Timing of RBNZ remit change raises questions

Thu, 25 Feb 2021

Today Finance Minister Grant Robertson told the central bank it is now required to take house prices into account when setting monetary policy. The timing was odd.Why didn’t he say this yesterday, before the monetary policy statement and press conference or even before the finance and expenditure select committee this morning? Housing was front of mind in both those spaces, yet this didn't come up. RBNZ governor Adrian Orr was in fact asked at today's select committee meeting whether he had spoken to the finance minister abou...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

The Quiz Free

QuiznessDesk, Friday, July 18

Can you get them all correct without cheating?

The Quizmaster 9:15am

Property

Supply of new homes misaligned with what buyers want

There is a shortage of homes people love, a new survey finds.

Maria Slade 5:00am

Supply of new homes misaligned with what buyers want

Technology

CaSil Tech takes on the world's geothermal stations

The startup is raising funds to pursue commercial opportunities.

Greg Hurrell 5:00am

CaSil Tech takes on the world's geothermal stations

Sponsored

Global real estate without the passport or paperwork

A global ETF offers access to income-generating real estate like data centres, healthcare and logistics warehouses – all in New Zealand dollars.

Blackrock, Smart Invest

Sponsored

‘Make Today the Day’: Why on-the-job training is the key to NZ’s service recovery

Covid gutted New Zealand’s service workforce. Training is the fix – and the future.

ServiceIQ

More Economy

Economy

Food prices rise 4.6% in the year to June

New stats show food prices rose 4.6% in the year to June – the largest rate of increase since late 2023.That was up from a 4.4% increase in the year to May, Stats New Zealand’s latest selected price indexes show.Rising prices for fruit and vegetables in June have contributed to a...

Staff reporters 17 Jul 2025