Podcasts about finance minister nicola willis

I'll make a bet with you. These 9,000 job cuts in the public sector that the government's announced won't happen. It's easy to say. But making it happen is a completely different story. There'll be some, for sure. But the whole 9,000? They're dreaming. Because, from what I've seen and heard so far, they are flying blind. At the moment, there are about 65,000 people working in the public service. Cutting that by 9,000 to get it closer to 55,000 is what the government wants. Nicola Willis reckons that would save taxpayers $2.4 billion. But, as well as reducing the number of workers, the government also wants departments to make better use of AI technology. And this is why these 9,000 job cuts aren't going to happen. Because the government clearly knows no more about artificial intelligence than the rest of us. I despaired when I heard Nicola Willis saying she got one of her staff to have a play with it and produced a document within minutes. It was like me thinking I could educate a 16-year-old about social media. Pretending I'm all over it. Nicola Willis isn't the only one. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, for example, says he doesn't quite know how AI could be deployed across the public service. He says there are “enormous opportunities right across the board, and none of us know what they are yet. Some of them will be things that we've never even thought about.” And that's the basis they're using for getting rid of 9,000 jobs over the next three years. What's more, who says we have too many public servants? Probably the ones who say we should be more like Singapore. They'll tell you that Singapore has 16 government ministries and that's what we should have too. They'll say Singapore is a similar sort of size population‑wise. Singapore has 6.1 million people. New Zealand's population is 5.3 million. But guess how many public sector workers there are in Singapore? This is what these people don't tell you. We've got 65,000. Singapore has 158,000. So, not only does Singapore have way more government workers than we do on a purely numbers basis, it also has way more than us on a percentage of the population basis. The government in Singapore is using AI. But it's pouring a truckload of money into it too. The government here isn't talking about that. Because, yes, it might save $2.4 billion in wages and salaries reducing the number of public servants, but how much is it going to have to spend on technology? Because you can't just say “get AI to do it”. You need all the systems to talk to each other. At the very least, that's where it should be starting. Instead of the finance minister coming on the radio saying she's used AI to make a document. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another swathe of Government agency job cuts and public sector reform. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says they want to return the public servant headcount to 1% of the population by mid-2029, culling about 8,700 jobs. Government agency operating budgets will again be reduced – 2% now, increasing over following years. Willis says they will also thin out the ministries, pointing to savings it'll bring. She says they expect to hire more nurses, Police officers, and others in critical frontline roles. Willis says AI is “incredible” at slashing the amount of time needed for mundane tasks, revealing her staff used it to write a report on public service reform. She told Mike Hosking the Government was streamlining agencies and embedding AI and digitisation, and asking the public service to "get out of the 80s". She was experimenting with AI in her own office. “Instead of one of my analysts spending half a day coming up with a document, they said to AI, ‘Have a look at public service reform around the world, tell us who's done what, what seems to have worked well, what hasn't'. “And 10 minutes later, you've got a beautiful document with some guidance and some advice.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 20th of May, Finance Minister Nicola Willis unpacks the public service cuts and we hear from the head of Commonwealth Sport as Auckland hosts the Oceania National Olympic Committees' General Assembly. Team NZ CEO Grant Dalton joins out of Sardinia as the America's Cup officially gets underway. And Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell discuss the lack of details in Labour's Future Fund and Winston Peters' idea for BNZ on Politics Wednesday. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's new goal of cutting public service staff costs, by telling departments to replace staff with AI, is expected to save $2.4 billion over the next four years, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.PSA National Secretary Duane Leo joins us to talk about what this means.We'll also highlight several stories around the new Government policy including saying they'll use AI but not being able to articulate what AI is, or how they would use it.++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

