Reserve Bank of New Zealand meeting —

At its 18 February 2026 meeting, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand held its policy rate at 2.25%.

Decision

hold — 2.25% to 2.25%

Key passages

The Committee agreed to hold the OCR at 2.25 percent.

Hold at 2.25% after previous cuts; signals a pause in easing.

If the economy evolves as expected, monetary policy is likely to remain accommodative for some time. As the recovery strengthens and inflation falls sustainably towards the target midpoint, monetary policy settings will gradually normalise.

Explicitly links normalisation to recovery and inflation reaching midpoint; keeps accommodative stance for now.

Meeting documents

Background reading

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