Last week the Reserve Bank dropped the OCR 25 basis points to 2.25%, but their tone was a bit more hawkish than usual.

Some analysts are thinking it's a signal that rates have gone as low as the RBNZ is willing to drop them - and the new Governor may be wanting to turn a new leaf in 2026.

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We got another OCR cut this week - now down to 2.25% - the lowest it's been since June of 2022.

That was the last one for the year, so a lot of us mortgage holders are trying to figure out whether things are slowing down, and if it's time to fix for a longer term this time around.

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Queues at budgeting services are getting longer, and financial advisors are finding households with increasing incomes are seeking help.

Kiwis with a household income of over $200,000 a year and likely with a mortgage are struggling to make ends meet.

It feels like it was only a few years ago that being on a six figure salary meant you were fairly well off, but it seems it's barely enough to get out of living paycheck to paycheck these days.

So what actually is a liveable wage these days? Do we truly need to be making half a million a year just to pay our bills and still have a bit left over for savings and fun?

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