Paul Blomfield
@paulblomfield.bsky.social
PR Guy, Surfer and DIY aficionado from
New Zealand. Wellington based, but highly mobile
New Zealand. Wellington based, but highly mobile
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
I've been told The Post is going to remove the paywall on this article because the issue is so important.
Please read and share with your friends. Ask your local candidates if they will fight to strengthen the #OIA and will resist efforts to weaken it
#nzpol #FOI
www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361...
Please read and share with your friends. Ask your local candidates if they will fight to strengthen the #OIA and will resist efforts to weaken it
#nzpol #FOI
www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361...
OIA crackdown: Government eyes tougher rules, fees and limits on requesters
Exclusive: Justice officials have mapped out post-election changes to the OIA, including tougher refusal grounds, new fees and restrictions on frequent requesters - backed by a disputed $750m cost cla...
www.thepost.co.nz
September 18, 2026 at 4:03 AM
I've been told The Post is going to remove the paywall on this article because the issue is so important.
Please read and share with your friends. Ask your local candidates if they will fight to strengthen the #OIA and will resist efforts to weaken it
#nzpol #FOI
www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361...
Please read and share with your friends. Ask your local candidates if they will fight to strengthen the #OIA and will resist efforts to weaken it
#nzpol #FOI
www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361...
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Business financial data day - always a favourite. What's going on? TLDR: Profits pick-up, wages don't.
I'll get into the glorious detail, but concepts first...
'NZ Businesses' buy stuff, pay wages, sell stuff, and make profits. Per capita figures for the above in the chart, simple? Right... [🧵 1/n]
I'll get into the glorious detail, but concepts first...
'NZ Businesses' buy stuff, pay wages, sell stuff, and make profits. Per capita figures for the above in the chart, simple? Right... [🧵 1/n]
September 8, 2026 at 7:40 AM
Business financial data day - always a favourite. What's going on? TLDR: Profits pick-up, wages don't.
I'll get into the glorious detail, but concepts first...
'NZ Businesses' buy stuff, pay wages, sell stuff, and make profits. Per capita figures for the above in the chart, simple? Right... [🧵 1/n]
I'll get into the glorious detail, but concepts first...
'NZ Businesses' buy stuff, pay wages, sell stuff, and make profits. Per capita figures for the above in the chart, simple? Right... [🧵 1/n]
This makes me so angry. There’s nothing logical about the way the RBNZ adds cost to rising prices, to force businesses to reduce those prices, while the factors that increased the prices are out of our control…
In her response, the RBNZ governor says we have low domestic demand because inflation is hurting households... so we need to hurt households to lower domestic demand to stop inflation. It's as stupid as it sounds. We then get a mention of the 'neutral rate'... [5/n]
July 10, 2026 at 9:17 PM
This makes me so angry. There’s nothing logical about the way the RBNZ adds cost to rising prices, to force businesses to reduce those prices, while the factors that increased the prices are out of our control…
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
February 27, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
IMO the near 40-year old assumptions our economy operates under are no longer relevant or effective. This ABC story is about Australia but it references latest IMF research on inflation targeting which should be compulsory reading for the RBNZ, Treasury & the Govt.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
IMF economists say inflation targeting hasn't performed brilliantly in recent years
IMF economists say inflation-targeting central banks did not achieve better outcomes than others following the 2022 surge.
www.abc.net.au
November 18, 2025 at 8:29 PM
IMO the near 40-year old assumptions our economy operates under are no longer relevant or effective. This ABC story is about Australia but it references latest IMF research on inflation targeting which should be compulsory reading for the RBNZ, Treasury & the Govt.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Astounding - Fairview Village bans electric vehicles for village residents: evsandbeyond.co.nz/residents-re...
Residents revolt over ‘silly’ electric vehicle ban
A North Shore retirement village has banned new residents from bringing electric vehicles to the property, sparking a dispute with
evsandbeyond.co.nz
November 18, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Astounding - Fairview Village bans electric vehicles for village residents: evsandbeyond.co.nz/residents-re...
