Expenditure Risks
One-off and unexpected expenditure shocks can have a large impact on the Crown's operating balance in the year that they occur. Persistent errors in forecasting the cost of various programmes (ie, policies that cost more than the Government allows for) can also have substantial ongoing effects on the fiscal position.
There is also considerable uncertainty with regard to the performance of the economy on Crown expenditures. This uncertainty largely relates to the operation of the so-called automatic stabilisers. For example, if the economy performs better (worse) than expected in a given year, official expenditures on social programmes may be lower (higher) than planned, and tax revenues higher (lower).
Meanwhile, the destructive seismic events of recent years have underlined the inherent exposure of the Crown's fiscal position to exogenous shocks on the capital side. The Government's fiscal position would be impacted if another catastrophic earthquake were to occur or if the costs associated with the recent events exceed the updated estimates. The ageing population also presents risks to the medium-term fiscal position, particularly to the extent that demographic forecasts may prove to be too low or high.