EDITORIAL: Look, this one's not going to make me popular in Wellington today, but sometimes reality doesn't care whether we like it or not. Finance Minister Nicola Willis is right. And deep down, I think a lot of New Zealanders know she's right. We cannot keep running a country where the answer to every problem is another ministry, another department, another communications team, another layer of management, another policy advisor, another taxpayer-funded office somewhere in Wellington. At some point, we all have to wake up and say: enough. Because the numbers don't lie. Back in 2017, when Jacinda Ardern became Prime Minister, the public service had around 48,000 employees. By the end of last year, that had climbed to more than 63,600 fulltime staff. That's an increase of more than 15,000 public servants in under a decade. And here's the key question: are we New Zealanders genuinely getting better outcomes? Are the roads dramatically better? Is healthcare dramatically better? Is education dramatically better? Is productivity dramatically better? Do you and I feel government is faster, leaner, more efficient? Or does it feel bigger, slower, more bureaucratic and more expensive? Because that's what many New Zealanders think. Now I understand why Wellington gets nervous when these conversations happen. This city has lived off the back of government growth for years. Thousands of jobs, entire apartment blocks, cafes, bars, retails, hair dressers, car sales, businesses, office buildings just for the public sector. But we cannot employ people simply to prop up the Wellington economy. That's not sustainable economics. That's avoidance. And the reality is, New Zealand has been living beyond its means for too long. We borrow too much. We spend too much. We create agencies for everything. We duplicate work. We layer management on management. Meanwhile, the private sector — the people actually generating the tax revenue — are under enormous pressure and have already slimmed down to bare bone. At some point the country has to slim down too. And yes, it will be painful. And yes, there will be more pain. Nicola Willis is reportedly preparing to reduce the number of ministries and agencies from the current 42, while also driving public service numbers back closer to the historical norm of 1% of the population. Under the Labour government it was pushed to 1.2%. Frankly, that idea sounds reasonable to me. Australia has 16 departments. The United Kingdom has 24. Finland has around a dozen. We've got 42. We have forty-two. And the other reality nobody wants to say out loud? AI and digitisation are coming whether we like it or not. The private sector is already changing rapidly. Law firms, banks, consultancies — they're all using AI to improve productivity and reduce repetitive work. Government won't escape that. The Government should not escape that. This isn't about attacking public servants personally. Most are hardworking people doing their jobs. But the system itself has become too large, too expensive and too inefficient. If we genuinely want the books under control, improve productivity and rebuild the country's finances, then this is part of the medicine. And tell me, have you ever taken medicine that tastes good. It doesn't it tastes horrible. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 18 May, 2026, former Finance Minister Ruth Richardson on why we can't buy back the BNZ as Winston Peters suggests. Finance Minister Nicola Willis reveals part of her pre-Budget speech will be on setting a target of reducing the number of public servants to 1% of the workforce. We talk to chief victims adviser Ruth Money about why removing character references for sex offenders' sentencing is a good thing. And on The Huddle, Trish Sherson and Josie Pagani discuss whether taking "weed" helps you exercise. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In February last year I wrote a piece for the Herald about government department and ministerial overload. It was partly informed by observation and partly by New Zealand Initiative paper on the subject. Luxon's Government has 81 portfolios, significantly more than similar-sized countries and far more than most larger ones. Ireland, Norway, Singapore, and Finland all have fewer than 20. The UK, Canada, United States, and Korea have fewer than 30. Australia's population is five times larger than ours, but even they have almost half the number of portfolios. The number has shot up under MMP. Winston Peters got the reincarnated rail portfolio. Michael Wood got Auckland. James Meager got the South Island. Judith Collins got space. This has all got a bit out of hand. I argued then, as I argue now, there are too many reporting lines and departments designed to report into them. We have a plethora of related portfolios that get chopped up and spread out for no good reason; think universities, vocational education, and education. We have three portfolios for young people; children, child poverty reduction, and youth. Imagine if we had 15 Ministers with 15 portfolios. If you're health, you're health. If you're transport, you're transport - yes, that would include infrastructure. Nicola Willis last week hinted that change was coming; "Wait 'till you see the budget, I think you'll like what's in there". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guess what? New Zealand's in economic trouble. I know, I know, who would have thought it? Well, we did. You know it, I know it. We've known it for a very, very long time, right from the very start when Labour began throwing money around. There were the Cassandras coming on the radio saying, “Oh, you're going to have to pay it back. All very well and good now, probably the right thing to do, but at some point we're going to have to pay it back." “The outlook is negative, so it indicates that there is a chance of a downgrade.” Okay, and what does that mean? Well, it's not just national pride, it means that it will cost us more to borrow money, which will add even more to our outstanding debt. And it's all very well and good for Finance Minister Nicola Willis to start putting the brakes on now. As has become common these days, the Budget will be no surprise. You know the details of the Budget pretty much before it's announced. But I would argue her budget is a budget that should have been presented three years ago. She told Mike