New Zealand's economy faces challenges attributed to various policy missteps, including over-stimulation during COVID-19, slow responses to inflation, recent fiscal austerity cuts impacting public/private jobs and infrastructure, and pre-existing low productivity, leading to stagflationary conditions, high business failures, and an exodus of skilled workers, though some signs of recovery emerge with easing interest rates and resilient exports. The economic debate focuses on balancing necessary fiscal discipline with investment, addressing long-term structural issues like productivity, and navigating global trade uncertainty, with differing views on whether recent cuts or past stimulus are mo