The consumers price index (CPI) rose 0.3 percent in the September 2014 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is the third consecutive quarterly rise of 0.3 percent. “Higher housing-related prices were responsible for about three-quarters of the rise in the CPI this quarter. The rest of the basket was relatively subdued,” prices manager Chris Pike said. Prices for housing and household utilities rose 1.0 percent, reflecting higher local authority rates (up 3.8 percent), housing rentals (up 0.6 percent), and newly built houses (up 1.1 percent). Local authorities set their rates annually, and these are mainly ... (full story)