Hosking this morning that getting the books back in order is more important than ever. “We have to be very careful about the choices we make. And gone are the days, I think, when political campaigns will be about what new spending program you can design to dish out more lolly in a creative way. We're now in a time where the task for sensible leaders is to say, “What are the investments required to drive the things that will support growth, living standards, and affordability into the future?" And that's why, of course, we've made that decision. Actually, the Fees Free program, it doesn't cut it in this new age. It's not delivering results. That is investment that should be made elsewhere in things that really matter. And there have been choices like that throughout this budget process.” Good, but I would argue the tax cuts were a dumb choice. It was an election bribe. Spending on capital infrastructure, which is an investment in the future, that's not dumb spending. Silly tax cuts that made no meaningful difference to people's lives, I'd say that was a dumb choice. National came in saying that they had the answers, they had the lever, they knew which levers to pull to get the economy back on track. I think they made some dumb choices along the way, and this is the Budget that should have been delivered in Nicola Willis's first term as Finance Minister. They are streets ahead of a Labour-Greens coalition in terms of economic prudence. I mean, there is just absolutely, absolutely no choice if you're looking for economic prudence. Labour hasn't even got a plan, hasn't even released the plan – at least the Greens have released a plan. You might not agree with it, but they do have a plan. Labour, no, they're waiting till after the Budget and let's see what miracles they can put up. But how the hell are they going to pay for pay equity, which is going to cost billions and billions of ongoing dollars? If they promise that, then that should be enough to consign them to oblivion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 14th of May, we get a couple of interesting insights into business in this country when it comes to governance and brick and mortar retailers. Finance Minister Nicola Willis discusses her ever shrinking Budget operating allowance. And CEO of Jetstar Steph Tully unpacks the recent claim they're committed to New Zealand while also cutting routes and flights due to current jet fuel prices. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government says in a worst case scenario, fuel would be rationed according to need - from critical services at the top to the general public at the bottom. Nicola Willis spoke to John Campbell.

Opposition leader Chris Hipkins speaks to Ingrid Hipkiss; Finance Minister Nicola Willis explains the fuel rationing plan; Mariameno Kapa-Kingi discusses her exit from Te Pati Maori; Calls for more money for trades following fees free scrapping; Interview with NZ Rugby League's new boss, Andrea Nelson .

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has backed the decision to scrap the fees-free scheme for good. Last week, Winston Peters revealed to Newstalk ZB on Friday the Government's doing away with the free final year of tertiary education. Nicola Willis says it's important for the Government to invest in things that Kiwis really need and want - not a failed policy that didn't achieve any of the goals it aimed to accomplish. "New Zealand has been in deficit since 2019, we're carrying a heck of a lot of debt, we've got some real priorities for our budget in terms of the health system, the education we want to give our young kids, the defence system we want to build up, the infrastructure we want to build - all of those things have a better call on money." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The most interesting thing about the fuel ration plan has nothing to do with fuel rationing. Read the Q&A script the Minister's office provided and you quickly realise this thing will probably never see the light of day in any practical sense. Trump would probably need to drop a nuke for us to get there. And there's no prioritisation until 'Level 4'. It's all very high trust and that's probably for the best. But what the plan spells out, clear as day, are the most important industries, businesses, and government agencies in the country. The ones that actually matter. And top of the list, literally first in line for a 100% fuel allocation, are ambulances, Fire and Emergency, and Police. Tell me the last time these guys were given proper resources to do their jobs effectively? Paramedics are now, according to the union, being asked to do cleaning. They're being told not to change the sheets on gurneys after every patient to save on laundry. They're not fully funded and must go cap-in-hand to keep themselves running. The firefighters spend as much time striking for adequate trucks to fight the fires as they do, well, fighting the fires. And as for Police, yesterday we learnt a third of resignations are due to officers being poached by the Aussies. Some of this stuff is funded by levies, some by taxes, and the rest is just not funded at all. This is not a cry for more taxes to find them, but rather a suggestion that anything not on the critical list is where you'd start cutting costs. What the Government has just done, wittingly or not, is tell us exactly what keeps this country running. It's not a fuel rationing list. It's a blueprint for who is actually important in this country. Emergency services, food, freight, farming, airports, roads. We should be directing resources towards them and cutting red tape around them. That, surely, would be one way of getting the country 'back on track'. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

