Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): In its weekly commentary released yesterday, Kiwibank economists said that "The worst-case scenarios were now off the table, as we have wound back social distancing measures much sooner than most economic forecasts and downside scenarios." Not everyone is quite as optimistic as that. The ASB economists noted the New Zealand economy was faring a little better than most expected. The ASB senior economist Jane Turner told the New Zealand Herald that New Zealand's hard and early approach meant a stronger economy over the second half of the year than ASB and other forecasters had initially expected. Our swift and decisive response to COVID-19 has put us in a good position compared to the rest of the world. However, the impact on New Zealand from COVID-19 economically will still be significant as the rest of the world struggles with lockdowns and low confidence. 