Perriams Pacesetter — 7 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 has got to go out to all you Dads out there who were swamped with gifts and spoilt yesterday!

Mum might call all the shots, but Dads are knocking on the door. 😊

TOPICAL

Wild temperature swings and more periods of stormy weather, heavy rains and unusually strong winds are expected to hit our southern regions this spring as the strongest El Niño conditions in recent history take hold in NZ.

Prepare most days for the unpredictable.

OF INTEREST

Stats NZ has recently reported that alcohol consumption per capita has fallen and now sits among the lowest of all OECD countries.

Perhaps a good thing health-wise, but not so good for our hospo industry.

Beer remains the top alcoholic beverage choice at 59.7% of all alcohol volume, while wine is still pulling in at 19.9%, with the balance being spirits.

HOT TOPIC

Is horse pie now on your must try list, given the media coverage that Hoon Hay Bakery has now received?

They’ve had a mixed reaction, but a marketing gem. 😊

If you didn’t know of Hoon Hay Bakery, you do now!

Would you be after a trotting pie or a galloping pie? 😊

TAX TALK

Every party is talking about tax, what they will impose and what they won’t. Here’s an ode to the late John Clarke, alias Fred Dagg.

“Please can we stop all this talk of taxes” John Clarke went on to say and declared that every impost, tax and levy is nothing other than a ‘co-payment’.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Forest & Bird 2026 Bird of the Year – open now for voting.

Outside of your partner, who’s got your vote this year?

Irrespective of who you vote for, there will be a few “ruffled feathers”.

What Are Our Property Values Doing?

We have been saying to our clients for the last 6–9 months that the jury is out on whether there would be any significant capital gains on residential property.

Well, it just turns out that our economies are now saying (including new data released by Cotality) New Zealand may be on track for its longest “flat” period in housing market history.

AI

A recent Datacom report found that 91% of New Zealand organisations now use some form of AI—up from 66% in 2024. However, 81% are still only exploring or beginning to implement it.

The message for businesses: start with practical tasks, protect confidential information and keep people responsible for the final result.

THE MARKETS

As anticipated, the Reserve Bank Governor increased the OCR to 2.75%

There are likely to be two more rate hikes, as indicated. So, what does that mean?

We’re unlikely to see any reduction in mortgage rates. The blueprint for this is inflation and that’s what has to be reined in.

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 109 days to go until Christmas!

PERRIAMS POWER RANKINGS – 7 September 2026

1. The Wahs

How good. A great game.

They leaked some points but had the composure to nail the droppy at the end for the win. The Panthers sneaked in at minor premiers, but you can’t complain with second spot.

That might just have a better buy-in.

2. The two top rugby sides in the world

One test and going into the third, 12-all at half-time, and what a first half it was. It had everything.

Despite all the media coverage about us being the better of the two sides in the second half and being able to cope better at altitude, the Boks got on top of us.

The series in South Africa was won by the Boks 2–1, with the 4th test in Baltimore being more about the money than the ball.

3. The Black Ferns win over their South African counterparts

This was the curtain-raiser to the Boks v ABs, where they did everything they could to set the scene for an All Black victory. ☹️