The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence survey for November fell by 5 points to 80.7, and is tracking at close to its lowest level on record:Confidence has fallen especially hard for mortgage holders, a situation that will likely worsen “as more and more households roll onto sharply higher mortgage rates and the flow-on effects of the ongoing slowing in the housing market become harder to miss”:Worryingly for the economy, “a net 31% of households think it’s a bad time to buy a major household item, a 9-point deterioration to the lowest level since COVID first hit”:ANZ notes “there are significant headwinds for consumer confidence and spending: the rising cost of living, rapidly rising interest rates, and falling house prices, as well as general uncertainty about the economic outlook – clear in this month’s survey, where perceptions of the medium-term economic outlook were very weak”. Finally, “interest rate increases certainly are biting, as demonstrated by expectations for house price increases petering out completely, and the fact that both overall confidence and the answer to whether it’s a good time to buy a major household item are lower amongst households paying off a mortgage”:New Zealand’s consumer confidence could fall further given the Reserve Bank last week explicitly forecast a recession in 2023 alongside a 20% peak-to-trough decline in house prices. Moreover, Westpac warned that more than half of New Zealand’s mortgages will come of their cheap pandemic fixed rates next year, which will see many borrowers “refixing at rates that are 3 percentage points higher than those they are currently on”. All of which is dire news for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who will head to an election in late 2023 with the economy at or near recession, housing wealth slashed, and thousands of households in severe mortgage stress.

Ahead of New Zealand’s third ODI versus India, to be played in Christchurch on November 30, Tim Southee was asked whether he would contemplate doing the same as his former teammates have recently done. The Kiwi pacer, in reply, stated he has not thought about the move as yet, but at the same time, remarked anything can happen the way the landscape of cricket is changing day by day.

No easy solution exists for constructing a Taieri cycling trail, a public meeting at Outram was told last night. The aim is to create a trail from Wingatui, near Dunedin, to Waihola, linking up with an extension to the Clutha Gold Cycle Trail. Some public land could be used, but negotiations with landowners would be necessary for at least part of the proposed trail, he said. A "very, very rough" estimate for how much the trail might cost was $4 million to $5 million, although inflationary pressure might push this range up, Mr Seaton said. An extension to the Clutha Gold Cycle Trail is under construction, taking it past Lawrence to Waihola.

Orr later admitted the RBNZ was purposely engineering a recession to slow spending and bring inflation under control. Swarbrick responded to Orr’s admission by accusing the RBNZ of sacrificing the “lowest income New Zealanders at the alter of economic orthodoxy”. Let’s be very clear, Chloe is 100% right and Ryan is 100% wrong! Or put another way by Chloe, “sacrificing the lowest income New Zealanders at the alter of economic orthodoxy”. If you can’t contribute but want to help, please always feel free to share our blogs on social media.

As international student numbers inch back to pre-pandemic norms, what do those learners gain from coming to Aotearoa? As the Covid-19 pandemic forced governments and individuals worldwide into a sustained state of higher caution, one of the most immediate and most impactful measures was the widespread shutdown of non-essential international travel.

SQM Research’s Boom and Bust report forecasts that the housing market could rebound if the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) puts interest rate increases on hold. The central bank is widely tipped to pause the rate rise cycle by mid-2023 and leave the cash rate unchanged for the rest of the year. SQM Managing Director, Louis Christopher, says this could potentially spark a ‘soft’ housing market recovery. House prices in Sydney could rise by 5%-9% per cent in 2023, although other capital cities would most likely record more subdued growth in dwelling prices. Then 2024 will register a solid rebound on the back of falling mortgage rates, strong immigration, constrained supply, etc.

Our latest StopPress Series, So you want my job? will see the spotlight turn on those who have some of the coolest jobs in New Zealand’s advertising, media and marketing industries. In this episode, Ian Hulme, Head of Digital Experience at Dentsu Creative Aotearoa, speaks about his current role, the homogenisation of the digital experience, and the best piece of career advice he’s ever received. Having previously worked for IBM Consulting for five years and before that at BNZ as Head of Digital Marketing, Ian brings with him the ability to offer creative solutions to new problems with his team. He also has a wealth of experience in creative agencies where he met a number of his current dentsu Aotearoa colleagues.

