SYDNEY (Reuters) – New Zealand’s central bank said on Thursday that Deputy Governor Geoff Bascand has left his role earlier than planned after breaching the bank’s rules by sharing information about a leadership reorganisation with a third party.
Bascand, who was due to depart the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) in early January, had agreed to bring the date forward by a week and left his role on Dec. 17, a spokesperson for the central bank said in an email.
“Bascand apologised for his actions and accepts it was a lapse in judgement. The RBNZ Board and the Minister of Finance have been informed,” the bank said.
The news about his early departure was first reported by the National Business Review.
The RBNZ last month appointed three new assistant governors in a bid to strengthen its leadership team after several senior officials, including Bascand and Chief Economist Yuong Ha, decided to leave.
Governor Adrian Orr told a parliamentary panel in December that the staff turnover resulted from operational changes and individual choices rather than issues with his leadership.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; editing by Richard Pullin)
