Reserve Bank governor Don Brash has announced his resignation from the bank, to take effect immediately.
Brash said, in a statement, "I have been invited to seek nomination for the National Party as a candidate in the upcoming general election, and I have decided to accept that invitation. I wish to stress that this decision is not motivated by any tension with the Minister of Finance or the Government.
"Working at the Bank has been a very great privilege. Now I am seeking to serve New Zealand in another way."
