The information made available to us at the time of the review, from a range of authoritative sources (including the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the Treasury), suggests that New Zealand s economic outlook remains highly uncertain due to COVID-19 and its impact on global economic conditions, the authority stated in a explanatory memorandum. Modelling and projecting salary movements for the three out years (as is now required by the Act) proved to be a significant challenge. Both domestically and internationally, it appears that economic recovery from COVID-19 and its related disruption will be slow and uneven, with the pace of the recovery during the current term of Parliament largely determined by the containment and management of the virus.