As we finish up the first quarter of 2021, the latest statistics on the Waikato and New Zealand economy continue to provide a stronger picture than many would have predicted during the lockdown period of COVID-19.
Despite some ups and downs, the continuation of retail spending, lower levels of unemployment, and building activity show the Waikato economy as performing better than we might have expected 6-12 months ago.
A note of caution, our recovery remains patchy and fragile – both across sectors and across parts of the region. Moreover, while we remain cautiously optimistic, much of the world continues to grapple to bring the COVID-19 virus under control and the state of the global economy means considerable uncertainty remains for the outlook.