Rate history

Historic OCR, BKBM, swap and government bond rates

The Wholesale Curve page shows every rate on one day; this one shows one rate on every day. Pick any of the Official Cash Rate, the BKBM bank-bill fixings, the swap curve out to fifteen years or government bond yields, and read them against each other over decades rather than over a quarter.

As at 2026-09-02, DebtGauge holds daily New Zealand wholesale interest rates back to 1985: the Official Cash Rate, BKBM bank-bill fixings, swap rates and government bond yields, each on one chart.

See also: Swap ratesForward BKBMBond spreadsIssue marginsBKBM

Where the rates sit now

As at 2026-09-02 · updated every trading day

RateLatestHeld from
Official Cash Rate2.50%1999
90-day BKBM3.08%1985
5-year swap4.07%2007
10-year government bond4.78%1985

What is the difference between the OCR, BKBM and swap rates?

The OCR is the Reserve Bank's policy setting. BKBM is the traded bank-bill rate at one to three months, which a floating loan resets against. A swap rate is the fixed rate for a whole term. Government bond yields are the sovereign's own cost of money — a corporate does not borrow at them, but the gap between a bond yield and the swap of the same term is the swap spread.

Why does rate history matter when borrowing?

A margin is quoted over a base rate, and the base rate is where most of the movement in a borrowing cost comes from. Seeing where the base sits against its own history tells you how much of a change in your all-in rate is the market and how much is your own credit.

Market data: Swap ratesRate historyForward BKBMBond spreadsIssue marginsBKBM

Indicative market data for benchmarking — not financial advice, a credit rating, or an offer of finance. See the Terms.

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