Official Information requests
- Published responses
- Withheld material
- Charges for providing Official Information
- Proactive information releases
The Reserve Bank will publish responses to requests from regulated entities, industry bodies, and news media organisations. Responses to idiosyncratic requests from private individuals are unlikely to be published unless there is broad public interest in the subject matter. Publication will coincide with or follow soon after release to the requester. The Reserve Bank reserves the right to decide what responses it publishes and timing of publication.
2022 Published Responses
Date of Response | Reference Number | Subject matter |
---|---|---|
28 March | OIA2122-097 | RBNZ Reports #5897, #5903, #5889 |
17 March | OIA2122-096 | OCR’s effect on house prices; inflation and offshore supply disruptions |
3 March | OIA2122-094 | Future of cash; central bank digital currency |
25 February | OIA2122-093 | Carbon neutrality |
18 February | OIA2122-085 | Insurers’ solvency margins |
14 February | OIA2122-088 | RBNZ Briefing 5851/7 |
14 February | OIA2122-083; OIA2122-086 | Minutes of board meetings; RBNZ Report #5882 |
10 February | OIA2122-092 | RBNZ Memo 5886; RBNZ Aide Memoire 5893 |
10 February | OIA21-079 | Climate change risks |
10 February | OIA21-080; OIA21-081 | Climate-related risks |
8 February | OIA21-074 | RBNZ Briefing 5851/2, RBNZ Reports #5847, 5854, 5872 |
Date of Response |
Reference Number |
Subject matter |
---|---|---|
22 December | OIA20-061 | Economic impact of LSAP Programme (PDF 168KB) |
1 December | OIA20-063 | Research on the Cost of Climate Change (PDF 608KB) |
1 September | OIA20-052 | Banks' withdrawal of cheque services (PDF 1MB) |
20 August | OIA20-050 | Expenditure for March to May 2020 (PDF 8MB) |
10 July | OIA20-036 | Banks’ readiness for negative interest rates (PDF 2.5MB) |
29 June | OIA20-037 | Banks' readiness for negative interest rates (PDF 3MB) |
27 May | OIA20-023 | Initial estimates of losses of LSAP programme (PDF 2MB) |
24 February | OIA20-004 | Request for three reports to the Minister of Finance (PDF 2MB) |
4 February | OIA19-103 | Capital Review (PDF 2MB) |
3 February | OIA19-100 | Governor's correspondence (PDF 2MB) |
28 January | OIA19-098 | Governor's correspondence (PDF 4MB) |
21 December 2018 | Financial System Roundups - October and November 2018 (PDF 1000KB) |
12 December 2018 | CBL Insurance review terms of reference (PDF 921KB) |
26 November 2018 | Leadership restructure staff consultation (PDF 2.29MB) |
20 November 2018 | Applicants for MPC Positions |
6 November 2018 | Governor's speech to Transparency International AGM |
31 October 2018 | Advice re: Report on Reserve Bank Act Review Phase 1 |
25 October 2018 | Meeting with Ministers on bank branches (PDF 1MB) |
18 October 2018 | Access to payments systems |
17 October 2018 | Suitability assessments for senior appointments to banks (PDF 61KB) |
9 October 2018 | Report on Reserve Bank Act Review Phase 1 |
5 October 2018 | Treasury official on Monetary Policy Committee |
28 September 2018 | Governor's address at INFINZ event August 2018 (PDF 781KB) |
26 September 2018 | Open Bank Resolution (OBR) (PDF 3MB) |
17 September 2018 | Use of specific external consultants |
20 August 2018 | RBNZ ownership and Coat of Arms |
17 August 2018 | Gender discrimination re lawyers |
16 August 2018 | State house funding in 1936 |
24 July 2018 | Presentation to Institute of Directors |
6 July 2018 | Financial Market Infrastructures Bill |
3 July 2018 | Reserve Bank Act review (PDF 3.2MB) |
2 July 2018 | Thompson & Clark Investigations Ltd |
21 June 2018 | Board letter to Minister re phase 1 of RBNZ Act review |
15 June 2018 | Gifts policy |
13 June 2018 | Comment on banks lending horizons |
11 June 2018 | Gift register |
7 June 2018 | Advice re May 2018 OCR decision |
1 June 2018 | Investigations into listed entities (PDF 522KB) |
11 May 2018 | ESAS service delays |
16 April 2018 | CBL Insurance confidentiality orders |
13 April 2018 | RBNZ reports and memos to Minister of Finance since November 2017 |
6 April 2018 | CBL share trading |
3 April 2018 | Board charter |
22 March 2018 | Money and gold (PDF 1MB) |
16 February 2018 | Governor recruitment |
13 February 2018 | Post-Monetary Policy Statement presentation |
8 February 2018 | OIA requests to Reserve Bank Board |
18 January 2018 | Review of policy decision process |
17 October 2017 | Governor Delegations |
5 October 2017 | Information on external meeting rooms |
15 August 2017 | Survey of Expectations data |
15 August 2017 | Report on NZSIM economic model |
24 July 2017 | Benchmarking the Bank's vision |
30 June 2017 | Policy Targets Agreement 2017 |
22 June 2017 | Results from the insurer catastrophe risk survey |
9 June 2017 | Correspondence about economic commentary |
24 May 2017 | Birth certificate investment |
15 May 2017 | Rothschild involvement with the Reserve Bank |
10 May 2017 | Discussions on Policy Targets Agreement |
13 April 2017 | Risks to borrowers |
28 March 2017 | Governor appointment process |
27 March 2017 | Lawyers' trust funds and Open Bank Resolution |
17 March 2017 | February 2017 OIA Report |
20 February 2017 | Bank responses on investor LVR consultation |
20 February 2017 | Discontinued currency |
20 February 2017 | Vehicle spending |
20 February 2017 | January 2017 OIA report |
1 February 2017 | Currency withdrawal |
14 December 2016 | Migration projections |
17 October 2016 | Advertising spending |
3 October 2016 | AMI catastrophe reinsurance |
22 September 2016 | Responses to consultation on publishing submissions (PDF 7.5MB) |
