show real Gross Domestic Product rising 0.2% in the December quarter.

“While GDP data was volatile throughout 2025, the New Zealand economy picked up noticeably in the second half of the year, growing 1.1 per cent over the final six months after being relatively flat over the first half of the year,” Nicola Willis says.

Before the recent conflict in the Middle East, economic forecasters had been predicting growth to continue and strengthen in 2026.

“The conflict will have an impact on the economy, but we are starting from a much stronger position now than was the case in the past few years, when high inflation and high interest rates were weighing down on people.

“The full impact of the conflict will depend on the severity of the disruptions and how long they last, but realistic scenarios have so far shown growth continuing in 2026.”

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