The unemployment rate has risen to 5.4%, the highest since September 2015.
It was a slight increase from the previous figure of 5.3% in the September 2025 quarter, which was a nine-year high.
There were 165,000 unemployed people in the December 2025 quarter. In the September 2025 quarter, there were 160,000.
Today's numbers were worse than forecasts by economists and the Reserve Bank.
Unemployment rises to 5.4%, defying forecasts it had peaked - Watch on TVNZ+
The underutilisation rate was unchanged from the previous quarter, and remains at 13%.
In the December 2025 quarter, the number of underutilised people was 409,000, compared with 407,000 in the previous quarter, Stats NZ said.
Stats NZ macroenomic spokesperson Jason Attewell said today's numbers were the highest in a decade, when the unemployment rate was 5.7% in September 2015.
"Over the quarter, we saw higher levels of engagement in the labour market as both employment and unemployment increased."
Earlier today, The Warehouse Group announced it would cut 270 head office roles as part of a major restructure.
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