New Zealand's economic recovery has been delayed by the oil price shock and heightened global uncertainty, while inflation is expected to rise temporarily to around 4% in mid-2026, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday. The IMF, in a concluding statement after its 2026 Article IV mission, said New Zealand's recovery had been gaining traction in early 2026 after a prolonged period of weak growth, but disruption to global energy markets following the onset of the Middle East war had pushed up fuel prices and weighed on disposable incomes.