The Treasury will publish the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) 2024 and Budget Policy Statement (BPS) 2025 on Tuesday 17 December 2024. All documents will be published on the Treasury’s website shortly after 1.00pm on the day.
The purpose of Ministerial and Treasury restricted briefings is to provide advance access to consider material under embargo before it becomes public. This is to provide sufficient time to media, and economic and financial organisations, so that the complex information presented can be analysed and reported accurately when embargo is lifted, assisting in transparency and accountability to the public.
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 Tuesday 17 December on Level 3 at The Treasury, 1 The Terrace, Wellington. Doors open at 10.30am.
The Treasury will open the restricted briefing, after which the embargoed HYEFU and BPS information will be distributed. The Minister of Finance, the Hon Nicola Willis, 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 this Friday 22 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 Tuesday 3 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.
The restricted briefing rules are:
- All attendees must individually accept the restricted briefing rules via email to [email protected].
- All attendees must also sign a hard copy of the restricted briefing rules on arrival at the Treasury.
- 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.
- 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 11.00am until the embargo is lifted at 1.00pm on Tuesday 17 December 2024. Please note this includes social media. This restriction applies irrespective of whether the information is about the HYEFU or BPS or not.
- No one will be permitted to leave the venue once the restricted briefing has started. Bathrooms are located within the venue.
- At 12:55pm, those attending the restricted briefing will be permitted to start preparations to transmit information.
- 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.
- 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]