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Explainers

Learn about monetary policy, the New Zealand financial system, the economy and other key topics.

Published:

28 February 2022

Updated:

29 May 2024

Kei tēnei wāhanga

In this section

Debt-to-income restrictions explained

Learn about debt-to-income (DTI) restrictions, which apply to new lending for residential homes in New Zealand, for both owner-occupiers and investors.

What is legal tender?

Find out what legal tender means, if businesses are required to accept cash as payment, and when New Zealand banknotes and coins stop being legal tender.

Loan-to-value restrictions explained

Restrictions on loan-to-value ratios (LVRs) are limits on banks to reduce the amount of low-deposit mortgage lending.

How cash detecting dogs learn to sniff out money

As kaitiaki or steward of cash, we've been lending cash to the New Zealand Police and Customs since 2013 to train cash-detecting dogs.

Understanding your bank's disclosure statement

All registered banks publish a 6-monthly disclosure statement. Learn why these statements are important, what information they contain and some of the main terms they use.

The financial system explained

New Zealand has a sophisticated financial system involving many layers and players. We regulate the institutions depicted directly under the magnifying glass in this financial system graphic.

Economic projections explained

Our quarterly forecasts paint a picture of where our economists think New Zealand's economy, labour market, inflation and interest rates are heading over the next few years.

Depositor Compensation Scheme (DCS)

The DCS covers you up to $100,000 if your deposit taker fails, when your money is held in DCS-protected accounts.

About the DCS