RESERVE BANK LIFTS OCR TO 2.5%
Jenna Lynch (Stuff): The economy has become Nicola Willis’ political problem
Anya Fielding (RNZ): OCR rise reaction: Retailers feel nervous, economists more optimistic
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): What does OCR hike mean for home loans?
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): OCR hike unlikely to trigger immediate mortgage rate rises or clobber growth – economists (paywalled)
Henry Cooke (Post): This is not the rate hike for Nicola Willis to worry about - but the next one could be (paywalled)
Tony Alexander (OneRoof): What the OCR hike means for mortgage rates and house prices
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): Anna Breman delivered a refreshingly boring OCR update
Richard Harman: Bad news for National (paywalled)
Deborah Morris (Post): OCR rise likely to keep house buyers cautious and willing to wait (paywalled)
Gyles Beckford (RNZ): Reserve Bank hikes official cash rate to 2.5 percent
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Reserve Bank lifts OCR to 2.5%, more rate rises to come but timing ‘highly uncertain’ (paywalled)
Rebecca Howard (BusinessDesk): RBNZ delivers expected hike, won’t be drawn on the next one (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): RBNZ jumps on inflation early with OCR hike (paywalled)
Liam Dann (Herald): Why ANZ economists are upbeat about the Reserve Bank’s OCR increase (paywalled)
Jonathan Mitchell (NBR): Hawks circle RBNZ as economy sputters to life (paywalled)
PARLIAMENT, ELECTION AND GOVERNMENT
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): Election 2026: The illusion of the crowd
Jamie Ensor (Herald): Are National, Labour MPs acting like they’re on podcasts in these videos? Here’s what they say
Richard Prebble (Herald): Winston Peters holds balance of power as election remains too close to call (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): The political rise and racist backlash facing NZ’s Indian candidates
Natalia Albert: NZ First Xenophobic Policy
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): National MP Greg Fleming’s hopes for a bilingual parliament
Emma Ricketts (Stuff): Christopher Luxon’s year-long mission to get a robotic lawn mower
Mike Grimshaw: Mapping the political landscape in 2026 in comparison to 1981
Rodney Hide: Breaking news, 15 December: “He’s done it again!”
Stuff: New Zealand has 120 MPs. Should we have fewer or even more?
Lianne Dalziel (Newsroom): 17 days from the election, the one question no one saw coming
SOLAR AND ENERGY POLICY
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (Spinoff): No matter who the next government is, Aotearoa is going solar
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Labour unveils $160m household solar package funded from Gas Security Fund (paywalled)
Ian Llewellyn (BusinessDesk): Labour promises $160m solar package from gas fund (paywalled)
Brent Edwards (NBR): Labour reveals its solar energy policy (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Labour banks again on retail politics with generous solar plan (paywalled)
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): The real problem with National’s home solar loans policy
Megan Woods (Post): Solar power shouldn’t just be for wealthy: SolarSaver would fix that (paywalled)
Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Could SolarSaver cut your power bill? Labour says yes
No Right Turn: The bidding war on solar
Jamie Gray (Herald): Energy Minister Simeon Brown calls on power networks to tackle scale and cost pressures (paywalled)
INDIA–NEW ZEALAND FTA AND MODI VISIT
Todd McClay (Herald): Modi visit highlights stronger India–New Zealand partnership and FTA gains (paywalled)
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): India–New Zealand reset: Modi visit puts high-performance sport first (paywalled)
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): Finance leader says targeted migration key to India-New Zealand growth
Andrea Fox (Herald): India‑New Zealand trade pact shows global power shift and rise of the Global South
Andrea Fox (Herald): Zespri eyes major India growth after new free trade agreement
Graham Skellern (Herald): Waikato University plans new India campus to boost education links
Grant Bradley (Herald): Air New Zealand eyes deeper India ties and potential direct flights
Herald: BNZ CEO says New Zealand–India trade deal holds major growth potential
Katie Harris (Herald): Indian PM Narendra Modi visit: Specialist police seconded for major security operation
Graham Rouse (Herald): India trade deal opens major opportunities for New Zealand exporters
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