University student groups want the Government to reconsider the scrapping of the fees-free study scheme. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed it'll end at the Budget, with 2026 being the final year students are eligible. Victoria University of Wellington Student Association President Aidan Donaghue says it's being binned as the cost of living bites. "There's huge opportunity costs...we can't work full time while also studying. So energy, heating, groceries, fuel - those are all just compounding on students as they try and better themselves." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns about what the Government's latest pre-Budget announcement means for students. Winston Peters told Newstalk ZB on Friday that they'd get rid of the final free year of tertiary education, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed it. She says they will have more to say on it in due course. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says it's likely the Government isn't thrilled with Peters leaking these details - and it wasn't pre-authorised by Willis or anyone else. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand, according to the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, needs to reform the electricity sector, expand and strengthen capital markets, speed up digitisation of the health sector, and reform the pension. The OECD joined other international agencies in calling for the age of eligibility for super to be raised by indexing it to life expectancy with measures to take account of different ethnicities and work backgrounds. A bit like in Australia, if you're in a tough job that is tough on your body and you physically cannot work any longer, then you can get the pension a bit earlier, it just won't be as much as the full pension. If Bill English had been able to form a coalition government when he was leading National, we would have raised the age of super by now to 67. But it doesn't, for those of you who are concerned, go from 65 to 67 overnight. You'll remember when National was looking at raising the age to 67 – it would just increase six months each year and it wouldn't have started until the 1st of July 2037. So it doesn't happen overnight, there's plenty of time for people to get used to it, it's phased in slowly, it's not a huge seismic shock. What is a huge seismic shock is the cost of super to the national economy. Simplicity Managing Director Sam Stubbs says super is a huge problem that needs to be addressed urgently. He says without change, by 2060 all of our income tax will only be able to pay for health and national super, there'll be no money left for anything else – unless we suddenly get incredibly wealthy. But if things stay as they are pretty much, our GDP stays the same, the increase in the number of people needing healthcare and national Super will be such that our income tax will only pay for that. There'll be nothing for roads, nothing for schools, nothing for any of the things we like to have. “What about the Cullen Fund?” I hear you ask, and that's a good question. The fund was never a fully funded Super scheme; it was just designed to smooth out some of the population shocks so that it wouldn't completely cripple the economy as a big cohort of the population reached superannuation age. It's expected to contribute roughly 3.3-3.5% of the total super cost by 2040. It may well get up to covering 10% of the costs by 2080, but certainly not 100% Finance Minister Nicola Willis was sort of trying to calm things down. She told Mike Hosking that changes don't need to be as dramatic as the OECD suggests, but do need to happen. “In the 1960s there were around seven New Zealanders of working age for every person aged 65 or older. Today there are four and by 2065 there will only be two. So that burden on our taxpayers is increasing significantly. Already between last year and the end of the fiscal period, the cost of New Zealand superannuation will increase by about $6 billion a year. It's rising as a proportion of what we tax you for, so it's currently just over 16%, it's going to rise to over 20%. And every dollar we're spending on superannuation is a dollar not available for education, for health, for infrastructure. So gradually over time some changes will need to be made. They don't need to be as dramatic as the OECD suggests, but some adjustments will be needed.” Well, it will need to be as dramatic unless political parties bite the bullet. And in this case, there would need to be, and Chris Hipkins said himself, that he was open to having cross party discussions about what to do around the super. Because without change, without sensible, orderly change, it will need to be dramatic. Independent economist Cameron Bagrie told Heather du Plessis Allan last night he's a fan of means testing the super. “We're on an unsustainable fiscal path. You know, the Government needs to bite the bullet in regards to making some pretty big, hard, bold decisions. We've been talking about this sort of stuff for 30 years. I can remember modelling this sort of stuff in the 1990s when I was at New Zealand Treasury 30 years ago. And all that's happened is that we've kicked the can down the road. You know, a little bit of stuff has been brought in, New Zealand Super Fund, the KiwiSaver contributions, but when push comes to shove here, we need to address the entitlement side of New Zealand Superannuation and that comes through, you know, potentially lifting the age or means testing has to come into the equation.” So what would you be a fan of? And this is accepting that we cannot continue with the status quo – it's unsustainable and everybody has said