Pedestrians walk past as a security guard stands in the main entrance to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand located in central Wellington, New Zealand, July 3, 2017.
Pedestrians walk past as a security guard stands in the main entrance to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand located in central Wellington, New Zealand, July 3, 2017. Reuters / DAVID GRAY

Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Governor Adrian Orr said on Friday that countering inflation pressures early prevent the need for even higher rates in the future.

"In other words, we are taking our foot off the accelerator now to minimise having to use the brakes harder in future," Orr said in a speech at the Waikato University Economics Forum.

Orr said market pricing of future central bank policy rates continue to indicate that New Zealand is expected to tighten policy sooner than many other comparable economies.