RBNZ moving closer to rate hike 30 April 2010 4:46PM Sophia Rodrigues As "around the middle of 2010" draws closer, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand seems to have believed it was more appropriate to change the wording of its policy statement to suggest a rate hike can happen "over the coming months."However, if one was to look for an indication whether a rate hike will happen sooner rather than later, it probably can be found from RBNZ's view on recovery in the NZ economy. "On balance, we continue to expect the New Zealand economy to recover in line with or slightly faster than our March Statement projection."This may well mean a rate hike can happen sooner, as the RBNZ suggested removal of policy stimulus will depend on whether the "economy continues to evolve as projected."