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Governor of the Reserve Bank Allan Bollard holds a spade over his shoulder and a roll of toilet paper in his hand. Text reads 'Reserve Bank governor moves to restore confidence after the quake -' and Bollard says '..past the silver beet, left at the last of the beans and it's right by the caulis!' The little Evans man says 'What a relief!' Context - Two earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks have hit Christchurch, the first on 4 September 2010 and a second more devastating one on 22 February 2011. Toilets have been a real problem after the earthquakes with thousands of chemical toilets and portaloos being shipped in - some people, however, use the old kiwi method of digging a long-drop in the back garden. The Reserve Bank has made a relatively large 50-point cut in its benchmark interest rate, the Official Cash Rate (from 3% to 2.5 per cent). Critics say that inflation is already running unacceptably high and there is a threat of much higher inflation in a year or two when the rebuilding of Christchurch begins to put pressure on limited resources. The Reserve Bank acknowledged these factors, but it has chosen instead to focus on the immediate impact of the earthquake on the economy and particularly on all-important business and consumer sentiment. (Press editorial 12 March 2011) Colour and black and white versions available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).

Covid-19: Economist on official cash rate cut

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Reserve Bank has cut its benchmark interest rate, to support the economy against the impact of the Covid-19 virus. The central bank cut its official cash rate to 0.25 percent from one percent. Governor Adrian Orr says the cut is necessary to support businesses and employment. The last time the Reserve Bank made such a big cut was in March 2011 after the Canterbury earthquake. Last week, the bank outlined a range of unconventional monetary policy tools such as negative interest rates, special loans to banks, and buying bonds to put money into the economy. Cameron Bagrie is an independent economist. He speaks to Susie Ferguson.

UC Civil and Natural Resources Engineering Photograph 163

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of liquefaction on the banks of the Kaiapoi River.

BeckerFraserPhotos July 2011 photograph 257

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of ducks on the banks of the Avon River.

BeckerFraserPhotos July 2011 photograph 437

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of gravel flood banks constructed along the Avon River.

BeckerFraserPhotos July 2011 photograph 413

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of cranes on the bank of the Avon River.

BeckerFraserPhotos June 2012 photograph 075

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Westpac Bank (left), Grant Thornton building (white right of the Westpac in the distance), ANZ Bank (white with vertical stripes below the Grant Thornton), and Holiday Inn (right) all under demolition".