Will the difference between RBA and RBNZ policy rates widen, narrow or remain uncertain? Follow TRADE90's conditional research assessment and source-linked evidence.
The published RBA benchmark is 4.600% and the RBNZ benchmark is 2.75%. The signed AUD minus NZD differential is +185 basis points.
Calculation: (4.60% − 2.75%) × 100 = 185 basis points. One percentage point equals 100 basis points. A negative result means the quote currency has the higher benchmark; a positive result means the base currency does.
These are published policy benchmarks. Check each bank’s effective date and official source below before using the comparison.
Last checked:Data is checked daily, even when the figures stay unchanged. This time records the latest source check; individual coverage is listed below.Check details & source coverageEconomic data check: 4 Nov 2026, 13:17 UTC (Checked successfully)Bank source scan: 4 Nov 2026, 13:17 UTC (Checked successfully)Rate decision verification: 3/8 banks · Partial coverageSome sources or reviews need attention. See details below.Last benchmark dataset change: 29 Oct 2026See source health and analyst review dates →
Benchmark dataset last changed 29 Oct 2026. Effective dates differ by bank; a successful source check does not necessarily mean a new decision was verified. This is a dated official-policy-rate comparison. Review sources, update frequency and licensing →
ECONOMIC COMPARISON
Australia vs New Zealand
Compare inflation, jobs and growth behind AUD/NZD.
Published economic observations, not live prices. Each line keeps its original reporting frequency. Missing observations are not estimated.
Inflation
Headline CPI · year-on-year %
Australia · AUD3.92%2026 Q3 · Quarterly
New Zealand · NZD3.71%2026 Q3 · Quarterly
National headline CPI; euro area uses HICP. Baskets and national methods differ. Quarterly readings remain quarterly.
National headline CPI, all items, year-on-year percentage change (COICOP 1999)
Provider updated: Not supplied by provider Retrieved: 2026-11-04
New Zealand inflation — selected range
Period
Value
2026 Q3
3.71%
2026 Q2
4.06%
2026 Q1
3.08%
2025 Q4
3.11%
2025 Q3
3.05%
2025 Q2
2.67%
2025 Q1
2.53%
2024 Q4
2.22%
2024 Q3
2.15%
2024 Q2
3.33%
2024 Q1
4.02%
2023 Q4
4.66%
2023 Q3
5.65%
2023 Q2
6.03%
2023 Q1
6.65%
2022 Q4
7.22%
2022 Q3
7.23%
2022 Q2
7.30%
2022 Q1
6.93%
Unemployment
% of labour force · seasonally adjusted
Australia · AUD4.65%Aug 2026 · Monthly
New Zealand · NZD5.60%2026 Q2 · Quarterly
Labour-force survey measure. Euro-area unemployment uses Eurostat’s 21-country aggregate. Switzerland and New Zealand report quarterly; other economies report monthly. UK observations are rolling three-month averages dated to the middle month; age coverage can differ.
Sources: OECD, Eurostat and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, retrieved through official OECD and Eurostat APIs or the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED). Data may be revised. Refresh check: 2026-11-04. Higher or lower readings alone do not determine currency direction.
Full paired yield comparison is not available yet. AUD: verified 2026-10-28; NZD: missing. Historical or missing observations are not presented as current spreads.
Bond yields may react to expectations, liquidity and term premiums. They are not inputs to TRADE90's 90-day policy-rate divergence classification.
Policy calendar · AUD/NZD
Next Major Decisions to Watch
The next scheduled monetary-policy announcement for each of the two central banks in this pair. Dates are official schedules, not forecasts of rate increases or cuts.
AUD · RBAScheduled
Meeting: 7 Dec 2026–8 Dec 2026 · Decision on final day
Monetary Policy Board decision
What to watch
Cash-rate target decision, policy statement and economic outlook
Schedules checked 15 Oct 2026. Central banks may reschedule meetings or announce unscheduled decisions. For the newest schedule, use the linked official calendars.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH · EDITORIAL REVIEWED
Latest AUD/NZD research
Original research will appear here once the analysis, dates and primary sources are verified and approved. Explore the policy and macroeconomic evidence above in the meantime.