File photo: NZ HeraldJacinda Ardern has decided against a wedding or an Australian holiday this summer, and has opted instead to stay home in New Zealand to prioritise time with family. On top of her regular diplomatic visits to Australia, Ardern is a regular traveller and holiday-maker in Australia, enjoying the relative anonymity outside New Zealand. "One of the things Covid really showed me was how much I enjoy having summer in New Zealand," she said. Despite staying home, Ardern insists it won't be the summer when she finally marries fiance Clarke Gayford, a fishing television show host. "We probably left it a little bit too late, so no, we don't have a date or a plan," Ardern told The New Zealand Herald this month.

"I was always working, working. In practice, he was working up to 70 hours a week. It would say I was doing 32 hours, but I was working much more." They are then pressured into working long hours, below the minimum wage, but with no record of most of their work. "A payslip will say the employee worked 40 hours only, but the employee's location services data shows they were in the workplace for 87 hours a week."

Recent developments, however, suggest Pacific labour schemes need a major rethink. This was followed by two schemes in Australia, which in 2022 were merged to form the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme. Read more: Fiji is officially ‘open for happiness' – will that apply to its tourism workers too? Exploitation and poor conditionsThe problem is part of a wider concern over Pacific labour schemes. With so many Pacific workers now overseas for long periods, these problems can have longer-term social costs.

Should I accept my fate, go back to my book and wait until the plane is empty before grabbing my luggage from the overhead locker? And that was the civilised way we disembarked an aircraft. No sneaky aisle jumpers, no frustrated passengers stuck standing hunched beneath the bulkheads, giving passing passengers hopeful raised eyebrows to release them into the queue. There are many aspects of pandemic travel that will hopefully stay in the bin, but civilised entry and exits from transportation is one aspect of travel etiquette I'd rather we brought back. See also: I had a fight on a plane over reclining my seat - and I won

nzherald.co.nz published this video item, entitled “Gang crackdown extended, Three Waters warnings & unprecedented protests in China | nzherald.co.nz” – below is their description. Police crackdown on gangs extended, Three Waters entrenchment warnings were made & rare protests sweep China in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Full story: https://bit.ly/3VBUQKD Subscribe and be notified of breaking news: https://goo.gl/LP45jX Check out our playlists: https://goo.gl/Swd249 Like NZ Herald on Facebook: https://goo.gl/tUC4oq Follow NZ Herald on Instagram: https://goo.gl/oLicXe Follow NZ Herald on Twitter: https://goo.gl/Wi6mbv nzherald.co.nz YouTube ChannelGot a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.

A FLIGHT attendant has revealed a very rude thing passengers do on board their flights that they absolutely cannot stand. 2 Passengers shouldn't take pictures of cabin crew according to Teri O' Toole Credit: GettyWhile it's not always their fault, the flight attendants often bear the brunt of passengers' complaints when anything goes the slightest bit wrong. However, Teri O'Toole, federal secretary of the Flight Attendants' Association of Australia, says that this is not something passengers should ever be doing. She told stuff.co.nz "Passengers will whip out their phone and start filming flight attendants (FAs) at the drop of a hat, then post it to a chat room together with their name and saying so-and-so was rude and unpleasant on my flight." Frequent flyer and blogger Matthew Klint was kicked off a United Airlines flight in 2013 after taking photos of his seat.

A group of Manawatū artistic roller skaters have returned from the Oceania championships with a swag of medals. After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 14 skaters from the Manawatū Skating Club represented New Zealand at the recent There were 44 in the New Zealand team.

Now, the best way to really have everything and to create some memories that will last forever is by going on a cruise, but even here, there are certain secrets that cruise booking companies don’t want you to know. There can be hidden costsOkay, this is not something to expect from renowned cruise booking companies, but even there, you can find certain hidden fees. Get back on timeJust like one can get carried away while on the ship, they can also get carried away exploring new cities. Even though the ship staff will state for how long the ship will be at that port, if we don’t come back on time, they will leave without us. In the end, it is a win-win situation for both sides and a perfect way of having fun for less money.