Reserve Bank of New Zealand
News Release
7 September 2004
2004 Monetary Policy Challenge winner announced
Hillcrest High School from Hamilton has won the Reserve Bank's 2004 Monetary Policy Challenge school competition.
The competition involved secondary students becoming mock central bankers and preparing written advice on what they
think the Official Cash Rate should be. The competitors then presented this information to a panel of Reserve Bank
judges.
The National Final was held today at the Reserve Bank, with Hillcrest High School emerging as winner ahead of Logan Park
High School and Tawa College who placed second and third, respectively. The other competitors were Howick College,
Manurewa College and Nelson College.
Grant Spencer, Reserve Bank Assistant Governor and member of the judging panel, commented "The Monetary Policy Challenge
brings to life for students the dilemmas that central bankers face. Rather than just expecting students to learn
established facts, this competition confronts students with the challenges, ambiguity and uncertainly of actual decision
making. All of the teams that competed today displayed an excellent knowledge of how monetary policy works."
Link to pictures of winning teams http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/challenge/index.html