So far in 2026, the RBNZ's leadership team have visited six centres across the regions as part of the programme outside of Wellington and Auckland, including Canterbury, Waikato, Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty (Rotorua and Tauranga), and Nelson-Tasman.
Across these visits, the RBNZ leaders met with more than 50 organisations, including councils, community and advocacy groups, farmers and agribusinesses, hospitality and tourism operators, iwi, exporters, and other regional stakeholders. In total, they have connected directly with around 600 local business operators and community members.
During their visit to Nelson-Tasman, RBNZ leaders met with local iwi, the regional economic development agency, aquaculture representatives, retirement providers, and transport companies to better understand current economic and financial conditions, opportunities, and the challenges facing the region.
"Hearing directly from people living and working in communities across New Zealand is an important part of our work," Dr Breman says.
"I acknowledge that economic conditions remain challenging for many New Zealanders, and the recent increase in the unemployment rate reflects that. However, if we look a bit deeper, we can now see more people in employment and more people participating in the labour market."
"Conversations on these topics like these help us understand how nationwide economic developments are affecting different regions, industries, businesses, communities, and households, and how experiences can vary across the country."
"They also provide an opportunity for us to explain the work we do," Dr Breman says.
Alongside its work on financial stability and cash and payments, the RBNZ seeks to keep inflation low and stable. The Monetary Policy Committee's remit is to keep annual inflation between 1 and 3% over the medium term, with a focus on 2%, while avoiding unnecessary volatility in the economy.
The RBNZ undertakes a wide range of engagement and outreach activities to understand perspectives and sentiment from across New Zealand and to communicate the work it does. These include regional business visits led by different teams across the RBNZ, quarterly surveys of 500 to 700 businesses and around 1,000 households, public consultations, speaking engagements, and bilateral meetings with stakeholders.
The regional leadership engagement programme, alongside the RBNZ's ongoing engagement activities, helps inform the Bank's understanding of economic conditions across New Zealand and complements the economic and financial data it monitors.
