But if we can’t manage sustainable economic growth with the booming export sector we already have, then what is the point of endlessly boosting the raw volume of primary sector commodities? Let’s look at our miserable track record through what has been a remarkable period of growth for New Zealand export earnings. Or that the grim predictions of the 1980s and 90s about the ever-dwindling value of food commodity exports had come true. The ANZ Commodity Price Index for January, out last week, showed beef and lamb still at historic highs. But even when the debt is dealt with, it’s not clear how the export money is flowing through the economy.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 07, 2026 19:05 UTC