New Zealand's economy grew a modest 0.2% in the June quarter, defying forecasts of contraction and buoyed by construction and export strength — yet beneath the headline, per capita income quietly fell, raising the older question of whether a nation can grow and yet leave its people behind. The result arrives at a moment of political contest over what recovery truly means: a number on a ledger, or the felt experience of households navigating rising costs and stagnant wages. As meat and dairy surged toward American markets and residential cranes kept turning, the economy offered its familiar par