Rebecca Howard

New Zealand

Canadian/New Zealand journalist working for BusinessDesk, covering economics, politics, dairy and a wide variety of other topics! Views are personal.

Articles

What Apple has at stake in China

1 week ago | businessdesk.co.nz | Peter Griffin |Rebecca Howard |Victoria Young

By Rolfe WinklerPlanes filled with iPhones have been leaving the Chennai airport in southern India for months, a last-ditch effort by Apple to delay a tariff calamity.When President Trump last week ignited a trade war, it was clear that Apple could be hit hardest.
RBNZ assistant governor Simone Robbers resigns

1 week ago | businessdesk.co.nz | John Anthony |Rebecca Howard

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's assistant governor, Simone Robbers, has resigned just weeks after governor Adrian Orr abruptly left in March.Robbers, who is also general manager strategy, engagement and sustainability, will leave at the end of May after six years in the role, the Reserve Bank of NZ (RBNZ) said on Thursday.RBNZ governor Christian Hawkesby said Robbers had made “an incredible contribution” to the RBNZ, growing and delivering a function that played a crucial role in achieving...
Annual inflation lifted 2.5% in the first quarter

1 week ago | businessdesk.co.nz | Rebecca Howard

Consumer price index inflation increased 2.5% in the 12 months to the March 2025 quarter, according to figures released by Stats New Zealand on Thursday.The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.9% in the March 2025 quarter compared to the December 2024 quarter.Most economists and the central bank had forecast that annual inflation would be 2.4% in the first quarter.
Commerce Commission pushes KiwiRail to compensate customers for cancelled ferry sailings

1 week ago | businessdesk.co.nz | Rebecca Howard |Denise McNabb

More people whose travel plans are derailed by Interislander ferry cancellations will now be eligible for compensation.Interislander, which is owned by the state-owned enterprise KiwiRail, is loosening its approach towards compensating customers affected by mechanical breakdowns to ensure it complies with the law.It is compensating customers affected by a raft of cancellations in early 2023.It’s also opening itself up to considering reimbursing customers affected by other cancellations in the...
Chainsaws vs scalpels: The DOGE effect and a better way for NZ

1 week ago | businessdesk.co.nz | Peter Griffin |Rebecca Howard |Victoria Young

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative has sparked global debate about balancing disruptive reform with sustainable public sector innovation. In a panel discussion on The Business of Tech, experts Rob Campbell, Ben Reid, and Paul Quickenden critiqued Musk’s approach while proposing alternative strategies for New Zealand to drive efficiency in government while harnessing technologies like blockchain and AI.
Slight inflation lift won't stop rate cuts thanks to trade war

1 week ago | businessdesk.co.nz | Rebecca Howard

Annual inflation likely ticked up in the first quarter, but several economists say there could be even more rate cuts thanks to US President Donald Trump’s trade war.UBS economists expect headline CPI to modestly accelerate to 2.4% from 2.2% in the December quarter but say “this is not a barrier to deeper” Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) cuts. The RBNZ is mandated to keep inflation between 1% and 3%.
Air New Zealand FY guidance hit by expected lower compensation

1 week ago | businessdesk.co.nz | Rebecca Howard

Air New Zealand estimates earnings before taxation for the year to June 30 to be within the range of $150 million to $190m, it said Wednesday.That compared to $222m in the year to June 30, 2024 and $574m in the prior financial year.
Property, rentals and hiring attract greatest IRD scrutiny

1 week ago | businessdesk.co.nz | Denise McNabb |Pattrick Smellie |Rebecca Howard

The Inland Revenue Department’s blitz on delinquent taxpayers since receiving a $29 million Budget boost to its coffers for tax compliance enforcement has reaped more than $600m in undeclared tax from taxpayers across all sources in the six-month period to December.While the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) can’t name the tardiest of payers, citing client confidentiality, its segment lead for significant enterprises, Tony Morris, revealed last week that half of that extra cash came from fewer...
Manufacturing sector keeping head above water

2 weeks ago | businessdesk.co.nz | Rebecca Howard

New Zealand’s manufacturing sector remained in expansionary territory for a third consecutive month, according to the latest BNZ – BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). The seasonally adjusted PMI for March was 53.2, down from 54.1 in February. A number above 50 means the sector is expanding.
New Zealand’s S&P/NZX 50 Index jumped 3.4% on the open

2 weeks ago | businessdesk.co.nz | Rebecca Howard |Riley Kennedy

New Zealand’s S&P/NZX 50 Index jumped 3.4% on the open after Wall Street soared on US President Donald Trump’s tariff pause.The NZ market “will bounce but not as much as we haven’t been savaged as much as similar US stocks”, Forsyth Barr senior investment advisor Brad Gordon said. Australia is likely to bounce harder, given the fall across the Tasman has been steeper.