Our role
By maintaining a sound and efficient monetary and financial system, we give people, communities and businesses the confidence to spend, borrow and save money in their daily lives. We do this by:
- managing inflation to keep prices stable
- regulating banks, insurers and finance companies
- producing New Zealand’s banknotes and coins
- operating effective wholesale payment and settlement systems.
We have statutory independence from the government. This means we have operational autonomy to achieve our long-term objectives for the financial system.
Our vision
Great Team, Best Central Bank.
Our vision is our guiding star or puanga.
In Te Ao Māori, we describe our vision on a deeper level as Matangirua ki Matangireia: working as one, towards our ultimate purpose.
Matangirua is the call made by a captain on a sailing vessel for everyone to paddle and unfurl the sail at the same time. Being a ‘Great Team’ is about being 'fit for purpose'—cost effective, risk aware and working collectively in a sustainable way. To achieve our vision of being a 'Great Team', our people must be unified by our purpose, everyone understanding what they need to do and moving together in the right direction.
Matangirea is the place in the sky where Tane climbed to bring back the three baskets of knowledge. To become the ‘Best Central Bank’ means we must scale new heights and reach for the sky in pursuit of our purpose.
Our values
Our values guide our behaviours and provide the foundation for our people to flourish. They are:
- Wānanga/Innovation – Innovation stems from knowledge gained through our diverse perspectives.
- Tauira/Integrity – Integrity is sustained through self-reflection and modelling our shared principles.
- Taura/Inclusion – Inclusion binds our individual strengths together enabling our resilience and collective success.
Our brand
Our brand reflects our purpose Toitū te Ōhanga, Toitū te Oranga and the mahi we do on behalf of all New Zealanders.
We updated our brand in June 2021. This was the first significant change to our branding since our foundation and shows our commitment to being relevant, open and inclusive. Alongside a new logo, our updated brand emphasises smart, simple and everyday language and imagery to reflect the diversity of the people we are here for.
This update is another step in our work to modernise how we communicate across a wider range of channels.
Our logo
Our logo builds on our narrative as kaitiaki (guardian) of the financial system in Aotearoa.
The logo’s growing lines represent the various parts of the financial system working together as one. The very top lines of the logo, embody kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the financial ecosystem.
Its upward momentum exemplifies our people all pulling together with the shared purpose of enabling the economic wellbeing and prosperity of all New Zealanders, bringing Matangirua ki Matangireia to life.
The white triangle formed by the space at the bottom of the logo represents our three values—wānanga (integrity), tauira (innovation) and taura (inclusion)—creating a solid foundation on which to build our ecosystem.
