	new zealand will continue firm monetary policy the reserve bank of new zealand said there was no evidence to suggest the fall in share prices had affected financial stability and it would maintain its firm monetary policy governor spencer russell said in a statement the central bank did not accept arguments that the battle against inflation should now take a low second priority after the sharemarket s plunge russell said the bank had two statutory responsibilities to implement the government s monetary policy to bring down inflation and to ensure the financial sector s stability unless the bank is directed otherwise the firm monetary policy will continue because it is very much in the national interest that it do so he said and there is yet no evidence available to the bank to suggest that the fall in share prices has affected the stability of the financial sector the barclays share index fell a record points to on tuesday a decline of pct reuter 