that. You might not believe the media, you might not believe politicians, but independent organisations have said this, Treasury has said this, economists, as Cameron Bagrie was saying, from as far back as the 1980s, 1990s were saying there needs to be provision made, it can't go on the way it's going. The advantage for young people or younger people, I guess, is that they have KiwiSaver, which enables them to contribute a considerable amount towards a comfortable retirement. The longer you're in it, the better it is. So many decisions we should have made many, many years ago. You look back and we'd be in a far better position, far more able to weather economic shocks than we are now had we made those hard calls 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago. We need to make a hard call now, not kick the can down the road as we have been doing, government after government, voting cohort after voting cohort. So what particular poison are you willing to swallow? Bringing back what Bill English proposed, raising the age of entitlement to 67 and starting from the 1st of July 2037, raising the age at which you can get it by six months? So you'll be 65 years and six months. 65 years and six months is not that burdensome, is it? There are other ways of doing it gently without a brutal overnight decision. Is means testing the way to go? I would always want to see an allowance for somebody who's had a really tough job, to be able to withdraw it or apply for it earlier but just get a little bit less. We need to have a sensible discussion. We can't just bury our heads in the sand as successive voters have done over generations, and governments are going to have to be bold enough to make the call. Should it be a cross-party decision? Yeah, I think it should be. There should be a collective agreement from all parties that this is what needs to happen for future generations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says the Government's going to have to do something about Superannuation. An OECD report warns if current policy settings continue, we could be spending 5% more of our GDP on health, long-term care, and pensions by 2060. Minister Nicola Willis says the cost for superannuation is going up billions of dollars, while there are fewer workers for every pensioner. She told Mike Hosking the cost is also rising as a proportion of taxes. Willis says it will soon account for 20%, and every dollar spent isn't available for education, health, and infrastructure. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 8th of May, Finance Minister Nicola Willis discusses the OECD report on the future impact of our current Superannuation settings. NZR Chairman David Kirk answers questions about the new CEO, new President, and the economic state of rugby in this country. And on Wrapping the Week, Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson listen in as Mike calls a young fan with a special invite! Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you woke up this morning hoping things had somehow sorted themselves out in the Strait of Hormuz, sorry to disappoint. It's still the cluster it was yesterday. In fact, worse, actually. With hostilities ramping up overnight. Which will probably have Singapore's Prime Minister saying “told you so” to anyone who poo-pooed the comments he made after meeting with Christopher Luxon yesterday, that he doesn't see things getting any better on the fuel front for another six months. Maybe longer. Which tells me one thing: we need to do more to prepare for that here. In my mind, there is one thing The Government should be doing. Which I'll get to. So, Christopher Luxon has been in Singapore with the finance minister and the trade minister and a delegation of business leaders for the signing of a new trade deal. But, in light of what's happening in the middle east, they also confirmed the fuel for food deal that's been tacked on to the trade agreement. They came up with that after the war in Iran started impacting oil prices. Which pretty much says we'll keep sending food products to Singapore, even when things get ropey - as they are at the moment. And, in exchange for that, Singapore will keep sending us refined fuel. It was after doing the paperwork and signing on the dotted line when Lawrence Wong, the prime minister of Singapore, said he sees shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz extending into next year. He says infrastructure in the Middle East has been destroyed and shipping operators will want to know they're not going to be attacked before they send their crews through. Not to mention the insurance issues shipping companies must be dealing with in that part of the world. Quite rightly, Lawrence Wong says that won't happen overnight, and he thinks the disruptions to fuel shipments will continue for at least another six months. Potentially longer. Which means one thing: higher prices are here to stay. And, as we've found out over the last few weeks, it's not just fuel that's affected. There's fertiliser. There's plastics. Medicines. Which is why I think Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis need to spend the time on the flight home from Singapore drafting a recommendation to cabinet to ramp things up. Because they need to listen to what Singapore's PM is saying and act on it. And, in my mind, that has to be relief for major diesel users. Yes, I know diesel prices have been down again. But, if we've learned anything from the past couple of months, it's that when oil prices go up, diesel users are impacted way more than petrol users. And that's why we need to listen to what Singapore's Prime Minister is saying and prepare for another six months or more of this. And we should be getting ourselves ready to subsidise major diesel users. I'm talking here about manufacturers and distributors of essential food products. It wouldn't have to kick in straight away. The Government could say that, as soon as diesel prices go higher than petrol, subsidies will kick-in for the big food producers and trucking companies. Because the price of diesel affects all of us. The higher the price of diesel, the more we'll end up paying at the supermarket. And, if the government is serious about trying to keep some sort of lid on the cost of living, this is the way to do it. If the Prime Minister of Singapore, where we get 30 percent of our refined fuel from, thinks this is going to go on for another six months, we need to be ready for when the price of diesel goes through the roof again. