What's next?
OCR kept at 5.50%, two in a row with no change in the OCR.
Current monetary policy working as expected to clampdown the domestic spending therefore tracking well to counter the inflation.
Members of the MPC has mentioned:
"The risks around the lagged effect of previous monetary tightening on households and businesses. The average mortgage rate on outstanding loans is expected to rise from around 5% to near 6% by early 2024, and debt servicing costs as a share of income are still increasing."
Reserve bank has no intention to move on OCR rates, as they are working towards bringing the consumer price inflation between 1% - 3% in the second half of 2024.
Some of the economists are still predicting another rise later this year on the OCR, which could be the max.
Interesting times ahead, with election and CPI update in the next three months, which will give some more clarity.
As reserve bank does their OCR review, it is worthwhile reviewing your mortgage, spending at least 5 - 10 minutes, can potentially save you some interest cost.
If you are unsure, you can engage us, we love to explore options and create an opportunity to grow your wealth.
👉 info@skfg.co.nz
👉0210749825
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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