Paul Blomfield
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paulblomfield.bsky.social
Paul Blomfield
@paulblomfield.bsky.social
PR Guy, Surfer and DIY aficionado from
New Zealand. Wellington based, but highly mobile
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
IMO the near 40-year old assumptions our economy operates under are no longer relevant or effective. This ABC story is about Australia but it references latest IMF research on inflation targeting which should be compulsory reading for the RBNZ, Treasury & the Govt.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
IMF economists say inflation targeting hasn't performed brilliantly in recent years
IMF economists say inflation-targeting central banks did not achieve better outcomes than others following the 2022 surge.
www.abc.net.au
November 18, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Astounding - Fairview Village bans electric vehicles for village residents: evsandbeyond.co.nz/residents-re...
Residents revolt over ‘silly’ electric vehicle ban
A North Shore retirement village has banned new residents from bringing electric vehicles to the property, sparking a dispute with
evsandbeyond.co.nz
November 18, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Let's celebrate the update (finally) of Stats NZ Household Living Costs Price Index - a better measure of the cost of living than CPI.
First thing to notice is that a big chunk of the increase in our cost of living was thanks to RBNZ hiking interest rates to tackle the cost of living! [🧵 1/n]
October 29, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Clip 3
September 19, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Clip 2
September 19, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Here you go. Divided into 3 clips, one after the other, due to the two minute limit.

Clip 1
September 19, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Fascinating to hear Kiwi Tenby Powell (founder of the NGO Kiwi K.A.R.E) on award winning podcast Ukraine the Latest this morning. Worth a listen. podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/u...
Ukraine ‘pins down’ 50,000 Russian troops as Putin’s spring offensive fails
Podcast Episode · Ukraine: The Latest · 27/06/2025 · 42m
podcasts.apple.com
June 28, 2025 at 9:37 AM
This fight illustrates how frustrating Wellington can be. Urbanist love artistic renders of upgraded streets with al fresco dining and t-shirt clad guests watching outdoor theatre… then the reality of Wellington winter arrives and it’s hospo that carries the can www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3607...
Courtenay Place bar owner defying Wellington parklet deadline
“We are not going to accept this nonsense,” says bar owner Greig Wilson after the Wellington City Council gave him just days to remove a parklet.
www.thepost.co.nz
June 17, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Here’s the plight of nz’s retail businesses in one graph. This ‘engineered recession’ by the RNNZ to get inflation in order has smashed one category more than all others. Thanks Musical dude for saying it how it is
Now, while wholesalers were getting sorted, retailers that bought from them were doing it tough. Rent, rates, insurance, and energy costs were killing them, and demand was dropping as more people paid tribute to Aussie banks. Wholesalers restored their profit margins while retailers suffered. [7/n]
June 10, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
The Govt have crashed the economy and kicked thousands of young people out of work. Now they're coming for their meagre benefits - to force them into selling their labour cheap to slave masters in the gig economy (or piling into debt for tertiary education). It is disgusting.
May 23, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Andrew Chen, co-founder of one of my favorite denim brands, 3sixteen, breaks down how the tariffs affect his company

IG 3sixteen
April 5, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Not paying tax? @susanedmunds.bsky.social writes for RNZ that many businesses aren't paying tax at the moment. Surprise surprise. As @musicalchairs.bsky.social and others have been saying, businesses like hospo and retail have been bearing the brunt of this recession! www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines...
The companies not paying tax
Huge numbers of businesses aren't paying any tax at all, newly released data shows.
www.rnz.co.nz
March 14, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Sobering (wise) comment from Rebecca Wadey from Ensemble on advice for the next generation wanting to navigate a career in media right now. "Retrain, quickly. Seriously! Don’t get passionate about something that is inherently broken. Or, at least, sit on it for a year and see where the cards fall."
March 13, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Weekly jobs. We have been dallying between jobs recovery and another slump for a couple of months now. Latest data suggests the slump is more likely? Remember, increased spending thx to cheaper mortgages, fuel etc has to offset demand lost tanks to fewer jobs. Teetering on the edge of a doom loop.
March 13, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Decades from now, the Covid-19 pandemic will be visible in the historical data of nearly anything measurable today. Here’s an incomplete collection of charts that capture that break — across the economy, health care, education, work, family life and more.
30 Charts That Show How Everything Changed in March 2020
It can be easy to forget, or look away from, the pain and disruption of the pandemic. The numbers will be there to remind us.
www.nytimes.com
March 10, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Same old.
March 10, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Wow. Banks not happy with just massive profits and not passing on interest rate reductions, they’re keeping the screws on the poor mortgage holder. Your thoughts @musicalchairs.bsky.social @bernardchickey.bsky.social www.nbr.co.nz/property/no-...
No respite: banks don't allow stressed mortgage holders to refix - NBR | The Authority since 1970
The National Business Review Online is New Zealand's authority in breaking business news and analysis.
www.nbr.co.nz
March 9, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Jobs evaporating, businesses going to the wall. Is anyone in charge?
March 7, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
March 5, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Even the NBR economists are saying OCR has been too tight for too long. Must be bad out there… www.nbr.co.nz/dollars-and-...
Economists seek neutral cash rate to ‘get us out of the grind’ - NBR | The Authority since 1970
The National Business Review Online is New Zealand's authority in breaking business news and analysis.
www.nbr.co.nz
March 4, 2025 at 9:02 PM
I think this may be the building that the Prime Minister referred to as: "a prime example of wasteful council spending" despite being designed to attract international conferences and exhibitions, positioning Wellington as a leading destination for global events www.meetingnewz.co.nz/news/around-...
Tākina recognised at the international architecture awards
Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre has been internationally recognised with a runner-up spot in the World-Architects ‘Building of the Year’ awards.
www.meetingnewz.co.nz
February 10, 2025 at 11:27 PM
I’m an avid reader of BlueSky member MusicalChairs - who digs deep into the stats and exposes the myths around New Zealand’s economy. Check out these insights and share widely. skywriter.blue/pages/did:pl...
Page by Musical Chairs | @musicalchairs.bsky.social
How do we kill the myth of crazed NZ Govt C*VID stimulus spending? All the data to test the assumption that we went nuts relative to other countries is easily available now. Let's have a look at a few...
skywriter.blue
February 5, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Reposted by Paul Blomfield
Imagine RBNZ talking sense like this? It might help us move past our ridiculous obsession with a tiny part of the nation's balance sheet. Govt liabilities are private sector assets. Ask an accountant (ignore most economists).
January 18, 2025 at 7:01 PM