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Let's celebrate the update (finally) of Stats NZ Household Living Costs Price Index - a better measure of the cost of living than CPI.
First thing to notice is that a big chunk of the increase in our cost of living was thanks to RBNZ hiking interest rates to tackle the cost of living! [🧵 1/n]
First thing to notice is that a big chunk of the increase in our cost of living was thanks to RBNZ hiking interest rates to tackle the cost of living! [🧵 1/n]
October 29, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Let's celebrate the update (finally) of Stats NZ Household Living Costs Price Index - a better measure of the cost of living than CPI.
First thing to notice is that a big chunk of the increase in our cost of living was thanks to RBNZ hiking interest rates to tackle the cost of living! [🧵 1/n]
First thing to notice is that a big chunk of the increase in our cost of living was thanks to RBNZ hiking interest rates to tackle the cost of living! [🧵 1/n]
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Here you go. Divided into 3 clips, one after the other, due to the two minute limit.
Clip 1
Clip 1
September 19, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Here you go. Divided into 3 clips, one after the other, due to the two minute limit.
Clip 1
Clip 1
Fascinating to hear Kiwi Tenby Powell (founder of the NGO Kiwi K.A.R.E) on award winning podcast Ukraine the Latest this morning. Worth a listen. podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/u...
Ukraine ‘pins down’ 50,000 Russian troops as Putin’s spring offensive fails
Podcast Episode · Ukraine: The Latest · 27/06/2025 · 42m
podcasts.apple.com
June 28, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Fascinating to hear Kiwi Tenby Powell (founder of the NGO Kiwi K.A.R.E) on award winning podcast Ukraine the Latest this morning. Worth a listen. podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/u...
This fight illustrates how frustrating Wellington can be. Urbanist love artistic renders of upgraded streets with al fresco dining and t-shirt clad guests watching outdoor theatre… then the reality of Wellington winter arrives and it’s hospo that carries the can www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3607...
Courtenay Place bar owner defying Wellington parklet deadline
“We are not going to accept this nonsense,” says bar owner Greig Wilson after the Wellington City Council gave him just days to remove a parklet.
www.thepost.co.nz
June 17, 2025 at 8:51 PM
This fight illustrates how frustrating Wellington can be. Urbanist love artistic renders of upgraded streets with al fresco dining and t-shirt clad guests watching outdoor theatre… then the reality of Wellington winter arrives and it’s hospo that carries the can www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3607...
Here’s the plight of nz’s retail businesses in one graph. This ‘engineered recession’ by the RNNZ to get inflation in order has smashed one category more than all others. Thanks Musical dude for saying it how it is
Now, while wholesalers were getting sorted, retailers that bought from them were doing it tough. Rent, rates, insurance, and energy costs were killing them, and demand was dropping as more people paid tribute to Aussie banks. Wholesalers restored their profit margins while retailers suffered. [7/n]
June 10, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Here’s the plight of nz’s retail businesses in one graph. This ‘engineered recession’ by the RNNZ to get inflation in order has smashed one category more than all others. Thanks Musical dude for saying it how it is
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
The Govt have crashed the economy and kicked thousands of young people out of work. Now they're coming for their meagre benefits - to force them into selling their labour cheap to slave masters in the gig economy (or piling into debt for tertiary education). It is disgusting.
May 23, 2025 at 11:06 PM
The Govt have crashed the economy and kicked thousands of young people out of work. Now they're coming for their meagre benefits - to force them into selling their labour cheap to slave masters in the gig economy (or piling into debt for tertiary education). It is disgusting.
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
191 NZers now emigrating each day, including 15 babies & toddlers
thekaka.substack.com/p/191-nzers-...
thekaka.substack.com/p/191-nzers-...
191 NZers now emigrating each day, including 15 babies & toddlers
Emigration of NZers doubles in 5 years to record-high A320-load a day, including 15 babies & toddlers; Greens propose of $88b of wealth taxes over 4 years to fund income, health & housing boosts
thekaka.substack.com
May 15, 2025 at 12:12 AM
191 NZers now emigrating each day, including 15 babies & toddlers
thekaka.substack.com/p/191-nzers-...
thekaka.substack.com/p/191-nzers-...
