Podcasts about finance minister nicola willis

For a while now I've been thinking that the Reserve bank and the Government are working at cross purposes for the country. Yesterday the Reserve Bank kept the OCR at the same rate it's at. The reason: increasing inflation and little or no growth in GDP. Now the Government has an agenda of growth, growth, growth. So reduced interest rates could help stimulate the economy that has some very flat spots in between primary produce and tourism. But the Reserve Bank's purview is inflation, and low interest rates fire on consumerism and inflation. So, the rate isn't lowered. It's fair to say the Reserve Bank won't do what the Government would like it to do. Meanwhile, the Government pulls back on all government spending, including stuff that fires on an economy, like construction, public builds, roading, and more. If you want proof: Government accounts in the 11 months to the end of May for investing and operational activities was $3 billion less than forecast and $6.4 billion less than the same 11 months a year ago. So, the money isn't stirring. And as the interest rates have fallen, we're not using the cheaper cash to spend. Our farmers and our businesses and households are choosing to pay back debt instead. The Government wants private capital to invest in this country, but the cash isn't cheap, and the investments aren't coming, and as I said before why would anyone want to invest in this country when even the government is keeping it's wallet shut? So welcome to year three of recession with no change in sight unless the policies of the Reserve Bank and the Government work in tandem.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, a study was conducted by researchers at the University of Southampton which uncovered a shift in the circulation of the Southern Ocean. The study showed that the shift would draw up more salt water from the deep ocean, subsequently accelerating the loss of ice in the Antarctic and leading to an increase of sea levels and global heating. The week before, the government allowed the terrorist designation given to the far-right ‘Proud Boys' group to expire, effectively decriminalising the act of funding or openly supporting the group here in Aotearoa. And, just yesterday Finance Minister Nicola Willis confirmed a number of changes to Family Boost which she said would help families with the cost of living. For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, News and Editorial Director Joel spoke with MP Ricardo Menendez March to get the party's take on all of these issues.

Reverend Sue Parfitt from Henbury in Bristol was arrested on the same day Palestine Action was outlawed. She was attending a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, on Saturday. The group became a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 on Saturday, making membership or expressing support for them punishable by up to 14 years in prison.Chris Hipkins spoke to Ryan Bridge this morning shutting down talks of the need for a second COVID enquiry. Mr Hipkins shut down any thought of this being a good use of time and taxpayer money saying that all the questions that are now being asked in the second enquiry were answered in the first, yet this Government refuses to action any of the recommendations of the first.Childcare rebates from the Government's flagship FamilyBoost scheme will rise with eligibility expanded, Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced. Willis announced the changes this morning, which will see rebates increasing from 25% to 40% of weekly fees. Those with household incomes of up to $229,000 are now also eligible to apply. It comes after the programme saw lower-than-expected uptake.=================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

Isn't it funny how the Government likes to talk about government support needing to be based on need, but seems to forget about all that when it comes to those nice middle-class people. Of which I am one. I'm not claiming to be nice, but I am what you would call middle-class. Which makes me fully qualified to ask why a family bringing in $229,000 a year should get taxpayer support to pay for their kids' early childhood education. It also makes me highly qualified to answer that question, and to say that a family earning that amount of money doesn't need or deserve that level of taxpayer support. The Government has expanded its FamilyBoost scheme, which is all about letting parents claim back some of the money they pay early childhood centres. The Government's done it because not as many people were taking advantage of the scheme as it had expected and which Finance Minister Nicola Willis had budgeted for. Before yesterday's announcement, families earning up to $180,000 a year were eligible to claim back 25% of their early childhood fees. Now families earning as much as $229,000 will be able to claim back 40% of their early childhood fees and I find it impossible to see how that can be justified. Granted, I'm