5 September 2016 | Responses to consultation on LVR changes |
19 August 2016 | Portraits of governors |
11 August 2016 | Impact of LVR restrictions |
5 August 2016 | Tower insurance licence conditions |
3 August 2016 | OCR leak investigation report |
2 August 2016 | Recruitment costs |
11 July 2016 | Open Bank Resolution regulations |
5 July 2016 | Staff engagement surveys |
1 July 2016 | Cost of cleaning contracts |
1 July 2016 | OCR-leak investigation |
8 June 2016 | Submissions consultation |
11 May 2016 | Investigation cost |
5 May 2016 | Dairy data |
19 April 2016 | NZ monetary base |
13 April 2016 | OCR advice to the Governor since 2013 |
24 March 2016 | Reserve Bank governance (PDF 15MB) |
26 February 2016 | TPPA currency declaration |
15 February 2016 | Two responses: Charging for responses to OIA requests |
28 January 2016 | Submissions on the regulatory stocktake |
22 January 2016 |
Information about banks closing money remitters’ accounts |
7 December 2015 | Correspondence about removing Queen from banknotes |
17 November 2015 |
Formal reviews of or by the Reserve Bank |
13 November 2015 | Queen on series 7 banknotes |
13 November 2015 | Cost and objectives for Brighter Money advertising campaign |
6 November 2015 | Pay TV subscriptions |
4 November 2015 |
Bitcoin |
8 October 2015 | Information about previous NZ First requests |
25 September 2015 | Consultants/contractors and recruitment commissions |
16 September 2015 | Submissions on changes to LVR rules for Auckland investors |
2 September 2015 | Rural and dairy debt |
25 August 2015 | Governance Issues |
19 August 2015 | Developments in Global Dairy Markets and Outlook for WMP Prices |
22 July 2015 | Memo about 1990/91 Fiscal policy, monetary policy & monetary conditions |
25 June 2015 | Loan-to-value ratio (LVR) restrictions, proactively released, jointly with the Treasury |
12 June 2015 | Letters of Expectations from Minister to Governor |
3 June 2015 | Background papers for March 2005 OCR decision |
13 May 2015 | Taxation of housing and/or property |
13 February 2015 | Banknote design process |
2 April 2014 | Loan-to-value ratio (LVR) restrictions |
19 April 2013 | Advice on Open Bank Resolution and Deposit Insurance |
12 May 2011 | Canterbury earthquakes, released jointly with the Treasury |
1 November 2010 | South Canterbury Finance |
Withheld material
Where information has been withheld from a response, the specific section of the Official Information Act that permits the Reserve Bank to withhold information is noted in the relevant documents.
The Reserve Bank Act, the Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act, and the Non-Bank Deposit Takers Act require us to keep some information confidential. Information will be withheld from release when these laws require confidentiality. This is typically information used by the Reserve Bank when regulating and supervising banks, insurers, finance companies, credit unions, building societies and similar organisations.
Charges for providing Official Information
The Official Information Act allows the Reserve Bank to charge for preparing information that we send in response to requests. When charging for responses to Official Information requests, the Reserve Bank works within the guidelines published by the Ministry of Justice - Official Information Act: Charging for Services. Charges are $38 per half hour of staff time after the first hour, and 20 cents per page for printed or copied material provided in response to a request, after the first 20 pages.
The Reserve Bank is resourced to meet disclosure obligations for a reasonable level of Official Information requests and generally will not impose charges for small, simple or infrequent requests. If requests are made for large amounts of information that require substantial collation and research, the Reserve Bank’s first step is to work with the requester to refine the request to a smaller scale or scope that is less likely to involve charges. Where request is still chargeable and likely to be expensive, we will give the requester further opportunity to refine the scope of the request and thereby reduce or eliminate charges.
Basis for charging
The cost of providing free responses to Official Information requests is generally borne by taxpayers. The Reserve Bank believes that requesters should bear some of the costs when requests are made for very large amounts of information, where a response to a request is particularly complex, or where individuals or organisations make very frequent requests.
Guidelines for charging
Charges will be imposed for responses when preparation of the response involves more than one hour of chargeable collation, research and preparation work. If the Reserve Bank decides that information requested can be made available, but that charges are appropriate, we will formally advise the requester of:
- our decision to release the information,
- the estimated amount of proposed charges,
- the basis for proposed charges, and
- the requester’s right to seek an Ombudsman’s review of the proposed charges.
Remission of charges
The need to pay charges may be modified or waived at the Reserve Bank’s discretion, if:
- charges might cause financial hardship for the requester; or
- releasing the information is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the Reserve Bank and its work, and release of the information is not primarily for the benefit or interest of the requester; or
- if the information already in the public domain in a form which the requester could acquire without substantial cost.
