早期厳格ロックダウンのＮＺ、コロナ不況から脱出　７～９月ＧＤＰ１４％増

【ウェリントンＡＦＰ＝時事】ニュージーランド統計局が17日発表した7～9月期の国内総生産（GDP）成長率は、前期比14％増と過去最高の伸び率となり、新型コロナウイルス流行に起因する景気後退から一転、記録的な回復を遂げた。（写真は資料写真）
　新型コロナウイルス感染症対策のロックダウン（都市封鎖）措置が導入された４～６月期のＧＤＰ成長率は、前期比１１．０％減だった。
　グラント・ロバートソン財務相は、新型ウイルスの封じ込めに成功したニュージーランドの努力が報われたとの見解を表明。「景気回復は、われわれがパンデミック（世界的な大流行）早期に厳格な対応を取ると決断した結果だ」と述べ、「給与補助金制度で労働者１８０万人を支援し、インフラ整備や職業訓練、雇用創出にも数十億ドルを投じた」と続けた。
　ロックダウンで強制的に動きが止まっていた個人消費や建設業が、その後の成長をけん引した。市民生活がほぼコロナ以前の日常に戻る中、小売業、宿泊業、飲食業はそれぞれ４２．８％増と急回復。建設業は５２．４％の伸びを見せた。
　厳格なロックダウンで市中感染を防ぎ、徹底した検査の実施と接触者追跡によって二次感染に対応したニュージーランドの新型コロナ対策は、広く称賛されている。
　人口約５００万人のニュージーランドの累計感染者数は１７４４人で、死者数は２５人のみ。現在の感染者数４３人は全員、入国の際に感染が確認された事例だ。現在も入国は厳しく制限されており、国際便の到着客全員に２週間の隔離が義務付けられている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/12/18-11:53）

New Zealand roared back from a coronavirus-induced recession with record economic growth of 14.0 percent in the July-September quarter, official data showed Thursday.
The strong figures followed an 11.0-percent decline in the previous quarter -- when New Zealand was in a Covid-19 lockdown.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the recovery was a pay-off for New Zealand's success in containing the virus, with only 25 deaths among a population of five million.
The economic bounce back is a result of our decision to go hard and early during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
We supported more than 1.8 million workers through the Wage Subsidy Scheme and invested billions of dollars into infrastructure, training and creating jobs.
Consumer spending and construction drove growth after a period of enforced hibernation during lockdown.
Statistics New Zealand said the retail, accommodation, and restaurants sectors surged 42.8 percent as Kiwis enjoyed a near-normal domestic existence, while construction rose 52.4 percent.
This resulted in the strongest quarterly growth in GDP on record in New Zealand, SNZ senior manager Paul Pascoe said.
Despite the stellar quarterly performance, the data showed New Zealand's economy shrank 2.2 percent year on year.
Even though activity across the country largely returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, we haven't recouped all the activity or production lost as a result of the lockdown, Pascoe said.
- V-shaped recovery -
New Zealand has been widely praised for its Covid-19 response, which involved a strict lockdown to suppress community transmission, followed by extensive testing and contract tracing to deal with any subsequent outbreaks.
The country has recorded a total of 1,744 coronavirus cases, with all 43 currently active cases detected at the border.
The border remains closed, with all international arrivals required to undergo two weeks' quarantine.
Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr said that meant sectors reliant on international travel, such as tourism and education, continued to struggle.
The wildly oscillating quarterly figures were roughly in line with market expectations but Kerr said they were still hard to digest.
This is as close as you get to a true V-shaped recovery, he said.
It's clear that 95 percent of our economy is performing particularly well, but we must spare a thought for the other five percent.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced plans this week to open a travel bubble with Australia in the first quarter of 2021, which Kerr said would help the tourism industry.
The brief recession -- which covered the first and second quarters of this year -- was New Zealand's first for a decade, following non-stop growth since 2010.
Robertson said there was no room for complacency as the economy was not yet back to pre-coronavirus levels and growth could be patchy for some time because of the pandemic.
The full economic effects of Covid-19 are still to be felt in New Zealand and across the world, he said.