Compare what the two central banks have actually communicated. These are dated summaries of official policy, not market-priced rate expectations or trade recommendations.
AUD · RBA
Further tightening possible if needed
RBA raised its cash target and left room for another increase
After raising its cash-rate target to 4.60%, the RBA said inflation was still too high and that it could increase rates further if necessary. Its next decision remains data-dependent.
What could change the outlook?
Australian inflation, wages, employment and evidence of slowing demand
RBNZ projections allowed for further OCR increases
The September Monetary Policy Statement projected further OCR increases conditional on its central economic outlook, to bring inflation back toward 2%. This is the bank's conditional projection, not a market-implied quote.
What could change the outlook?
New Zealand CPI, demand and labour-market data; new OCR path in the next policy statement
Review date: 16 Oct 2026. Different central-bank statements are not directly comparable forecasts. The next policy decision may materially change the guidance.
Official central-bank publications
Central Bank Policy Updates · AUD/NZD
Only RBA and RBNZ: official decisions, minutes and policy publications relevant to AUD/NZD. No unrelated currencies.
Last curated review: 15 Oct 2026 · Dated source collection — not a live news feed
3 publications from the two banks in AUD/NZD.
AUD · RBARate decision
RBA raises Cash rate target · 4.600%
RBA raised its benchmark rate; Trade90's selected cash rate target is 4.600%. Effective 2026-09-30.
What this publication confirms: Official policy benchmark, not a market-implied future rate.
RBNZ publishes September Monetary Policy Statement
The RBNZ explained its decision to increase the Official Cash Rate to 2.75%, alongside its assessment of inflation, economic activity and risks. Its policy projections are not identical to market-implied rates.
What this publication confirms: Official inflation and activity outlook alongside the OCR decision.
Links detected from official bank publication channels. A new publication is not necessarily an interest-rate decision and is not a verified policy-rate change.
Loading recent source scan…
Automatically collected links are shown for reference, not verified AI-written summaries or streaming data. For rate and source-quality definitions, see TRADE90's data policy.
INTERPRETATION & SOURCES
What the AUD/NZD policy-rate gap means
AUD/NZD compares the AUD (Australia) and NZD (New Zealand) monetary-policy benchmarks. AUD has the higher selected official policy-rate benchmark in Trade90's 29 Oct 2026 snapshot. The signed base-minus-quote gap is +185 basis points; this is a comparison of official policy levels, not a currency-price signal.
What could change the relative policy outlook?
For AUD, monitor Australian labour-market data, quarterly inflation and RBA assessments. For NZD, monitor New Zealand CPI, labour data and RBNZ Monetary Policy Statements. A change in future market expectations may move an exchange rate even while the current official policy gap remains unchanged.
Why this gap is not a trade recommendation
Trade90 compares RBA cash rate target against Official Cash Rate. Each country defines its policy benchmark differently. The signed difference is not an FX forward, an investable interest-rate spread, or a broker's overnight swap charge.
Macroeconomic pressure does not guarantee future central-bank decisions. The experimental policy evidence model does not predict spot currency prices. Read the methodology and source and update policy.
View supporting bank evidence and official publications
SOURCE-LINKED RESEARCH · HOW THE MODEL REACHED THIS VIEW
AUD/NZD · Economic drivers and central-bank evidence
Underlying policy assessments, offsetting risks, observation periods and official publication links.
02 · Central-bank policy evidence: At least one current source-bound policy interpretation is unresolved.
03 · Relative policy-rate gap: insufficient directional evidence. No future policy-rate levels or probabilities are generated.
