Interview: Mountain biking in production forests
I recently appeared on Radio New Zealand's The Panel to discuss the $291 million spent by bike tourists to New Zealand's production forests in 2022.
Monthly Archives: May 2023
Queenstown’s workforce squeeze has eased
There has been a huge lift in youth and female employment over the past year, which has massively eased employment shortages. The challenge moving ahead will be on retention, particularly in an environment where wage increases are unlikely to be as rapid as we have experienced recently due to signs that profit margins are becoming squeezed.
Bike tourism in production plantation forests worth $291 million
At least $291 million was spent by bike tourists who cycled through New Zealand’s production plantation forests in 2022. The top regions for production forest bike tourism are Rotorua, Auckland, Queenstown, Dunedin, and Christchurch, followed by Wanaka, Nelson Tasman, Taranaki, Taupō, and Coromandel.
Budget 2023: Regional Economic Development cheat sheet
I attended Budget 2023 with the sole focus of trying to establish what was in it for regional economic development. As I scanned through the Budget documents, I was immediately concerned that there was no regional economic development media release as there had been in previous budgets.
Fifth place in a world series event
My journey into the world of elite ultrarunning continued recently, with a 5th place finish at the Ultra-Trail Australia (UTA) 100km race (including 4,400m of vertical gain) on the UTMB world series. For me, this result felt a bit like a breakout performance.
Record migration sets scene for Budget 2023 pressure
Net migration into New Zealand has reached a record level for non-New Zealand citizens. Quite the scene-setter for Budget 2023, where the government is trying to tighten the belt, at a time when it also needs to be lifting investment in closing infrastructure deficits and delivering essential services!
International biking spotlight: Deschutes National Forest, Oregon
Benje Patterson has recently investigated the economic impacts of biking in plantation forests in New Zealand. As part of this research, an international case study from Deschutes National Forest in Oregon, United States was presented.
Mortgage stress tests are a joke
Times are tough for some households and I sometimes forget that as I go about my day-to-day. I […]
Job market strength seals cash rate lift
Labour market data to March 2023 has highlighted ongoing strength in the job market and sharply higher wages - the data will reinforce the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's case for an increase to the official cash rate at its 24 May review.