“There are still 84,000 consumers who are 90 or more days behind on payments, most of whom are renters.
“Renters continue to be disproportionately represented, accounting for approximately 70,000 of these cases.”
The number of people more than 90 days behind fell by 5000 in June, compared with May.
Mortgage arrears also dropped to their lowest level since December 2022, with 19,600 accounts reported as past due – an improvement of 15% year on year.
However, new household lending lost momentum after a stronger start to 2026, falling 4.5% year on year during the June quarter.
Lacey said property purchasers “have become more cautious in response to rising interest rates”.
Last month, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) hiked the Official Cash Rate (OCR) from 2.25% to 2.50%.
The Monetary Policy Committee said some further reduction in monetary stimulus would likely be required to return inflation to the 2% target mid-point.
Meanwhile, the latest Centrix data also showed improvements in personal loan, buy now pay later (BNPL) and telco and communications arrears.
Personal loan arrears improved to 8.7% of the active population in June and are now 6% lower than a year ago.
BNPL arrears declined to 7.1% and are 15% below where they were at the same time last year.
Telco and communications arrears improved to 7.2%, continuing the easing trend across mobile, broadband and subscription television accounts.
However, retail energy arrears remained at 4.4%.
“Levels may increase during the remainder of winter as higher power bills place additional pressure on household budgets,” Lacey said.
Construction remains the largest contributor to liquidations, however, but the annual trend is beginning to ease. Photo / 123rf
Liquidations still rising
Company liquidations rose 15% to 3073 in the 12 months to June 2026, according to Centrix.
Construction remains the largest contributor, with 755 firms liquidated (0.9% of the sector) during the past year.
However, the annual trend is beginning to ease, Centrix said.
Hospitality recorded 419 liquidations in the past 12 months (1.3% of the sector), up 47% year on year.
Retail trade liquidations increased 39% to 230 (0.5% of the sector).
“Rising operating costs continue to place pressure on margins, particularly among food retail and hospitality businesses,” Lacey said.