Perriams Pacesetter — 21 September 2026

Every Monday we post some thoughts in our Perriams Pacesetter, containing fresh thoughts for the week, the weekend just gone, and a bit of left field. Click below to read.

GEM

This coming Sunday it’s daylight savings.

How good is that?! 😊

SPOTLIGHT

Chop, chop!

Can our supermarket duopoly heavyweights be chopped up?

It’s on the agenda again — no, let’s say it’s been on the agenda for some time.

It’s now Labour’s turn to throw another policy change at us.

Shouldn’t this be left to the Commerce Commission and its position on this?

TOPICAL

There are more policies being fired out by the various parties.

Too many parties and too many policies — how does one know what’s what?

Just how good are these goodie-bag policies on offer?

OF INTEREST

Which countries rely most on the US for trade? Here’s the top five who export to the US:

Mexico — 82%

Canada — 72%

Japan — 19%

India — 18%

South Korea — 17%

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

Take a moment out of your day and put your phone away for a while.

The phone is now controlling our lives. It now tells us what to do, when, how, why, and for how long.

We have forgotten that this technology was here to serve us, but increasingly the reverse is true.

KIWISAVER – WHAT’S UP?

Active managers Milford and Generate were the winners in the 2025/26 KiwiSaver transfer numbers, netting $2.75 billion of funds.

Where did these funds largely come from? The four big banks were the major losers here, seeing $2.56 billion go out.

OPINION

How many more times do we have to hear the word “trajectory” whenever there is a discussion on our All Blacks? It doesn’t matter whether it’s an ex-player, a commentator, the coaches themselves, or the radio — they are all throwing the word “trajectory” into the mix.

The term was originally used by David Kirk at the time of the new coaching appointment, so can we now bury the term?

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Pooping yourself in sport at all costs. Acceptable or not?

THE MARKETS

Why are our farmers pessimistic about their outlook despite the high profits they have been receiving?

Federated Farmers’ recent survey found 30% of farmers expected conditions to worsen from here.

Also, it looks like we could have fuel prices staying high right through to Christmas, according to AA. Global crude oil prices have climbed over recent weeks.

This is not what New Zealand needs as we get close to an economic recovery, particularly given how Christmas can also add to the stimulus.

OCR 2.5% ↑ July 2026 CPI 4.1% ↑ June 2026 Unemployment 5.3% ↓ March 2026 House Price Movement 2.3% ↑ July 2024 Rent Price Movement 4.3% ↑ July 2024

Only 95 days to go until Christmas!

PERRIAMS POWER RANKINGS – 21 September 2026

1. Northland on top

Northland is at the top of the country in location and now leading the NPC Championship. With one more defence of the Ranfurly Shield, they can lock it away for the season.

It’s so great to see our smaller unions riding waves that have traditionally belonged to the major provinces.

2. The Wahs supporters

Heartbreak for the Wahs, but they still came in at No. 2 this week because their supporters are nothing but brilliant — sold out at every home game. Up the supporters!

It just wasn’t meant to be the Wahs’ year. 🙁

3. New Zealand Rugby

Rugby is our number one sport, yet the New Zealand Rugby Union is projecting a $66 million loss over the 2027–2030 period unless something changes.

What’s the answer for our national sport, which has more challenges than just the money?