WELLINGTON, Aug 16 Reuters New Zealands central bank governor Adrian Orr on Friday raised the distinct prospect of cutting rates another 50 basis points by yearend, saying I would love to be delivering that in explicit comments setting the course for decisive policy easing.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand slashed its benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point on Wednesday for the first time since March 2020, taking some market players by surprise, and flagged more cuts over coming months as inflation was nearing its 1 to 3 target.

In a speech to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Orr said he was confident that New Zealand had returned to an environment of low and stable inflation.

There39;s two more opportunities for two more cuts between now and Christmas and all things going accordingly with the data and what we39;re talking about, then I would love to be delivering that, he said.

The central bank chief added his preference was to continue making further cuts through 2025, backing economists expectations for a series of reductions over the next year.

The RBNZ39;s own guidance saw the official cash rate at 3.85 by the end of 2025 from 5.25 now, while market pricing is betting on a 3.0 handle by then.

A Reuters snap poll released on Thursday, found the majority of economists expect the central bank to cut rates by 50 basis points by the end of the year.

New Zealand joins a global policy easing campaign, including the European Central Bank, Bank of Canada and…