Invitation to register interest to attend the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2022 and Budget Policy Statement 2023 restricted briefing for media and analysts

The Treasury will publish the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) 2022 and Budget Policy Statement (BPS) 2023 on Wednesday 14 December 2022. All documents will be published on the Treasury’s website shortly after 1.00pm on the day.

Journalists and analysts are invited to register their interest in attending a briefing under embargo and other conditions, outlined below.

The restricted briefing will commence at 11.00am and finish at 1.00pm on Wednesday 14 December on Level 3 at The Treasury, 1 The Terrace, Wellington. Doors open at 10.30am, please ensure you have arrived by 10.45am, as there are new information security precautions for all attendees before the restricted briefing begins.

Secretary to the Treasury Caralee McLiesh will open the restricted briefing, after which the embargoed HYEFU and BPS information will be distributed. The Minister of Finance, the Hon. Grant Robertson, is expected to arrive shortly after midday to give a presentation, before opening the floor to questions.

Please register your interest in attending the restricted briefing by emailing [email protected] by 5.00pm Friday 25 November.

If your news organisation requires camera crew and equipment at the restricted briefing, please indicate that with your registration of interest.

The Treasury will aim to contact those who have registered an interest to attend by 5.00pm Friday 2 December to confirm or discuss registration applications.

Attendance is restricted

Attendance at this event is by confirmed registration only, with numbers restricted by the space available. Priority will be given to journalists from national and international news organisations and to economic and financial analysts attached to either financial institutions or national organisations that provide relevant specialist advisory services. Although we will make efforts to accommodate everyone, the number of people attending from any one organisation may be limited and some registrations of interest to attend may be declined.

Restricted briefing rules

Registration of interest to attend indicates your agreement to comply with the restricted briefing rules set out below.

These rules apply to all analysts, journalists, camera crew, technicians and anyone attending the restricted briefing who is not a staff member of the Treasury. Compliance with the rules will be monitored and is taken seriously. Any individual or organisation that breaches these rules may be refused permission to attend future restricted briefings hosted by the Treasury.

Please note there are some new restricted briefing rules that support greater information security and reinforce its importance (these were introduced for the Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand (FSG) restricted briefing in October 2022).  

The restricted briefing rules are:

1. All attendees must individually accept the restricted briefing rules via email to [email protected].
2. All attendees must also sign a hard copy of the restricted briefing rules on arrival at the Treasury.
3. All transmittable devices must be turned onto flight mode and will be sighted by Treasury Officials on arrival.  This rule is to help attendees avoid the risk of inadvertently transmitting information.
4. No information (including but not limited to text, voice, images, or data) may be transmitted, received, or released in any manner from the restricted briefing from 10.45am until the embargo is lifted at 1.00pm on Wednesday 14 December 2022. Please note this includes social media. This restriction applies irrespective of whether the information is about the HYEFU or BPS or not.
5. At 12:55pm, those attending the restricted briefing will be permitted to start preparations to transmit information.
6. Other than visits to the bathrooms, no one will be permitted to leave the venue once the restricted briefing has started.
7. At 1.00pm, Treasury staff will announce the end of the restricted briefing, which is when information may be transmitted and when attendees may leave the venue.
8. In the unlikely event that the building must be evacuated before 1.00pm due to an emergency, the embargo will not be lifted. People will be directed to leave immediately but they will not be allowed to transmit or communicate HYEFU or BPS information.

For enquiries and to register your interest in attending the restricted briefing, please contact: [email protected]