looking at this through the eyes of someone who had kids going through the early childhood system 15-to-20 years ago. I'm also looking at it through the eyes of someone in Canterbury as opposed to somewhere like Auckland. Nevertheless, I still don't see why or how the Government thinks a couple earning that amount of money —way more than 200k a year— needs financial support. I saw some parents on the news last night at the centre in Wellington where Nicola Willis turned up to make the announcement yesterday, and they were all for it. But, of course they would be. I can say that because I know how, when you've got pre-school kids, you're still getting over the hit it has on the finances. You might be down to one parent working – that's if there are two of you. You've possibly got a decent-sized mortgage. Or you're paying rent. So, of course, you're going to think you need a leg-up wherever you can get it. But what parents of very young kids don't tend to think about is that it doesn't get any cheaper. In fact, it gets more expensive the older the kids get. Which brings me my other criticism of this expansion of the FamilyBoost scheme: what about the parents of older kids? What about the parents who have got kids at high school and have to come up with money for all sorts of things, such as uniforms, sports trips, music trips, laptops. You name it. Not that I'm saying that every parent with kids at the high school stage deserve the kind of carte-blanche handout the Government's giving parents who have got kids going to pre-school. But it highlights further how expanding the FamilyBoost scheme just doesn't make sense. And I think the opposition parties can be accused of tiptoeing around the issue. Especially Labour, which is banging on about the Government's changes yesterday to the FamilyBoost programme being “desperate”. Megan Woods is Labour's acting finance spokesperson and she's saying today that the Government is scrambling to help families dealing with the cost-of-living crisis. She's saying: "If Nicola Willis truly understood the cost-of-living crisis, then she'd have acted a long time ago." But what Megan Woods should be doing is ripping into the Government for thinking that families earning just on $230,000-a-year need government support to pay for their kids to go to pre-school. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lawyer Sam Vincent joins us LIVE at 9pm to talk about the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa accusing some Government Ministers and businesses of having complicity in Israel's war crimes. The PSNA have identified Chris Luxon, Winston Peters, Judith Collins who they say have approved NZ military and intelligence support for Israeli war crimes and Rocket Lab's Peter Beck and Rakon's Sinan Altug who have launched spy satellites which Israel uses to target civilians in Gaza and supplied military-grade crystal oscillators to the US to be put in missiles which Israel can deploy in Gaza and elsewhere respectively. These individuals and businesses have been referred to the International Criminal Court by the PSNA. Childcare rebates from the Government's flagship FamilyBoost scheme will rise with eligibility expanded, Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced. At the election Nicola Willis said that 100,000 families would receive the Family Boost when in truth less that half that number received it and fewer that 50 families received the maximum amount.The right have been screaming isolationist policies for past few years. We've heard "USA first" form the likes of Trump and "UK First" from right wing commentators like Matt Goodwin and the likes of Reform UK. This passionate, foundational, never compromise desire seems to disappear though when Israel gets mentioned by the same groups or people.=================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

Act's David Seymour says a unit for verifying the costs of pre-election political policy promises - would add more bureaucracy. Act and New Zealand First torpedoed a proposal by Finance Minister Nicola Willis to publicly fund such a service. National declined Labour's offer of support. Seymour claims his Party managed to release a fully costed alternative Budget without it. He says he doesn't like the idea that people need bureaucracy to tell them what is good or accurate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has promised to take action in the coming months to tackle the cost of living crisis. Christopher Luxon has acknowledged it is still tough out there for too many kiwis and the government's focus is on unlocking economic growth. According to Stats NZ the price of food has gone up 4.4% in the last year. Electricity is up almost 9% and gas is up more than 15%. As of March last year house insurance was up almost 25 % and contents insurance up about 28%. This week figures from Centrix showed almost half a million people are behind on debt repayments. Finance Minister Nicola Willis spoke to Lisa Owen.

