Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Here's hoping this Reserve Bank Governor does a better job

We’ve had the first monetary policy decision from the new Reserve Bank Governor, and it’s not until you get a new captain at the helm that you realise just how little confidence you had left in the previous one.

Now, to be fair, it’s early days for Anna Breman. We’ll judge her by what she does from here on in. But she does start with a clean slate - without us reading too much into her decisions or second-guessing every move because of a poor track record.

David Farrar: Backing Breman

As has been widely reported, NZ Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman was one of many central bank governors who signed a letter saying:

We stand in full solidarity with the Federal Reserve System and its Chair Jerome H. Powell. The independence of central banks is a cornerstone of price, financial and economic stability in the interest of the citizens that we serve. It is therefore critical to preserve that independence, with full respect for the rule of law and democratic accountability. Chair Powell has served with integrity, focused on his mandate and an unwavering commitment to the public interest. To us, he is a respected colleague who is held in the highest regard by all who have worked with him.

Mike's Minute: Should Anna Breman be in trouble?

Of all the nutty stuff Trump is up to, the most egregious is the DOJ-Jerome Powell investigation.

Powell —I have not one shadow of doubt— makes, along with his board members, decisions based on traditional economic or monetary thinking.

Trump does not.

Mike's Minute: We hope Anna Breman is a rockstar

The Reserve Bank Governor appointment is not to be underestimated.

We have never had a foreigner. Well, we have (the first was British) but that was in 1934 and that’s the sort of thing you would have expected given colonialism.

Ele Ludemann: Right focus

Dr Anna Breman, the First Deputy Governor of Sweden’s central bank, has been appointed as the new Governor of the Reserve Bank.

. . . She holds a PhD in Economics from the Stockholm School of Economics and has previously been group chief economist at Swedbank, a leading Swedish commercial bank. She has also worked at the Swedish Ministry of Finance, the World Bank and as an academic economist in the United States. . .

She is well qualified and has the right focus.

Perspective with Ryan Bridge: Can Anna Breman turn the economy around?

The Swedes do central banking a little different to us, and I reckon it's good news we've got a Swede in charge.

Riksbank - their RBNZ equivalent - is really big on this thing called transparency.

There's three things to know - this is stuff they do that we don't, currently.

David Farrar: A Swedish reserve Bank Governor

Nicola Willis announced:

Dr Anna Breman, the First Deputy Governor of Sweden’s central bank, has been appointed as the new Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today.

“Dr Breman comes to New Zealand with an impressive blend of technical skills and organisational leadership experience. She has been a Deputy Governor of Sweden’s Riksbank since 2019.