Alan Bollard

Alan Bollard
Born	Alan Esmond Bollard (1951-06-05) June 5, 1951 Auckland, New Zealand
Occupation(s)	Economist, public official
Years active	1984–present
Known for	Secretary to the Treasury (1998–2002), Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (2002–2012), Executive Director of APEC Secretariat (2013–2018)
Notable work	Crisis (2012), A Few Hares to Chase (2016), Economists at War (2020), Economists in the Cold War (2023)

Alan Esmond Bollard (born 5 June 1951) is a distinguished New Zealand economist and former high-ranking public official. His career highlights include serving as Secretary of the Treasury from 1998 until 2002, holding the position of Governor at the Reserve Bank between 2002 and 2012, and acting as executive director of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) secretariat from 2013 through 2018.

Early life and family

Born in Auckland on 5 June 1951 to Constance Mary () and Ted Bollard, Bollard attended Owairaka Primary School, followed by Wesley Intermediate School and Mount Albert Grammar School. Although he initially planned to pursue history, he ultimately completed a PhD in economics at the University of Auckland in 1977. In recognition of his contributions, the university awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) in 2007.

He has been married to venture capitalist Jenny Morel since 1977, and together they have two sons.

Career

Following the completion of his doctoral studies, Bollard gained international experience working in New Caledonia and Europe before returning to New Zealand in 1984. He joined the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research as an industrial economist, later advancing to director in 1987. In 1994, he was appointed chairperson of the Commerce Commission, a role he held until February 1998 when he assumed the position of Secretary to the Treasury. Notably, Bollard was the first individual from outside the Treasury to be appointed secretary in eight decades. He remained in this role until 2002, when he was appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Finance Minister Michael Cullen acknowledged his leadership in transforming Treasury into a more transparent and outward-facing institution.

Bollard completed two consecutive five-year terms as Reserve Bank Governor, concluding his tenure in 2012. Subsequently, he led the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) secretariat as executive director from 2013 to 2018. In August 2019, Minister for Infrastructure Shane Jones named him chair of the newly established Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. His five-year appointment concluded in 2024, with Raveen Jaduram succeeding him. In October 2024, Bollard joined the board of the Tertiary Education Commission, assuming the role of board chair in May 2025 after serving as acting chair since March.

Recognition

Bollard was elected a fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 1998. He received appointment as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2013 New Year Honours for his dedicated public service.

Bibliography

• Bollard, Alan; Gaitanos, Sarah (2012). Crisis. Auckland University Press. ISBN 978-1-86940-740-7.
• Bollard, Alan (2016). A Few Hares to Chase: The Life and Economics of Bill Phillips. Auckland University Press. ISBN 978-1-86940-829-9.
• Bollard, Alan (2020). Economists at War. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-884600-0.
• Bollard, Alan (2023). Economists in the Cold War. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-288739-9.

Publications

• Design and assessment of projects with fluctuating labour input: agricultural aid case study on Atiu (1977). Doctoral dissertation.

External links

• Appointment of New Zealand Reserve Bank Governor as head of APEC Secretariat
• Biography from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand

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