Spark is partnering with Stats NZ to develop an innovative new data platform designed to improve the accuracy, efficiency and speed of producing New Zealand’s price indexes. Price indexes such as the Consumers Price Index (CPI) are vital measures of inflation and are widely used by trusted institutions to make decisions around monetary policy, budgets and interest rates.
Stats NZ has received funding in Budget 2025 to deliver a monthly CPI from the beginning of 2027.
Mark Beder, Spark Customer Director – Enterprise and Government, says, "Currently the technology used to produce the quarterly CPI and other indexes is outdated. This new data platform will be a game changer for Stats NZ and the decision-makers who depend on timely data.
“Although initially being built to support price indexes, the platform is being developed with the flexibility to accommodate additional datasets and statistical outputs in future."
Stats NZ General Manager - Macroeconomics, Jason Attewell, says this new platform will be instrumental to the project.
“Moving to a monthly CPI is about more than technology alone, but with this new data platform, we will have the enabling infrastructure needed to make the change.
“It’s vital for Stats NZ customers that price index data is accurate, accessible, and adaptable to future needs.”
The new platform will be based on Azure Databricks, which is a modern, cloud-based technology that enables extraction of more insights from more data in a more adaptable, secure and scalable way.
The platform offers the potential for harnessing the power of data for advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI applications to improve efficiency. Azure Databricks uses an open-source-driven approach which ensures it will remain adaptable and will continue to be fit-for-purpose over the long term.
“We're excited to be powering and supporting such a significant data modernisation initiative at Stats NZ along with Qrious,” said Carol Brown, Country Manager for Databricks New Zealand.
“Together, we are confident of helping Stats NZ with its purpose to deliver data that improves lives today and for generations to come.”
