18 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1190 views
Finance Minister Nicola Willis appointed Hayley Gourley to the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), responsible for setting the Official Cash Rate (OCR) in New Zealand. Gourley's diverse experience in corporate, rural, and financial sectors will enhance the Committee's discussions, following the recommendation of the Reserve Bank's Board. She will succeed Professor Bob Buckle on 1 October 2025, who will retire at the end of September after making significant contributions to the MPC.
18 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1250 views
Finance Minister Nicola Willis highlighted the impact of global uncertainty on consumers and businesses based on released economic data. Stats NZ reported a 0.9% decline in real Gross Domestic Product in the second quarter following an initial increase. Willis attributed this downturn to international turmoil and tariffs affecting investment decisions. Looking ahead, there are positive signs of economic recovery, with lower interest rates, increased mortgage lending, and a forecasted strengthening of economic growth as tariff-related uncertainty diminishes.
29 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1120 views
Finance Minister Nicola Willis thanked departing Reserve Bank Chair Neil Quigley for his long service, acknowledging his contributions over 15 years as a board member and nine as Chair. Quigley resigned immediately, citing the completion of key tasks and the timing being right for a transition to a new Chair. Deputy Chair Rodger Finlay will temporarily assume the Chair's duties until a permanent appointment is made, and the vacancy on the board left by Quigley will be filled in the future.
25 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1566 views
Finance Minister Nicola Willis supports the Reserve Bank's consultation on reviewing capital settings for banks and deposit takers to address concerns about impacts on competition, lending costs, and economic growth. The Minister's Financial Policy Remit emphasized the need to balance financial stability with competition, prompting the Bank to consider changes like aligning capital requirements with risk and adjusting overall capital ratio requirements to lower lending rates. The proposed changes aim to benefit smaller players in the market, reduce barriers for new entrants, and create a more competitive environment in the New Zealand banking sector.
22 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1454 views
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has welcomed the release of the Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC) Inquiry into banking competition, focusing on business, rural banking, and lending to Māori entities. The inquiry supports the Government's efforts to enhance competition in the banking sector for better services for Kiwis. The report, based on submissions from 148 stakeholders and public hearings, will be reviewed by the Government for proposed action items by November 2025.
20 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1462 views
Finance Minister Nicola Willis highlights the benefits of falling interest rates, including support for growth, businesses, job creation, and mortgage holders. The Reserve Bank has reduced the Official Cash Rate (OCR) from 3.25 to 3 percent, with further decreases expected. Lower interest rates stimulate economic activity, reduce mortgage repayments, and are seen as a positive response to economic challenges, signaling improving conditions and effective economic management by the government.
19 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1371 views
Finance Minister Nicola Willis is pleased with Fitch Ratings affirming New Zealand's AA+ credit rating, attributing it to the government's prudent financial management. Fitch acknowledges New Zealand's strong commitment to fiscal consolidation and warns that a deviation from this path could impact creditworthiness. Willis emphasizes the importance of maintaining fiscal responsibility to avoid a credit downgrade, which would raise government debt costs and potentially affect households and businesses.
07 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1637 views
Finance Minister Nicola Willis highlights Treasury's report on the dangers of excessive government spending, emphasizing the challenges of using large spending measures in response to one-off shocks like the Covid-19 pandemic. The report criticizes the fiscal response to Covid, pointing out significant errors made and urging policymakers to avoid repeating those mistakes. It emphasizes the importance of restoring fiscal guardrails promptly after increased spending during crises, praising the current Government's commitment to responsible fiscal and economic management.
06 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1647 views
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has acknowledged the latest labour market data, revealing a lower-than-expected unemployment rate of 5.2% for the June quarter, below the Treasury's forecast of 5.4%. Despite challenges like inflation and rising interest rates, the government's efforts have led to 8,000 fewer unemployed individuals than initially projected, with a focus on economic recovery and job creation through initiatives like government-funded construction projects and investment incentives. Additionally, there has been a notable increase in average hourly earnings by 4.5% in the past year, surpassing the inflation rate of 2.7%.
30 Jul 2025
1 year ago
1944 views
Kiwibank has been authorized to enhance its competition with the dominant Australian-owned banks in New Zealand's banking sector by raising up to $500 million in capital for growth. This move is aimed at enabling Kiwibank to better compete with the big four Australian banks while preserving its New Zealand identity. The government has approved measures to ensure Kiwibank's New Zealand identity, including maintaining majority government ownership and requiring key operational aspects to remain in New Zealand.
28 Jul 2025
1 year ago
1829 views
The Government, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, is prioritizing economic growth to create jobs, raise incomes, and assist New Zealanders with the cost of living. Initiatives such as scrapping surcharges, tax relief, and the introduction of FamilyBoost aim to alleviate financial burdens for families. By focusing on key areas like talent development, competitive business settings, global trade, innovation, and infrastructure, the Government aims to boost wages by growing the economy in the long term.
21 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2005 views
New data released by Stats NZ today shows inflation at 2.7 per cent for the 12 months to the June 2025 quarter, remaining within the Reserve Bank's target range, according to Finance Minister Nicola Willis. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter of inflation being within the target range, contrasting with previous higher rates under the previous government. Local authority rates and payments were noted as the largest contributor to annual inflation, prompting the government to call for better management to keep rates under control and ensure economic growth for job creation and public services funding.
09 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2307 views
The Government’s responsible fiscal management has supported the Reserve Bank to keep the Official Cash Rate low, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand today announced it would keep the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 3. 25 per cent while continuing to foreshadow further reductions in the OCR.
07 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2094 views
Tens of thousands of households will be better off thanks to changes being made to FamilyBoost to help families with the cost of living, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “From the start of this month, families will get larger FamilyBoost rebates on the early childhood education fees they pay, with rebates increasing from 25 per cent to 40 per cent of weekly fees, and those with household incomes of up to $229,000 now eligible to apply. “This means for example that a family with early childhood fees of $100 a week could have their weekly FamilyBoost payment increased from $25 a week to $40 a week, meaning their annual payments would increase from $1,300 to $2,080 over the course of a year, making them hundreds of dollars better off.
23 Jun 2025
1 year ago
3460 views
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged to see overseas investment decisions being made twice as fast following his Ministerial directive letter (the letter) to Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). “Last year I issued a Ministerial directive letter setting out my expectations for faster consent processing timeframes under the Overseas Investment Act (the Act),” Mr Seymour says. “The letter set my expectation that LINZ, the regulator for the Act, will process 80 per cent of consent applications in half the statutory timeframes for decisions.