When there's an election campaign happening, how much do you care about the cost of the policies the political parties are pushing? Or, more to the point, how willing are you to trust the politicians when they say they've done the numbers, and they all stack up? My willingness to trust them is very low. Which is why I think we will be all the poorer for ACT and NZ First voting down the plan for a publicly-funded outfit that would have done the numbers and worked out the actual cost of election policies. Because until now, all we've been able to do is take the politicians on their word. And it's going to stay that way. Not that the concept of a separate costing agency is an overnight thing or a new thing. The idea has been around since 2016, when Green MP Metiria Turei first raised it. In fact, what she wanted —and what the Labour Party wanted too— was broader than what Finance Minister Nicola Willis eventually proposed to Cabinet. But which is now history thanks to the two minor coalition parties. Nicola Willis' version would have made the government of the day's financial information available to political parties when they were putting their policies together. But even that watered-down version was too much for ACT and NZ First, with David Seymour saying that it isn't warranted, because he doesn't think it would stop messy election-year debates about how party policies might be paid for. But it raises the question about election promises and whether us voters are still sucked in by the political promises on their own, or whether we are more discerning and whether we think it would be good to have more transparency. More scrutiny. I want more scrutiny. Because without it, all we have to go on is gut instinct. Or the believability of politicians. All politicians of all stripes and colours I'm talking about here – all we can do is take them on their word. Before I hold up National's tax cuts as an example of why we need a publicly-funded agency to go through political policies with a fine-tooth comb, let me remind of you of that daft idea Labour had before the last election of taking GST off fruit and vegetables. At first blush, it might have sounded like a good idea. But I wasn't sold. I don't think many of us were, because we had no idea how effective it would be. Not just from the perspective of whether it would actually make fruit and veggies more affordable, but also what it could mean for government coffers. Grant Robertson always poo-pooed the idea but then, somehow magically, came around to the idea just before the election. And there he was, telling us that he'd done the numbers and he'd realised that, actually, it would have all stacked up financially and we'd all have kiwifruit and broccoli coming out of our ears. But without the proof, it was all hot air. Same thing with National's tax cuts. We were told it was going to mean more money in our pockets, but not a lot was said about how out-of-pocket the Government might be because of it, and what that would mean down the track. And what happened? The tax cuts went ahead, and government revenue dropped. That foreign buyers tax was another one. The only expert analysis we had to rely on was what all the so-called “independent experts” roped-in by all the parties had to say about the policies they were roped-in to comment on. And all that did was create all the usual noise and confusion and we were back to voting on gut instinct because who knew what the hell to make of what was being said left, right and centre? How different things would be if all of these brilliant vote-catching ideas were put through the wringer by an independent, publicly-funded agency. How better informed we would all be. And how careful the politicians would be about selling us snakeoil policies that we only end up regretting falling for. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has announced three new law and order policies this week, including increased penalties for coward punches, assaulting first responders and shoplifting. But what impact will these changes have? Also, Act and New Zealand First have shot down Finance Minister Nicola Willis' plans for a policy costing unit. Is this something we should have? National's Otaki MP Tim Costley and Labour's revenue and associate finance spokeswoman Dr Deborah Russell joined Nick Mills for Politics Thursday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Finance Minister believes there's a need for a publicly funded body to find out what election promises would cost. Act and New Zealand First have shot down current Finance Minister Nicola Willis' proposal, which would have allowed resources from the public sector to cost policies of political parties up to 10 months before an election. Ruth Richardson was the Finance Minister in the 1990s and told Ryan Bridge Willis is on the right track, but the proposal falls short of what's required. She says we want a publicly resourced body, independent of the executive to ensure more informed public and parliamentary debate. Richardson says the UK's Office for Budget Responsibility is a gold standard example of what we should be creating. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced that former acting Reserve Bank Governor Grant Spencer has been appointed to the central bank's board. Spencer retired from the Reserve Bank in 2018, after he was deputy Governor and head of financial stability from 2007 to 2017. He was acting Governor over the six months to March 2018. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan unpacks what Nicola Willis is indirectly saying through this announcement. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis says New Zealand has not “escaped the aftershocks of world events” as new data shows hardship rising and more Kiwis struggling to pay the bills. Speaking to Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills about the state of the economy, Willis acknowledged it had been “a tough time”. “Things were starting to come along and then come April there were some reasonably significant announcements by the US President that sent ramifications through the world”, Willis said. Donald Trump's April “Liberation Day” announcement saw sweeping tariffs introduced for more than 125 countries, including 10% on imports coming from New Zealand. Willis said business confidence has been impacted as a result and growth forecasts have been downgraded.