Kia ora, 

  

Thank you for contacting the Reserve Bank of New Zealand - Te Pūtea
Matua.  

Please note that this is an automatic reply to acknowledge that we have
received your email. We aim to respond to you in 14-21 working days. In
the meantime please read our frequently asked questions below. 

 

Upcoming Monetary Policy Announcements  

See all the Monetary Policy Announcement and Financial Stability Report
dates for 2024 [1]here.  

 

Money & Cash  

* [2]Returning old or damaged currency 
* [3]The Future of Cash  
* [4]Security and counterfeit detection 
* [5]Using images of currency   

Banknote or coin suggestions   
If your email is offering suggestions related to banknote or coin designs
then it will be kept for review as part of any future work in this area.  

Digital currency engagement

We are continuing to explore a central bank digital currency or "digital
cash" for Aotearoa New Zealand. Consultation for alternate formats (NZSL,
braille, audio, large print and easy read) is open until 30 September
2024. You can [6]respond to our survey or make a submission here. General
consultation closed on 26 July 2024 but check out our [7]Digital Cash
webpage to watch our video, read user stories and [8]FAQs and see the
[9]timeline for digital cash development.
Who we are and what we do  
We are kaitiaki (guardians) of New Zealand’s financial ecosystem, working
to fulfil our purpose of Toitu te Ōhanga, Toitu te Oranga (enabling the
prosperity and wellbeing of all New Zealanders). We deliver on our mandate
by:

* [10]Operating monetary policy to maintain low and stable inflation  
* [11]Promoting a sound and efficient financial system 
* [12]Meeting the public’s cash needs 
* [13]Overseeing effective payments systems 

Statistics  
For any queries or clarifications on the [14]data and statistics we
publish, please email [15][email address].  

Firms we regulate  
The Reserve Bank is the prudential regulator of banks, insurers, and
non-bank deposit takers (NBDTs).  

* [16]List of registered banks in New Zealand 
* [17]List of licensed insurers  
* [18]Register of licensed NBDTs 

Deposit Takers Act

The Deposit Takers Act will protect deposits through the Depositor
Compensation Scheme, and increase the stability of our financial system.
You can find more information on our [19]website. Sign up to our regular
newsletter [20]Deposit Takers News which you can subscribe to [21]here
under the Deposit Takers category.

Complaints about banks, insurers, and NBDTs 
If you have a complaint, please deal directly with your bank or insurer in
the first instance. You can also contact the [22]Banking Ombudsman, the
[23]Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman, or the [24]Financial
Markets Authority. 

Looking for information about the strength of the financial system?  
Check out our [25]Bank Financial Strength Dashboard. You can also read our
regular assessments of the economy and the financial system: 

* [26]Monetary Policy Statement 
* [27]Financial Stability Report  

Please note that the Reserve Bank is not authorised to give legal or
financial advice. Please contact a lawyer or a financial adviser
instead.  

Kōrero – our speaking and engagement programme 
Reserve Bank staff meet and speak with a wide range of businesses,
industry forums, community groups, schools and universities. These
engagements are welcome opportunities to discuss topical issues and
policies, hear people’s experiences and answer questions.  

Please check out the [28]Kōrero webpage for more information on the
programme. To request a speaker, please email [29][email address].  

We’ll be in touch as soon as possible. 

Kind regards | Ngā mihi nui 

Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua  

2 The Terrace, Wellington 6011. PO Box 2498, Wellington 6140     
 
T + 04 471 3660         

E [30][RBNZ request email]   W [31]rbnz.govt.nz  

 

 

 

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Kia ora

 

We’ve received your official information request.

 

On 12 December 2024 you sent us a request for the following official
information:

 

Please can you provide any information you have regarding the prevalence
of 'de-banking' in New Zealand. Please can you also provide any policy you
have, as banking regulator, regarding de-banking. If no such policy
exists, please can you provide any information you have concerning
discussion and/or analysis of this matter.

By 'de-banking' I am referring to a bank, for its own reasons, withdrawing
or refusing banking services to a business or individual because the bank
disagrees with the legal activities of that business or person. Recent
well-publicised examples include Gloriavale, 'Girls Get Off' (a provider
of adult toys), and threats by a bank to withdraw banking from petrol
stations.

 

Please note that the days between 25 December and 15 January (inclusive)
contain no ‘working days’ as defined under the Official Information Act
(OIA). This means that over the holiday period, responses to OIA requests
may take longer than expected. However, we will still respond to requests
as soon as reasonably practicable.

 

What happens next?

We expect to have a response to you within 20 working days of your
original request. Some responses require more time, and we’ll be in touch
with you if we need to extend the timeframe.

 

Is there a cost?

We usually provide official information to requestors for free. However,
when a request is particularly complex or requires our staff to spend a
lot of time collating information, we may need to pass on some of that
cost. This is provided for under the OIA (see the Ombudsman’s [1]Guide to
Charging).

 

If your request falls into this category, we’ll be in touch with you to
discuss how you might be able to refine your request to avoid, or
minimise, any costs to you.

 

What happens to the information you ask for?

Responses to official information requests are published on the Reserve
Bank’s website after they have been sent to the requestor. We do this as
part of Open Government – because all public sector agencies have a
responsibility to be open and transparent about what they’re doing and the
decisions they’re making.

 

More information

You can find more information on our website:
[2]www.rbnz.govt.nz/research-and-publications/official-information-requests.

 

Ngā manaakitanga

 

 

Government Relations

Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea [4]Text Description automatically
Matua generated

2 The Terrace, Wellington 6011. PO Box    
2498, Wellington 6140

W [3]rbnz.govt.nz

 

 

 

This message (and any files transmitted with it) are confidential and may
be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient please notify
the sender immediately and delete this message from your system.

This message does not necessarily reflect the views of the Reserve Bank of
New Zealand. If the recipient has any concerns about the content of this
message they should seek alternative confirmation from the Reserve Bank of
New Zealand.

References

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