New Zealand Q1 Inflation Outlook Highest in 2 Years

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s (RBNZ) quarterly survey of expectations showed that business managers forecast inflation at 2.37% for the next two years in Q1 2026, the highest reading since Q1 2024 and up from 2.28% in the previous quarter. One-year inflation expectations also rose to 2.59% from 2.39%, marking the highest in seven quarters. Additionally, longer-term projections showed that five-year-ahead inflation expectations increased to 2.31% from 2.22%, and ten year expectations went up to 2.3% from 2.18%. In terms of monetary policy, respondents expect the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to stand at 2.25% by the end of March 2026, unchanged from the previous three-month period. The adjustment follows the RBNZ’s recent decision to cut the OCR by 25 basis points to 2.25% on 26 November 2025.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s (RBNZ) quarterly survey of expectations showed that business managers forecast inflation at 2.28% for the next two years in Q4 2025, unchanged from the previous three-month period. Meanwhile, one-year inflation expectations edged up slightly to 2.39% from 2.37%, suggesting that price pressures are expected to stay contained in the near term. Longer-term views were mixed, with five-year-ahead inflation expectations easing to 2.22% from 2.26%, while ten-year expectations inched higher to 2.18% from 2.15%. In terms of monetary policy, respondents now expect the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to stand at 2.25% by the end of December 2025, notably lower than the 3.02% forecast in the previous quarter, before rising modestly to 2.31% by September 2026. The adjustment follows the RBNZ’s recent decision to cut the OCR by 50 basis points to 2.50% on 8 October 2025.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's (RBNZ) quarterly survey of expectations showed that business managers forecast inflation at 2.28% for the next two years in Q3 2025, edging down from 2.29% in the previous three-month period. Additionally, one-year inflation expectations eased to 2.37% from 2.41%. Meanwhile, longer-term projections showed that five-year-ahead inflation expectations increased to 2.26% from 2.18%, while ten-year expectations remained unchanged at 2.15%. As for interest rates, respondents forecast the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to be at 3.02% by the end of the September 2025 quarter, declining further to 2.86% by the end of the June 2026 quarter.