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's now five weeks exactly since Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she was "actively consulting with industry, local Government and other community stakeholders" about who would be on the list. Earlier this week, Shane Jones told Checkpoint officials are finalising the list but didn't want to rush it and would confirm a timeline at another time. Nathan Surendren is Chair of the think tank, Wise Response Society, a group of people from various walks of life and experience who look at the imminent risks facing New Zealand. Surendren spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Nick is joined in the studio today by Finance Minister Nicola Willis for her monthly catch-up. This week news broke over a verbal dispute between journalists at Nicola Willis's pre-budget office drinks. Nick gets to the bottom of what happened, and why it took nearly a year to reveal to the public. Then with the public spats between the Prime Minister, Willis and Winston Peters - is the coalition collapsing, coming up to election time. And who is making the decisions - Peters or Luxon? Willis also discusses the mood in the country with fuel hikes and global uncertainty. When will we see improvement, and how is the budget looking? And how did the caucus meeting and vote of confidence go? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 30th of April, Dr Rober Breunig takes a look at Australia's surging inflation whilst Finance Minister Nicola Willis compares their experience to ours. The Cancer Society has released their election manifesto, calling for more investment in skin cancer prevention. Kiwi singer Gin Wigmore is back to living in New Zealand – she's opened a deli and is releasing some new music. It's been over a decade since she was last in the Breakfast studio, so she stopped by for a chat – and to talk her dating life! Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis appeared on the Bradbury Group talking the free market, net core crown debt and when will the government denounce the US and Israel for this illegal war in IranChris Hipkins appeared on Wellington's Newstalk ZB in one of the strangest interviews we've seen in a while. Nick Mills wanted the leader of the opposition to agree that the Luxon led government was strong and stable and then went on to chastise Hipkins because they both "know the while context" of the alleged homophobic slur used by Maiki Sherman when the opposite is true, other than those involved, currently, nobody knows the context. It was very strange.Michel Mulipola, aka "Bloody Samoan" is the target of much right-wing pearl clutching at the moment as his language about politics is colorful and his presentation is cutting. Seems that when the right use language to speak to their base it's okay as it contains no sweary words, but when the left do it to a community of vulnerable people who don't think highly of the police and the government then all of a sudden, it's the worst thing that's happened this election cycle.++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

The Government says there will be downsides to loosening restrictions on heavy vehicles. Trucking lobby group Transporting New Zealand is calling for weight restrictions to loosen immediately, not just in Phase Two of the fuel response. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the Government's looking into options they can implement quickly - and they're weighing up the benefits and drawbacks. "I wouldn't rule out progressing them in Phase One, because actually, what they'll do is reduce the cost of fuel for major diesel users." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 22nd of April, the inflation rate for Q1 has held steady at 3.1%. Finance Minister Nicola Willis discusses what that means going forward, and touches on the National Party leadership vote. Gilbert Enoka has returned as the All Blacks' mental skills coach under Dave Rennie and joined Mike to discuss his appointment. And Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen discuss the India Free Trade Agreement, Shane Jones' ‘butter chicken tsunami' comment, and the National Party leadership saga on Politics Wednesday. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 9th of April, Iran and the US have agreed to a ceasefire that looks increasingly tenuous – what will happen in the next two weeks? Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman and Finance Minister Nicola Willis discuss the OCR remaining at 2.25% and the economic impact of the ceasefire for New Zealand. Kiwi Supercars driver Matt Payne speaks ahead Taupō this weekend and the first ever South Island race next weekend. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says the country's fuel supplies are stable, but diesel levels have dipped slightly in the latest figures. Finance Minister Nicola Willis spoke to Corin Dann.

