Or the Finance Minister or the Reserve Bank board before signing the statement? But the central bank leaders’ statement was careful. “It is therefore critical to preserve that independence, with full respect for the rule of law and democratic accountability.”Importantly, no other central bank governor has been chastened by political leaders for attaching their names to the quite anodyne statement. The central bank heads have not commented directly on that. When a central bank is not independent, monetary policy is usually set with an eye to political outcomes.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 17, 2026 17:00 UTC