Craig Renney | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Economist and politician |
| Political party | Labour Party |
Craig Renney is a New Zealand economist and politician.
Renney was born and raised in Northumberland, England. His father was a coal miner and his mother worked at the post office. He earned qualifications in economics, urban policy and public administration. In 2012 he moved to New Zealand and has lived in Wellington since then. [1]
He has worked as a public servant including roles at the Treasury, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Reserve Bank. [1] From 2017 to 2020 he served as Senior Economic Adviser to the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson. [1]
In 2020 he was appointed Economist and Director of Policy for the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU). [1] In 2024 Renney was barred from a "lock-up" on a Treasury restricted briefing on the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update and the Budget Policy Statement. The Treasury stated that Renney did not meet the attendance criteria despite economists from the CTU having attended the briefing in previous years. [2]
Renney became an active member of the Labour Party[ when? ]. In late 2023 he was elected a member of the Labour Party's policy council. [3] He campaigned on changing tax policy in his election bid. [4]
In 2025 he was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the Wellington Bays electorate. He stated priorities in his campaign were housing, health, jobs and addressing the cost of living. [1] After his selection media speculated if, given his economic experience, Renney might replace Barbara Edmonds as Labour's finance spokesperson. However Labour leader Chris Hipkins ruled it out. [5]