“Little old New Zealand, just recovering, has been really impacted by that.” She said in spite of the global uncertainty growth is still forecast to improve, but “we haven't escaped the aftershocks of global events”. Credit reporting agency Centrix released its June Credit Indicator today. It showed household arrears were levelling out while hardship and company liquidations were on the rise. Nearly 50,000 individual billpayers were in financial hardship, an increase of 300 from May, and 14% more than a year ago, Centrix said. An uptick in hardship began in November 2022, and today's figures “continues a steady upward trend”, Centrix managing director Keith McLaughlin said. “I don't deny those numbers, as you say, they're facts and I meet enough New Zealanders each week to know there are still a lot of people doing it tough”, Willis said. She said it comes at a time when New Zealand is at its “peak unemployment”. “When unemployment is higher, of course that is when you see people unable to pay their bills”, Willis said. On the increase in business liquidations, which Centrix recorded as being up 27% on last year's figures, Willis said that there would be a variety of reasons for that and disputed the Government was responsible. Asked by Mills if her government could have done more to assist struggling businesses, she said there were “certainly things we could have done which would have made it harder for them”. Willis pointed to moves like tax cuts, cutting red tape, and the investment boost policy, which she said are benefiting small businesses. Wellington's ‘disappointing chapter' Willis, a lifelong Wellingtonian, was asked about the state of the capital. She responded by criticising Wellington City Council for having had “its eye completely off the ball”. “It feels to me like a place that needs a fresh start”, she said. Willis believes the city still has “cool things” going for it like smart tenacious people, the native bush, and the city's hospitality scene, but said “man oh man have we mucked up” with regard to council decision-making. She said the council must be focused on keeping rates low. It comes after the council approved a 12% rates increase for the 2025/2026 year. “It seems to me that the council has not been focused on that mission and at the same time has been quite distracted by what I would say are interesting political debates.” She said the city has been in a “disappointing chapter”. Asked whether she is excited by any of those running in the upcoming local election, Willis said she does not endorse candidates but is looking for two things. The first was getting rates rises under control. “That means actually being prepared to stop doing some things, we've had to do that as a government”, Willis said.The second thing she was looking for in candidates was policy that is “genuinely pro-business”, citing Wellington's disproportionately high commercial rates. She also spoke on the Golden Mile project saying while she understands the vision, now is not the time.“I'm looking for councillors who are pledging to be disciplined about the way they spend ratepayer money”, Willis said. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis says New Zealand has not “escaped the aftershocks of world events” as new data shows hardship rising and more Kiwis struggling to pay the bills. Speaking to Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills about the state of the economy, Willis acknowledged it had been “a tough time”. “Things were starting to come along and then come April there were some reasonably significant announcements by the US President that sent ramifications through the world”, Willis said. Donald Trump's April “Liberation Day” announcement saw sweeping tariffs introduced for more than 125 countries, including 10% on imports coming from New Zealand. Willis said business confidence has been impacted as a result and growth forecasts have been downgraded.“Little old New Zealand, just recovering, has been really impacted by that.” She said in spite of the global uncertainty growth is still forecast to improve, but “we haven't escaped the aftershocks of global events”. Credit reporting agency Centrix released its June Credit Indicator today. It showed household arrears were levelling out while hardship and company liquidations were on the rise. Nearly 50,000 individual billpayers were in financial hardship, an increase of 300 from May, and 14% more than a year ago, Centrix said. An uptick in hardship began in November 2022, and today's figures “continues a steady upward trend”, Centrix managing director Keith McLaughlin said. “I don't deny those numbers, as you say, they're facts and I meet enough New Zealanders each week to know there are still a lot of people doing it tough”, Willis said. She said it comes at a time when New Zealand is at its “peak unemployment”. “When unemployment is higher, of course that is when you see people unable to pay their bills”, Willis said. On the increase in business liquidations, which Centrix recorded as being up 27% on last year's figures, Willis said that there would be a variety of reasons for that and disputed the Government was responsible. Asked by Mills if her government could have done more to assist struggling businesses, she said there were “certainly things we could have done which would have made it harder for them”. Willis pointed to moves like tax cuts, cutting red tape, and the investment boost policy, which she said are benefiting small businesses. Wellington's ‘disappointing chapter' Willis, a lifelong Wellingtonian, was asked about the state of the capital. She responded by criticising Wellington City Council for having had “its eye completely off