Tim Ng – Manager, Issues, Economics Department

Tim Ng’s diverse and interesting career has led him to many places in the world of banking, but the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has been a unifying link through all of it.

After completing an Honours degree in biochemistry at the University of Auckland and an Honours degree in economics at Victoria University of Wellington, Tim began as a graduate in the Reserve Bank’s Research Team in the Economics Department. He was seconded to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer in 1997. He left the Bank at the end of that year to work as an economist at the National Bank, before returning to the Reserve Bank as Manager of the Forecasting Team in the Economics Department. “After a couple of years in that role I was keen to move overseas and learn more about central banking and the world at large,” he says. “The Reserve Bank opens many doors. I ended up working in New York at the Federal Reserve, studying payment systems and securities markets in the US.”

After two years in New York, Tim returned to New Zealand and as Manager of the Financial System Policy Team in the Bank’s Financial Stability Department. He now manages the Issues and International Team, back in Economics. “Reserve Bank work experience is really valued by other institutions. And, the Reserve Bank welcomes people wanting to come back and work here again after gaining experience elsewhere,” he says. “The Bank is well-connected to the international network of central banks and policy institutions. Career advancement is not tied up with bureaucracy, and there is great opportunity for intellectual and career development.”

Tim says that he enjoys working in an environment where ideas and results matter, and colleagues are smart and intellectually curious. “We work in a very self-determined environment, compared to most other employers. The Reserve Bank’s work is unique within our country. I like to know that my work contributes directly to New Zealand’s development and to the well-being of New Zealanders. It’s an organisation with credibility and a reputation for intellectual leadership. Its culture, and that of central banking and central bankers more generally, fits well with the way I like to work.”

A day in the life of Tim Ng

On an average day, I might be doing any of the following:

• Work on project outlines looking at a range of hot topics about the New Zealand or overseas economies and monetary policy, for my staff to work on.
• Give guidance, advice, and opinion on works-in-progress of my staff or of other colleagues in the Bank. Suggest how the work’s impact could be maximised.
• Do my own analytical, research or policy work.
• Present my work to colleagues to get their opinions, to get them thinking, or to persuade them. 
• Check with authors for the current issue of the Reserve Bank Bulletin, for which I am the editor.  Plan articles for the next issue, and talk about article ideas with colleagues all over the Bank.
• Participate in policy meetings about the current economic and financial situation, and monetary policy.
• Attend many other meetings or presentations, respond to emails, try to keep on top of reading, and ask lots of questions.