AUD Central-bank outlook
Policy direction uncertain
Economic pressure: Tightening pressure
Automated policy check: assessed · No supported automated direction. Latest recorded decision not directly reverified in this run. Recorded official decision ↗
Validated input coverage: 4/4 series · Predictive accuracy not yet established
Official policy guidance is expired, unreviewed or superseded; no directional policy assessment is issued
Evidence currently evaluated
Monthly headline CPIAbove the model reference zone; rising
Australian inflation, wages, employment and evidence of slowing demand
Official guidance, opposing evidence & input details
Inflation objective: 2–3% inflation target, focused on the midpoint. Official framework ↗
Central-bank statement: After raising its cash-rate target to 4.60%, the RBA said inflation was still too high and that it could increase rates further if necessary. Its next decision remains data-dependent. Original statement ↗
Published 2026-09-29 · Review 2026-10-20
Core definitions differ across countries; these are supporting indicators, not separate official targets.
OECD CPI excluding food and energy is not the RBA trimmed-mean measure. Monthly model CPI and quarterly comparison-chart CPI cover different periods.
Headline and underlying inflation trends differ; energy, food or other components may matter.
Rising unemployment offsets inflation pressure and could favour holding.
Economic indicators are source-checked, but the prior central-bank commentary is not treated as current.
NZD Central-bank outlook
Policy direction uncertain
Economic pressure: Tightening pressure
Automated policy check: assessed · Automated tightening-pressure scenario. Latest recorded decision not directly reverified in this run. Recorded official decision ↗
Validated input coverage: 4/4 series · Predictive accuracy not yet established
Official policy guidance is expired, unreviewed or superseded; no directional policy assessment is issued
Evidence currently evaluated
Headline CPIAbove the model reference zone; rising
New Zealand CPI, demand and labour-market data; new OCR path in the next policy statement
Official guidance, opposing evidence & input details
Inflation objective: 1–3% medium-term range, focused on 2%. Official framework ↗
Central-bank statement: The September Monetary Policy Statement projected further OCR increases conditional on its central economic outlook, to bring inflation back toward 2%. This is the bank's conditional projection, not a market-implied quote. Original statement ↗
Published 2026-09-02 · Review 2026-10-16
Core definitions differ across countries; these are supporting indicators, not separate official targets.
Headline and underlying inflation trends differ; energy, food or other components may matter.
Rising unemployment offsets inflation pressure and could favour holding.
Economic indicators are source-checked, but the prior central-bank commentary is not treated as current.
What is included, what is missing, and how to read the rate gap
The current rules evaluate headline and underlying inflation, unemployment, GDP and source-reviewed central-bank guidance. The inflation measures are not always the same as each bank's preferred policy measure.
TRADE90 uses official macroeconomic observations and central-bank policy evidence only. Wage growth, inflation expectations, services inflation, policy projections and credit conditions are not yet scored. The current thresholds have not been calibrated against historical forecast outcomes.
Rates are compared as base minus quote; a negative signed gap can become more negative even when the absolute gap widens. Widening or narrowing should never be interpreted as an FX buy/sell signal. If both banks have similar directional biases, timing and move sizes may make the relative gap uncertain. Read the complete model rules and limitations ↗
Answers use the published benchmark snapshot dated 29 Oct 2026. They are not trading signals.
Which currency has the higher policy benchmark in AUD/NZD?
AUD has the higher selected policy benchmark. The AUD minus NZD difference is +185 basis points.
Does the AUD/NZD interest-rate gap predict the exchange rate?
No. Policy-rate differences alone do not predict spot exchange rates. Market expectations, inflation, growth, risk sentiment and positioning can all influence price.
How is the AUD/NZD policy-rate differential calculated?
Subtract the NZD policy benchmark from the AUD benchmark and multiply the percentage-point difference by 100 to obtain basis points. A negative result means the quote currency has the higher benchmark.
Is this AUD/NZD analysis live?
No. These are published policy benchmarks, not live FX quotes. Check the effective dates and linked official central-bank sources for each benchmark.
For effective dates, methodology and source links, review the benchmark comparison and supporting evidence above.