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Andrew Chen, co-founder of one of my favorite denim brands, 3sixteen, breaks down how the tariffs affect his company
IG 3sixteen
IG 3sixteen
April 5, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Andrew Chen, co-founder of one of my favorite denim brands, 3sixteen, breaks down how the tariffs affect his company
IG 3sixteen
IG 3sixteen
Not paying tax? @susanedmunds.bsky.social writes for RNZ that many businesses aren't paying tax at the moment. Surprise surprise. As @musicalchairs.bsky.social and others have been saying, businesses like hospo and retail have been bearing the brunt of this recession! www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines...
The companies not paying tax
Huge numbers of businesses aren't paying any tax at all, newly released data shows.
www.rnz.co.nz
March 14, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Not paying tax? @susanedmunds.bsky.social writes for RNZ that many businesses aren't paying tax at the moment. Surprise surprise. As @musicalchairs.bsky.social and others have been saying, businesses like hospo and retail have been bearing the brunt of this recession! www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines...
Sobering (wise) comment from Rebecca Wadey from Ensemble on advice for the next generation wanting to navigate a career in media right now. "Retrain, quickly. Seriously! Don’t get passionate about something that is inherently broken. Or, at least, sit on it for a year and see where the cards fall."
March 13, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Sobering (wise) comment from Rebecca Wadey from Ensemble on advice for the next generation wanting to navigate a career in media right now. "Retrain, quickly. Seriously! Don’t get passionate about something that is inherently broken. Or, at least, sit on it for a year and see where the cards fall."
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Weekly jobs. We have been dallying between jobs recovery and another slump for a couple of months now. Latest data suggests the slump is more likely? Remember, increased spending thx to cheaper mortgages, fuel etc has to offset demand lost tanks to fewer jobs. Teetering on the edge of a doom loop.
March 13, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Weekly jobs. We have been dallying between jobs recovery and another slump for a couple of months now. Latest data suggests the slump is more likely? Remember, increased spending thx to cheaper mortgages, fuel etc has to offset demand lost tanks to fewer jobs. Teetering on the edge of a doom loop.
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Decades from now, the Covid-19 pandemic will be visible in the historical data of nearly anything measurable today. Here’s an incomplete collection of charts that capture that break — across the economy, health care, education, work, family life and more.
30 Charts That Show How Everything Changed in March 2020
It can be easy to forget, or look away from, the pain and disruption of the pandemic. The numbers will be there to remind us.
www.nytimes.com
March 10, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Decades from now, the Covid-19 pandemic will be visible in the historical data of nearly anything measurable today. Here’s an incomplete collection of charts that capture that break — across the economy, health care, education, work, family life and more.
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Wow. Banks not happy with just massive profits and not passing on interest rate reductions, they’re keeping the screws on the poor mortgage holder. Your thoughts @musicalchairs.bsky.social @bernardchickey.bsky.social www.nbr.co.nz/property/no-...
No respite: banks don't allow stressed mortgage holders to refix - NBR | The Authority since 1970
The National Business Review Online is New Zealand's authority in breaking business news and analysis.
www.nbr.co.nz
March 9, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Wow. Banks not happy with just massive profits and not passing on interest rate reductions, they’re keeping the screws on the poor mortgage holder. Your thoughts @musicalchairs.bsky.social @bernardchickey.bsky.social www.nbr.co.nz/property/no-...
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Jobs evaporating, businesses going to the wall. Is anyone in charge?
March 7, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Jobs evaporating, businesses going to the wall. Is anyone in charge?
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Even the NBR economists are saying OCR has been too tight for too long. Must be bad out there… www.nbr.co.nz/dollars-and-...
Economists seek neutral cash rate to ‘get us out of the grind’ - NBR | The Authority since 1970
The National Business Review Online is New Zealand's authority in breaking business news and analysis.
www.nbr.co.nz
March 4, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Even the NBR economists are saying OCR has been too tight for too long. Must be bad out there… www.nbr.co.nz/dollars-and-...