Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): ASB released its Regional Economic Scoreboard for the December quarter yesterday, and the member asking the question will be pleased to know that Canterbury held on to the top spot after another strong performance, followed by Manawatū-Whanganui and Northland, who retained second and third place respectively. Taranaki was the biggest mover, rising nine places to fourth, driven by non-residential construction. The report noted employment and wage growth hit new highs. Unemployment fell to a record low 3.2 percent, although it did vary across regions. ASB economists have said that "We've also seen impressive wage growth over the past 12 months, with the scope for further acceleration this year." While these results are promising, ASB said that there are challenges from rising inflation and supply constraints, both due to global factors. While economic growth is forecast to slow this year, the resilience of the economy and our strong fiscal position means we are in a good place to support New Zealanders through this as we deal with these challenges.