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Podcast: The Front Page
Episode: From inflation to closures to job cuts: The challenges facing New Zealand’s economy
Description: The economy has been in an uncertain place for quite some time, and 2024 was no different. Over the last year, we’ve seen some improvement. In October, the annual rate for inflation had fallen from 3.3 percent to 2.2 percent. The official cash rate ended the year on 4 point 25 percent. Elsewhere, the news hasn’t been so positive. The country’s gross domestic product contracted 0.2 percent in the June quarter, only just missing out on a technical recession. Job cuts across multiple sectors have seen Jobseeker benefit numbers surge to over 200,000. And Government books...