The Government's looking at ways to keep hold of even more fuel than legally required. Fuel stocks have risen as of last Wednesday, with 27.9 days of petrol, 21.7 of diesel and 25.3 of jet fuel in the country. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the Government's now exploring more options to guard against supply risks "We want to be prepared if the worst happens and they can't get enough fuel for New Zealand." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones announced the four-stage fuel plan in response to fuel supply concerns stemming from the war in Iran. Phase one of the plan focuses is on monitoring global developments, phase two would involve active co-ordination between the Government and industry, including supporting efforts to reduce demand, phase three and four, at this stage, would include prioritising fuel for emergencies, freight and food supply chains, and key industries. Willis told Heather du Plessis-Allan that phase three and four would negatively impact the New Zealand economy. "It wouldn't be great for anyone, for jobs or livelihoods, which is why we're working so hard now to try and prevent that ever being possible," she said. "But, we also recognise these are events outside our control." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 27 March, 2026, Finance Minister Nicola Willis' "keep calm" message as she sets out what it'll take to start fuel rationing. New Zealand First's plan to put millions of dollars into a Christchurch Cathedral rebuild. Lord of the Rings actor Bruce Hopkins on why the film's still a big drawcard for tourists. And on The Sports Huddle, D'Arcy Waldegrave and Jim Kayes debate the IOC's u-turn on transgender women. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 25th of March, Finance Minister Nicola Willis discusses the new fuel relief package and new All Black's assistant coach Neil Barnes explains his mentality heading into the role. Big changes are coming to Lotto that will make winning the big prize harder, but we'll see more people winning some of the minor prizes. Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell talk cash for access events and the fuel package on Politics Wednesday. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has revealed plans are in place to unveil a package to help households with the cost of fuel. She says more details will be revealed tomorrow, and she's worked with Inland Revenue and Treasury officials to develop this planned relief. Willis explained that this plan won't go against the Government's fiscal strategy ahead of the upcoming election. "We will be funding it from this year's Budget operating allowance...we are going to prioritise our Budget in order to be able to fund this in a temporary, timely and targeted way." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Major credit rating agency Fitch needs more confidence our Government will lower debt before it will change our rating. It reduced New Zealand's AA+ rating outlook from stable - to negative - over the weekend. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says it's proof of the importance of fiscal discipline. Agency primary rating analyst Sagarika Shandra says the Government has a plan to reach a surplus, but needs to stick to it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's bracing itself for fuel pipeline disruptions down the track. As of Wednesday, the country had seven weeks of petrol reserves, and more than six weeks of diesel and jet fuel. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says they'll announce details of cost relief measures for low-to-middle income households tomorrow. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper speculates ahead of the announcement. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis is working on ways to help those who are struggling most, instructing the IRD and Treasury to work on a package to help ease the burden on households. Nicola Willis spoke to Corin Dann.

The Government is looking into ‘doing something simple' to get cash into Kiwis' wallets as fuel prices increase, refined oil proving a challenge. Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking they need to balance the cost of living with the books. “We need to be conscious of debt and borrowing. “We need to look at working people in the low to middle income specifically and ask ‘what's the way we could provide targeted relief' without a blanket solution.” Willis said cutting wider costs like fuel excise tax could drive inflation up. “We are looking at doing something simple to get cash into bank accounts on time. Cash provides people flexibility.” She said her desire is for no paperwork to be involved. “I'm sorting advice from Treasury and IRD as we speak but I have a plan in front of me ready to go.” Willis said the challenge now is getting refined oil, with government in conversation with fuel suppliers. “We have shipment locked in for several weeks, but we are looking ahead to future challenges of how to actually source diesel, jet fuel and other things out of refineries. “This could create a limitation in the future.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 20th of March, Finance Minister Nicola Willis explains what the Government is looking to do as fuel prices continue to rise. New Zealander of the Year Sir Rod Drury joins us in studio after winning the 2026 award. And Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson discuss some of this week's guests on the show and the state of the world at the moment as they Wrap the Week. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 19 March, 2026, prepare for the worst on fuel - we talk to Finance Minister Nicola Willis about why the tone of the Government's suddenly got more urgent. An expert on why party drugs are cheaper and more easily available. We ask the boss of a popular way to lose weight whether it's a wonder drug. And on The Huddle, Maurice Williamson and Oscar Kightley with differing views on whether the Government should help a regional airline. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government says help with high fuel prices is coming, for some. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says officials are working hard on support options - as prices skyrocket. She's all but ruled out cutting the fuel excise, as the last Government did in 2022. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Luxon confirmed fuel supplies aren't at risk of drying up, but this could become a problem further down the track. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're starting the show talking about petrol because right now Finance Minister Nicola Willis is holding a press conference to discuss the latest petrol stocks and what the Government will do should this pain at the pump continue. Petrol price monitoring app Gaspy says the average price of 91 petrol is now above $3 and has risen 20 percent since the start of the month. We get reaction to Nicola Willis words from Bernard Hickey, author of the Substack column 'The Kaka'.