CPI reported monthly from 2027

New Zealanders will have access to monthly inflation data from July 2027 as part of a major upgrade to the country’s economic statistics, Statistics Minister Scott Simpson says.

"Moving to monthly Consumers Price Index (CPI) reporting is one of the biggest improvements to New Zealand's economic statistics in decades.

"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," Mr Simpson says.

"Inflation affects every New Zealander, from the weekly supermarket shop and mortgage repayments to business costs, pricing and investment decisions. 

“Monthly CPI will give economists, businesses, government agencies and the Reserve Bank more frequent information to support better decisions.” 

The transition to monthly CPI by July 2027 will be phased in to ensure quality remains at the highest standard.

Monthly CPI will be introduced alongside quarterly CPI, rather than immediately replacing it.

“This means New Zealand can gain the benefits of more frequent inflation data while retaining the trusted quarterly measure used throughout the economy,” Mr Simpson says.

“This is about fixing the basics and building a more modern and responsive economic statistics system for New Zealand.

“The transition to monthly CPI data puts quality, trust and readiness first, while giving users advance access to the information they have asked for.”

Editor notes: 

Stats NZ will publish transitional monthly reports in May and June 2027, covering price changes in April and May. The first full quarterly cycle under the new system will be completed in July 2027 with the publication of monthly CPI data for June.

Pathway to monthly CPI

Early 2027: Internal production test runs
April 2027: Quarterly CPI release to end of March 2027
May 2027: Transitional report covering April 2027
June 2027: Transitional report covering May 2027
July 2027: First official monthly release covering June 2027 and the first full quarter of monthly CPI data using the new production system
August 2027 onward: Regular monthly and quarterly CPI.

Further information about the transitional releases, how the data should be interpreted, and how users can provide feedback will be published before the first transitional release. ...