Senior economist advises on career pathways

Posted on May 02, 2019

Year 13 Economics student Hayley Xie (Upham House) recently interviewed Christina Leung, a Principal Economist working at the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER).

She shared with Hayley her strong interest in economics as well as her career path which has taken her from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to the ASB Bank and on to her current role. Hayley is hoping to be ‘Governor’ for the Monetary Fund School Challenge, an annual event held at the Reserve Bank in Wellington, which she asked Christina to advise her on.

Christina gained her undergraduate degree in economics and marketing at the University of Auckland before completing her honours in Economics. She then achieved her dream job at the Reserve Bank as a graduate.

She has recently returned to Auckland after five years in Wellington. Her current position with NZIER is involved with being in charge of economic predictions and surveying as well as doing a range of consulting projects. She also makes media appearances on The AM Show, TVNZ and in the New Zealand Herald.

Christina Leung
Christina Leung
Hayley Xie
Hayley Xie

Her advice to anyone wanting to pursue a career in economics is to keep an open mind, push yourself out of your comfort zone and seek opportunities which will allow you to grow career-wise.