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has emphasised there's a range of scenarios for inflation amidst the global oil crisis – not just the worst-case scenario of 3.7% outlined yesterday. “We don't know what's going to happen with factors that are outside of our control,” she told Mike Hosking. “We don't know how long the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed. We don't know whether Asian refineries will be able to access alternative supplies of oil in sufficient quantities, and we don't know whether importers will be able to access alternative supplies of refined products. So we're preparing for all of those scenarios.” The Government remained "hopeful" there was enough cover, refineries could keep producing enough fuel and importers could bring in the quantities New Zealand needed. Treasury would be the first to acknowledge their forecasts were “guessing games”, but "we have to plan for what could be around the corner so that if bad things happen, we're ready". Hosking pointed out other countries were taking action to relieve mounting costs, including heating oil relief in the UK overnight. But Willis said the UK and Europe's energy and electricity prices were much more affected by events in the Middle East than New Zealand, which relies largely on hydro and renewables. Our Government is closely monitoring the international response to the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump is calling on several allies to send warships and other support to secure the strait. Japan and Australia say they currently have no plans to send naval ships and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer say neither will Britain be drawn into a wider war. But Willis told Mike Hosking there will be much to play out in the days ahead. She says they do want to see the Strait of Hormuz reopened, and it will be up to all countries to decide whether and what role they plan. "We haven't been asked to participate in any particular efforts in the Strait.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 17th of March, Finance Minister Nicola Willis breaks down the fuel situation and its impact on our economy. Another big win has brought Wētā FX's Oscar count to eight – Matt Aitken joined Hosking to chat about the win. The man in charge of the century-old Stihl company, Dr Nikolas Stihl, is in the country, and joined to discuss one of the greatest business stories in the world. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Petrol prices are climbing again and Kiwi wallets are feeling it. In this episode, we sit down with Finance Minister Nicola Willis as global instability starts pushing fuel costs higher and the pressure builds on the government to respond. We dig into the so-called “rockets and feathers” effect where fuel prices shoot up fast but drift down slowly, leaving motorists wondering who's really benefiting. Duncan puts the question directly to Willis. At what point does the government step in, and what could that relief actually look like? The conversation ranges from fuel supply and the risk of global disruption through to borrowing, government spending, and the political pressure building ahead of the next election. It's a straight talk about the balancing act between helping struggling households and keeping the country's books under control. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Markets around the world are feeling the effects of the conflict in the Middle East, which has led to a spike in oil prices. Kiwis are already paying more at the fuel pump, with costs starting to flow on to other goods. Finance Minister Nicola Willis spoke to Corin Dann.

The Government is actively monitoring the impact international fuel prices are having on the price we're being asked to pay at the pump. Crude oil prices have topped US$100 a barrel for the first time in three years, and our petrol prices surged another 14 cents in the weekend. Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking that they're conscious that the price at the pump impacts not only most New Zealanders, but also freight costs and other costs across the economy. But she says they need to understand what the bigger picture looks like before they overreact, as any money they throw at the problem is money they will need to borrow. “We need to be prudent about New Zealand's fiscal position.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 10th of March, we look at the share market and what will happen to prices at the pump after oil prices spiked. Finance Minister Nicola Willis discusses the potential for the Government to scrap the fuel tax next year, plus inflation pressures from the war. And Kiwi country up-and-comer Zac Griffith performs his new single and details his self-taught rise in the country scene. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is actively monitoring the impact international fuel prices are having on the price we're being asked to pay at the pump. Crude oil prices have topped $100 US dollars a barrel for the first time in three years - and our petrol prices surged another 14 cents in the weekend. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the Government's working with key industries to keep an eye on prices, in case there's a global shock. "We can assure New Zealanders that there's enough fuel for at least 60 days, and then beyond that - of course, fuel companies will be responsible for having their own orders in." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's setting up a Ministerial Oversight Group on economic security to focus on fuel and supply chains. The Middle East conflict's forced crude oil over $100 USD a barrel, and made New Zealand's sharemarket plunge, 3.27 percent down so far. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the group will be briefed by MBIE weekly and have input from Treasury, the Reserve Bank, MFAT and others. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the Government's acknowledged the Middle East crisis will be tough on everyone, but New Zealand can stay in good shape. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The death toll in Iran has reportedly exceeded 1000, conflict continues in the Middle East. The strikes have pushed up the price of brent crude oil but more than 18 percent in the past week as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Westpac suggests that if the conflict continues for a month, prices will shoot up much further. It also warned that our inflation rate could be pushed up by one percent. Finance Minister Nicola Willis spoke to Lisa Owen.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 24th of February, Finance Minister Nicola Willis explains why the Government has bought $200 million in Genesis shares. The EU Ambassador to NZ Lawrence Meredith speaks on the 4th anniversary of the Ukraine war and what it will take for it to end. Andy Wilman, the creator of Top Gear, Grand Tour, and Clarkson's Farm, joined to discuss the decades he's spent behind the scenes and what it's like to be the right hand man of his best friend, Jeremy Clarkson. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.