Carl Hansen says he grew up on a small farm; he put himself through university before getting a job at the Reserve Bank when inflation was in double digits. That experience, he says, made this week’s rates decision very real. He believes the bank should have hiked interest rates.

He’s given a groundbreaking interview to Newsroom, after leading an unsuccessful drive from the three external members of the Reserve Bank monetary policy committee to raise rates, in their vote on Wednesday. With the three Reserve Bank officials and the three external members evenly split, Governor Dr Anna Breman used her casting vote to hold the official cash rate at 2.25 percent.

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Newsroom Pro managing editor Jonathan Milne writes on economics, infrastructure, business and politics, and pens the 8 Things subscriber newsletter. He was named NZ Business Journalist of the Year for…
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