Bollard likely to keep interest rates steady

And, as economists continue to push their expectations of when he will next raise rates further into the future, there's even a chance Bollard will change his tightening bias to neutral.

All 13 economists surveyed by Mortgage Rates expect no change on Thursday when Bollard reviews his official cash rate (OCR) which currently stands at a record low of 2.5% where it has remained since March in the wake of Christchurch's devastating earthquake.

Economists are currently evenly divided as to whether the first OCR hike will come in September or December. Craig Ebert at Bank of New Zealand, whose current pick is September, says the risk is it will remain unchanged into next year.

Ebert says while it's possible Bollard will move to neutral, he doesn't expect that will happen.