A Snapshot of the 2011 Financial Statements of the New Zealand Government (Part 2)

Canterbury Earthquakes: the cost so far & what's to come?

So far... the net cost to the Government is $9.1b.

The gross costs recognised so far for the earthquake amount to $13.6b, largely the cost of claims filed with EQC. Other significant costs include the Government's support for home- owners in the red zone, welfare payments for Canterbury residents, and support of AMI.

Insurance recoveries of $4.5b offset these costs.

Facts and figures

• 8,666 earthquakes struck Canterbury from 4 September 2010 to 26 September 2011
• Over 400,000 claims from homeowners received by EQC
• 6,000 houses in the red zone
• $4m paid per day by EQC since 4 September 2010

There are still costs to come....

• Policy decisions: One example of a decision to be made is whether orange zone properties will be zoned red or green. If more properties are zoned red, this will increase the Government's costs.
• Estimations: Some costs have not been able to be estimated, for example local infrastructure including water and sewerage systems and local roads. More information is needed on damage and plans for rebuilding and repair in order to estimate costs reliably.
• New costs: There are still other costs that are yet to be incurred, for example further demolition of buildings.
  The total cost of the earthquake is still uncertain and will only be known once the rebuild is completed.

While the total costs are uncertain, the Government has contingencies in place for future funding

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Fund (CERF) was set up in Budget 2011 and included $5.5b of funding over the next six years.

$1.6b of this was used in the 2011 financial year, meaning there is $3.9b remaining for future costs.

Government spending exceeded income

Spending exceeded revenue by over $18b

The gap between total Crown expenses and revenue this year was a deficit of $18.4b, the largest ever recorded.

Excluding the Canterbury earthquake, the deficit would have been significantly less.

The net cost of the earthquakes so far has been $9.1b, therefore, the deficit would have been $9.3b without these costs.

Operating balance

Operating deficit → cash deficit → borrowing

If the Government spends more cash than it receives it borrows to meet the shortfall. The deficit this year lead to net debt (the Government's net borrowing position) increasing significantly.

Operating deficit

Facts and figures

• The Government issued $19.5b of domestic market bonds in the 2011 financial year.
• This equates to gross borrowing of $390m per week, based on 50 weekly tenders during the year.
• Estimated overseas holdings of these bonds by non-residents increased by $10.8b in 2011.

What does the Government owe?

Total liabilities as at 30 June 2011 were $164b

Trend over the years

What does the Government owe?

Borrowings at 30 June 2011 were $90b

Issuing Government bonds and Treasury bills are the main form of Crown borrowing used by the New Zealand Debt Management Office.

Other borrowings are mostly undertaken by State-owned enterprises and Crown entities, for example $10.6b of this is Kiwibank deposits.

Retirement plan liabilities remained relatively consistent with previous years

The largest of the funds is the Government Superannuation Fund. While the fund closed to new entrants in 1992, there were still 60,272 members at 30 June 2011 (78% retired).

While the fund has some assets to offset the total obligation, the unfunded amount is $10.2b.

Insurance liabilities increased $12.2b largely due to the earthquake

There are three large insurers controlled by the Government. The obligation represents the expected cost of claims by policy holders.

What does the Government own?

Total assets as at 30 June 2011 were $245b

Total Assets

Property, Plant and Equipment

Other Assets

$104b worth of financial assets

Financial Assets

Facts and figures

• 53% of marketable securities are held in US dollars.
• The Kiwibank mortgage book increased 10% from 2010.
• The Government lent $1.5b to over 200,000 students in 2011.
• "Other" is mostly made up of cash and receivables.