The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has expanded its large-scale asset purchase (LSAP) programme to NZ$100 billion (US$65.4 billion) from NZ$60 billion and extended its duration to June 2022 from May 2021. In the same 12 August announcement, however, the reserve bank also expressed its confidence that New Zealand had contained the spread of COVID-19 despite the emergence of an outbreak on the previous day.