New Zealand will start publishing monthly inflation figures from July 2027, ending its status as the only country in the OECD that measures the cost of living just four times a year.
Statistics Minister Scott Simpson announced the change on 23 July, describing it as one of the most significant upgrades to the country’s economic data in a generation. From the middle of 2027, Stats NZ will produce a monthly Consumers Price Index alongside the quarterly figure that households, businesses and the Reserve Bank have relied on for decades.
“Moving to monthly Consumers Price Index reporting is one of the biggest improvements to New Zealand’s economic statistics in decades,” Simpson said. “Instead of waiting three months to understand how prices are changing, New Zealanders, businesses and decision-makers will have access to monthly updates. That means better-informed household, business and government decisions.”
The gap the change is designed to close is real. Under the current system the CPI is published once a quarter, and by the time it appears the earliest prices it captures can be close to three months old. Every other member of the OECD already runs a monthly measure. Australia’s Bureau of Statistics switched to monthly reporting in November 2025, leaving New Zealand as the last developed economy still working from a quarterly-only number.
Simpson tied the move directly to the pressures families are feeling now. “Inflation affects every New Zealander, from the weekly supermarket shop and mortgage repayments to business costs, pricing and investment decisions,” he said. The timing lands in the middle of a stubborn cost-of-living squeeze. Annual inflation climbed back to 4.1 percent in the most recent quarter as the fuel shock fed through the economy, and a Kiwibank survey this week found two in five New Zealanders had taken on debt simply to cover everyday living costs.
More frequent data will not lower anyone’s grocery bill, but it should sharpen the decisions made in response to rising prices. “Monthly CPI will give economists, businesses, government agencies and the Reserve Bank more frequent information to support better decisions,” Simpson said. The Reserve Bank, which sets the official cash rate largely on the strength of inflation readings, has welcomed the change, saying it will provide a more timely read on price developments and improve the information available to everyone who uses the figures.
The rollout has been deliberately staged so users can adjust before the numbers become official. Stats NZ will begin internal production testing in early 2027. A first transitional report covering April price changes is due in May 2027, followed by a second covering May in June 2027. The first official monthly release, covering the month of June along with the June quarter, will land in July 2027, with ongoing monthly figures from August 2027.
Crucially, the monthly index will run in parallel with the quarterly one rather than replace it. Stats NZ will convert the nearly 600 price indexes that make up the current quarterly CPI into monthly form, keeping the same level of detail. “This means New Zealand can gain the benefits of more frequent inflation data while retaining the trusted quarterly measure used throughout the economy,” Simpson said.
Government Statistician and Stats NZ chief executive Colin Lynch said the change is “not simply a matter of publishing the existing CPI more often”, and pointed to a digital-first approach that changes how price information is collected, processed, checked and published. “The CPI is used to inform decisions that affect all New Zealanders, from interest rates and government policy to business planning, contracts, and household finances.”
Lynch said protecting confidence in the number was the guiding principle behind the phased timetable. “Providing a monthly CPI from 2027 represents a major change to one of New Zealand’s most important economic measures, so it is essential this is done with quality and trust at its heart,” he said. “Giving customers time to become familiar with the new information is an important part of the transition.”
Stats NZ macroeconomics general manager Jason Attewell acknowledged the size of the task but said the agency had strong partnerships to draw on, including support from Australia’s Bureau of Statistics, which has just been through the same shift.
Simpson framed the announcement as part of a wider push to modernise the machinery of official statistics. “This is about fixing the basics and building a more modern and responsive economic statistics system for New Zealand,” he said. “The transition to monthly CPI data puts quality, trust and readiness first, while giving users advance access to the information they have asked for.”
With the general election set for 7 November, the cost of living is shaping up as one of the defining issues of the campaign, even if the new monthly figures will not arrive until well after voters have had their say. If you want to see where the parties line up on the economy and other issues before you cast a vote, you can compare them with our voting tool.
What do you think of the move to monthly inflation figures? Will more frequent data help you make sense of rising prices, or is it a technical change that will not touch everyday life? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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