PremiumOpinionOpinion byLiam DannBusiness Editor at Large·NZ Herald·20 Jun, 2026 05:00 PM6 mins to readLiam Dann, Business Editor at Large for New Zealand’s Herald, works as a writer, columnist, radio commentator and as a presenter and producer of videos and podcasts.‌Turns out the economy was better than expected going into the Iran conflict.GDP data last week showed 0.8% growth for the first quarter, and revisions to the fourth quarter of 2026 boosted annual growth to 1.5%.

Perhaps that will have bolstered us as we hit the oil shock through