iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I made a doco re how provincial NZ can fight back. It’s the stories of great humans in two towns who told me there stories. Hope it will spark something in you, like it did for me. For RNZ & Newsroom with funding from NZ on Air. www.rnz.co.nz/video/zombie...

rnz.co.nz

Zombie Towns: Everything I Missed

NEW | Economist Shamubeel Eaqub got a lot of flak for his ‘zombie town’ theory. 10 years on, he dares to go back to provincial New Zealand.

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

The big picture on housing - my take, 10 years after book: Generation Rent. Some policy wins but it’s still not good. Video below and also he where you get podcasts: economy made simple. youtu.be/S1ep5KcpMrY?...

youtu.be

Economy Made Simple #4 | NZ's housing crisis - and how we might fix it

YouTube video by Simplicity KiwiSaver Scheme

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

NZ’s social fabric is fraying. New survey compares poorly against Australia on every dimension. Report out next week from The Helen Clark Foundation. On Q+A this morning: youtube.com/watch?v=lRYo...

youtube.com

Survey: Surprising number of Kiwis want strong leader, no elections | Q+A 2025

YouTube video by Q+A with Jack Tame

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Next week NZ will pitch to foreign investors to help fill our infrastructure deficit. It may help, but we must get our house in order first. Cutting investment spend and asking others to invest instead seems fraught. Thoughts over at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/eaqub_...

Left chart shows tax revenue is up, operating spend is up and investment is down. Right chart shows investment spend over time which rise sharply in 2023 calendar year, but has slowed sharply in 2024.

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 15/06/2024

How much of the ‘Covid hangover’ is hiding longer term fraying of the social fabric? Put forward some of my emerging thoughts on this on The Detail at RNZ. www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/t...

rnz.co.nz

An upheaval sparked by crisis

It's been nearly two years since New Zealand shook off its Covid isolation, but the populace is far from content

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 02/06/2024

Budget 24 has lived up to a dispiriting tradition of short-termism. Our spending is too lavish relative to our taxes. We are too timid on our long-term challenges. We make decisions in Budgets that are convenient for today, but stores up problems for future generations amp.rnz.co.nz/article/fbe8...

amp.rnz.co.nz

Opinion: Budget 2024 lives up to a dispiriting tradition of short-termism

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 21/03/2024

GDP data for Dec-23 confirmed what we knew for over a year - NZ is in recession. The economy is about making more people better off. We're doing the more people bit, not the better off bit. GDP per capita has been falling since a peak in Sep-22.

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 14/11/2023

Oct-23 Food Price Index from @Stats_NZ shows prices have been going sideways since mid-year. But not really getting cheaper. (1/3)

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 07/11/2023

NZ house building surge is over? Planning rules, infrastructure and low interest rates (not necessarily in that order) really helped during the covid years. Rising immigration/population growth and slowing supply will increase housing costs and housing insecurity.

Chart shows dwelling consents relative to population. Rate of consents surged during the covid years, but has fallen since then.

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 18/10/2023

On TV1 Breakfast this morning talked about sep-23 inflation. Which has moderated in line with global trends. 1/3

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 12/10/2023

Sep-23 rents show rents are local. eg Auckland rents become (relatively) more affordable when population declined (during border closure). Rents are driven by ability to pay and relative shortage not costs. www.treasury.govt.nz/publications...

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 12/10/2023

Food price inflation is still very high (up 8% over the past year) but moderating in line with broader global agriculture commodity price trends from nearly a year ago. Some local effects too with cyclones and weather increasing fresh fruit and veg prices. Lags in the economy are very long.

Chart shows NZ food price inflation broadly follows global agriculture commodity prices with a 9 month lag. On this basis food prices should be flat to down in coming months.

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 11/10/2023

I hosted a conversation with Helen Robinsons (Auckland City Mission) and Sasha Lockley (Money Sweetspot) on poverty, economy etc. Two incredible women with some hard truths. youtu.be/pPVec8Ga84s?...

youtu.be

Seeds Conference: Poverty & the Economy: Manuka Room 1, session 4

Shamubeel Eaqub was in conversation with a panel on the economy and how we actually (practically) help the poor out of povertyShamubeel Eaqub*, economist and...

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 04/10/2023

In prep for an interview, Australia has a more progressive income tax regime than NZ. It has a 0% tax rate threshold for the first $18.2k and the top tax rate of 45% kicks in at $180k.

Chart shows NZ tax brackets now, proposed by National, and against Australia. Embarrassingly, Australia has a far more progressive income tax regime than NZ. Low income earners pay a lot less and higher income earners pay more.

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 03/10/2023

Impressed at how well set up Kirikiriroa-Hamilton is for playgrounds. My kids loving the variety and quality. Highlights for them. Food’s been smashing too so far: Gothenburg, Edo and madam woo (the fish special was so great). Jet boating on Waikato river was a lot of fun!

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 26/09/2023

No surprise that stability of housing - a human right - improves quality of life. Something that motivated Generation Rent and call for more tenure security among a suite of policies (8+ yrs ago). www.bwb.co.nz/books/genera...

i.stuff.co.nz

'It's surprising': Research finds public housing tenants happier, despite lower incomes

Those in state housing have wellbeing on par with owner-occupiers, new research shows.

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 21/09/2023

GDP data today shows no technical recession. But flat GDP per capita for a year is why its feels so grumpy. Looks much like what is happening across the Tasman.

Chart shows GDP per capita since 2019. In June 2023 Australia and NZ are much the same. Both havent increased much for the past year.

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

In report for Netsafe found cyber bullying harm of $1b, online fraud perhaps as high as $470m. Worryingly more people are experiencing harm online. More in the report on Netsafe site and herald story($) www.nzherald.co.nz/business/net...

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Shamubeel Eaqub @seaqub.bsky.social · 19/09/2023

@stuff.bsky.social column on: If you expect relief from the cost of living crisis this general election: tough luck. If you are frustrated by our politicians’ short-termism: hold up a mirror. They are reflecting what we ask for. Ask for better things. www.thepost.co.nz/a/nz-news/35...

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