The Minister for Economic Growth, previously the Minister for Economic Development, is a minister in the

New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...

with the responsibility of promoting

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...

New Zealand's economy New Zealand has a highly developed free-market economy. New Zealand's nominal GDP was NZD $425 billion. In the 2025 IMF rankings New Zealand was the 52nd-largest national economy in the world when measured by nominal gross domestic product ...

, and is in charge of the

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment ( MBIE; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with "delivering policy, services, advice and regulation" which contribute to New Zealand's economic productivity and business ...

. The position was established in 1999. The present minister is

Nicola Willis Nicola Valentine Willis (born 7 March 1981) is a New Zealand politician who is currently Deputy leader of the New Zealand National Party, deputy leader of the National Party since 2021. She is also currently the Minister of Finance (New Zealand ...

History

At its establishment, the Minister for Economic Development was the lead minister for the Ministry of Economic Development, which was established out of the former

Ministry of Commerce A ministry of trade and industry, ministry of commerce, ministry of commerce and industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...

as part of the Labour-

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

coalition agreement. From 1 July 2012, the Minister assumed responsibility for the new

following the merger of the Ministry of Economic Development with several other government agencies. The position was briefly renamed Minister for Economic and Regional Development after being merged with the standalone Regional Economic Development in 2020. In early 2023 the portfolio was split back into two, and its name reverted back to Minister for Economic Development. Similar ministerial roles under previous governments include the Minister for Enterprise and Commerce (1998–1999), the Minister of Trade and Industry (1972–1988) and the

Minister of Industries and Commerce The Minister of Industries and Commerce in New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of Ne ...

(1894–1972).

List of ministers

;Key :A.Carter was appointed as Acting Minister of Economic Development following the

2011 Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. New Zealand Daylight Time, local time (23:51 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the Canterbury Region ...

and Brownlee's increased workload as Minister for Christchurch Earthquake Recovery (to which he had been appointed in September 2010 after the 2010 Christchurch earthquake). However, Brownlee retained his warrant as Minister of Economic Development until after the 2011 general election. :B.Stylised as Minister for Economic and Regional Development from 6 November 2020 to 1 February 2023.

References

External links

New Zealand Ministry for Business, Employment and Innovation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minister for Economic Development

Economic Development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

Economy of New Zealand