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New Zealand Households and the 2008/09 Recession

Appendix A Additional tables

Table A.1: Equivalence scales
Household size Equivalence scales
Per-capita income"Oxford" scale
("Old OECD scale")
"OECD-modified" scaleSquare root scaleHousehold income
1 adult 11111
2 adults 21.71.51.41
2 adults, 1 child 32.21.81.71
2 adults, 2 children 42.72.12.01
2 adults, 3 children 53.22.42.21
Elasticity[37]10.730.530.500

Source: OECD: Adjusting Household Incomes: Equivalence Scales[38]

Table A.2: Weights on clustering algorithm
Demographic dimension Weight
Age of Primary Income Earner 700
Equivalised Household Disposable Income 800
Number of Children 150
Qualification 75
Household Ownership 200
Proportion of Other Govt exc WfF income 200
Proportion of Investment income 200
Proportion of Pension related income 650
Proportion of private income 150
Table A.3: Price changes over the period (growth in the average index between 2006/07 and 2009/10)
Price changes
(2006/07 to 2009/10)
Food exc Restaurants (nd) 14.59%
Restaurant (nd) 11.82%
Alcoholic beverages (nd) 8.96%
Cigarettes and tobacco (nd) 10.75%
Clothing 3.25%
Footwear 0.51%
Actual rentals for housing 6.39%
Purchase of housing -1.20%
Materials for property alterations, additions and improvements (d) 8.49%
Services for property alterations, additions and improvements 8.79%
Property maintenance 8.65%
Property rates and related services 16.43%
Household energy (nd) 14.07%
Furniture, furnishings and floor coverings (d) -2.78%
Household textiles (d) 2.55%
Household appliances (d) 3.10%
Purchase of vehicles (d) 5.60%
Petrol (nd) 10.66%
Domestic air transport -9.03%
International air transport -3.05%
Telecommunication equipment (d) -70.71%
Telecommunication services -0.58%
Audio-visual and computing equipment (d) -57.22%
Major recreational and cultural equipment (d) 8.62%
Other recreational equipment and supplies 6.79%
Recreational and cultural services 7.19%
Newspapers, books and stationery (nd) 13.04%
Accommodation services 5.71%
Package holidays 6.01%
Miscellaneous domestic holiday costs 8.46%
Interest payments on personal loans -6.33%
Interest payments on credit sales (hire purchases) -6.33%
Health 6.90%
Insurance 12.60%
Other interest payments -6.33%

(d) - Durable        (nd) - Non-durable

The "price" of mortgage payments were based on changes in the RBNZ effective mortgage rate

The large falls in Telecommunication and Audio-visual and computing equipment prices are owing to Statistics New Zealand adjusting the price changes in these items for quality improvements. Source: Statistics New Zealand (Consumers Price Index)

Notes

  • [37] Using household size as the determinant, equivalence scales can be expressed though an "equivalence elasticity", ie the power by which economic needs change with household size. The equivalence elasticity can range from 0 (when unadjusted household disposable income is taken as the income measure) to 1 (when per capita household income is used); the smaller the value for this elasticity, the higher the assumed economies of scale inconsumption.
  • [38] Available at www.oecd.org/dataoecd/61/52/35411111.pdf[accessed 23 May2012].
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