Face of the Day

Council of Trade Unions economist Craig Renney has been barred from a key Treasury briefing on the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) and the Budget Policy Statement (BPS).

The restricted briefing, colloquially known as a “lock-up” allows media, economists and others to read both documents for two hours before they are made public. The Treasury Secretary and the Finance Minister give a speech on the documents as well.

Economists from the CTU and other organisations have attended the briefing in years past, but on Monday Renney was told by Treasury that his application had been declined, with Treasury saying the purpose of the briefing was to “provide journalists and analysts from media, economic, and financial organisations with sufficient time so that the complex information presented can be analysed and reported accurately when embargo is lifted, assisting in transparency and accountability to the public”.

Treasury said that Renney did not meet these criteria. Renney worked for former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and is currently a member of the Labour Party’s Policy Council, which is part of the party’s policy development process. He has been one of the most vehement critics of the current Government and its fiscal and economic policy,

NZ Herald