Author(s): Alan Bollard

Business

Crisis is a first-hand account of the 2007-09 global financial and economic meltdown, as experienced, observed and interpreted by Alan Bollard, Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. The book backgrounds the crisis, then takes readers from the overheated markets of 2007, through the collapse of investment banks and crises in multiple economies and on to the recovery of the world economy. Dr Bollard describes the crisis in human terms as systems, relationships and personal stamina are put to the test, capturing the drama as politicians, bankers and government officials work out how to deal with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The story is in part a New Zealand one, as Bollard works with Finance Ministers Michael Cullen and Bill English and others to deal with events as they unfold. But it is also international, as Bollard shuttles off to banker meetings in Basel and Jackson's Hole to grapple with international developments. The central figure in managing the financial crisis in New Zealand, Bollard also has a unique perspective as New Zealand's representative in international forums.