Ask Kerryn Fowlie what she does at the New Zealand Treasury, and she could give you the technical answer.
She’s the Assistant Secretary of Economic Strategy.
Or, she could explain it with Minecraft.
Economics, explained with Minecraft
Picture a Minecraft world. People are gathering resources, building homes and creating communities, while the game itself has rules that shape what everyone can do.
Then something changes. A storm hits. More players join and the server starts struggling. Or, in Kerryn’s example, “a random polar bear” turns up and starts wreaking havoc.
Her team at Treasury is thinking about the real-world version.
What could disrupt New Zealand’s economy? How might it affect people? And what decisions could help the country respond?
“We look at how those forces may impact the New Zealand economy and New Zealanders’ lives.”
In her world, that includes things like climate change, an ageing population, events overseas and new technology such as AI.
Her team uses that information to think about how New Zealand can stay strong over time, even when something unexpected comes along.
Or, to stick with Minecraft, how to stop the server from glitching every time the game changes.
The people side of economics
That’s the part of economics Kerryn has always found interesting.
“I see economics as the study of human behaviour and the way people respond to different incentives.”
Government plays a huge role in shaping those incentives, through things like tax, education, welfare and support for business.
That’s what drew Kerryn to Treasury.
She wanted to work somewhere she could use economics in a practical way and contribute to decisions that affect people’s lives.
“I’m genuinely proud to be working for an organisation that’s here to support the government in making good decisions.”
Treasury’s mission is to lift living standards for all New Zealanders, and Kerryn’s role looks at how the economy can support better outcomes now and into the future.
The questions her team is working on
The work can cover a lot of ground.
Right now, Kerryn and her team are looking at how New Zealand can become more resilient to what’s happening overseas without cutting itself off from the rest of the world.
They’re also looking at AI, including the benefits it could bring, the impact it may have on jobs and the energy needed to run data centres.
Then there’s the role of financial markets, including how people save and invest through things like shares.
Different questions, same underlying focus: how can the economy work better for New Zealanders?
Following her nose
Kerryn didn’t always know where her career would take her.
“To be honest, I think I’ve really just followed my nose.”
At university, she studied economics, but also French, French literature and a little German.
Her career has taken her through several government departments, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Education.
She also spent time at the OECD in Paris and worked in financial markets in London.
Each role gave her a different perspective, and her time in London helped her work out what mattered most to her.
“I learned from that experience that what I really wanted to do was something that would make a difference to people’s lives.”
Since then, she’s kept following the work she finds interesting and taking opportunities as they come.
You don’t have to be an economist
Treasury’s graduate programme brings in students from a wide range of disciplines.
Economics is one option, but so are arts, science, public policy and finance.
Kerryn even works with people who have PhDs in quantum physics and mathematics.
Graduates can work across areas including communities, education, justice, defence, government finances, the Budget and commercial organisations where the government has an ownership interest, including Air New Zealand.
Treasury also looks for well-rounded people with interests outside study, whether that’s sport, culture or community involvement.
Kerryn’s advice to students considering it is uncomplicated.
“Give it a go.”
You don’t need to have your whole career mapped out. Kerryn certainly didn’t.
Sometimes following what interests you can take you from French literature to financial markets, from Paris to Wellington, and eventually to explaining economics with Minecraft.
Explore careers at the New Zealand Treasury
Interested in working on the big issues shaping New Zealand’s future? Discover graduate opportunities and career pathways with the New Zealand Treasury.