the ball”. “It feels to me like a place that needs a fresh start”, she said. Willis believes the city still has “cool things” going for it like smart tenacious people, the native bush, and the city's hospitality scene, but said “man oh man have we mucked up” with regard to council decision-making. She said the council must be focused on keeping rates low. It comes after the council approved a 12% rates increase for the 2025/2026 year. “It seems to me that the council has not been focused on that mission and at the same time has been quite distracted by what I would say are interesting political debates.” She said the city has been in a “disappointing chapter”. Asked whether she is excited by any of those running in the upcoming local election, Willis said she does not endorse candidates but is looking for two things. The first was getting rates rises under control. “That means actually being prepared to stop doing some things, we've had to do that as a government”, Willis said.The second thing she was looking for in candidates was policy that is “genuinely pro-business”, citing Wellington's disproportionately high commercial rates. She also spoke on the Golden Mile project saying while she understands the vision, now is not the time.“I'm looking for councillors who are pledging to be disciplined about the way they spend ratepayer money”, Willis said. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 30 June 2025, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith explains why he's making coward punches a new offence with tougher penalties. Rental homes have to follow healthy homes rules by tomorrow - but many many don't comply. Heather asks Andrew Eagles from the Green Building Council whether the rules are simply too tough. Finance Minister Nicola Willis reveals what changes she's making to FamilyBoost to make sure more people are eligible. An etiquette expert weighs in on our worst ever phone manners. Plus, the Huddle chew over the crazy consent requirement hurdles Ikea had to jump over. 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.

I don't know who these people or these organisations would be and what on Earth their motivation might be, but it would appear that Treasury has identified several private operators who have expressed an interest in establishing a commercial competitor to Bluebridge with government help. Which basically means the opportunity to privatise the KiwiRail Cook Strait ferries. I don't know why you would do that, where in the world does any kind of public transport make money? I guess where there are profits to be made, Bluebridge has found them. But in a country this small, could two people, two organisations, two interested groups, make money out of the Cook Strait ferry crossing? Earlier this year, Winston Peters took a paper to cabinet, along with Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Transport Minister Chris Bishop, which confirmed a direction to Ferry Holdings —that's the publicly owned companies set up to procure two new Inter Island ferries— to consider options for ferry ownership and operation that will improve efficiency and recycle government capital. What does this mean? Translated into real world speak, that means the Government's looking at letting private operators into owning and running the ferries that the government currently owns and runs, in the hope that efficiency will be improved, and recycling government capital means using private investors money, not taxpayers' money. All very well and good to open it up for expressions of interest, but what I found really staggering is that there are people who are interested in doing just that. As you may have heard on the Mike Hosking Breakfast, Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour is all for allowing private operators into running the ferries. “I have long had the philosophical view that government is not a good operator of commercial enterprises, and there's no shortage of evidence for that. But the reality will be much more persuasive to whoever's in government, you've got to balance the books, and at the moment we own too many underperforming assets. We are really struggling. As a result, the New Zealand people who fund the government as taxpayers are struggling, and there's going to have to be a reckoning. The alternative is people young and talented, keep looking further afield for opportunity and I don't want that.” No, none of us do. But is KiwiRail going to private operators going to be the Great Saviour? I wouldn't have thought so. It's been sold off before and it didn't work then. So he's all for private operators coming in and running state owned assets more efficiently. Equally unsurprising is Winston Peters being against any form of privatisation. He makes the point that NZ First has consistently held the view that taxpayer funded assets should be owned by the taxpayer. As somebody who uses the ferries once in a blue moon, I wouldn't have thought it difficult to have ships that are seaworthy, take people, and cars, and freight over the Cook Strait, and bring them back again. And you need people who can steer the ship, and you need people who can maintain the ships so that they don't break down in the middle of Cook Strait, because that's very bad. If there isn't enough money to be made commercially from doing this as an exercise, as taxpayers we have to fund it because it is State Highway 1. We need to keep it going. So why is it so hard to do that? Why is it so hard to have ships that are seaworthy, captains who can steer them, people who can maintain them? And either we know every year how much it's going to cost us to keep State Highway 1 open, which we have to do, or we allow private operators to run it and make small profit from it. Looking from the outside, I wouldn't have thought it was possible. Bluebridge has been able to do so, but is there room for another private operator? Clearly people think so, but why has it been so troubled? It's a bit like the lovely CEO from Kainga Ora who said really, in effect, the job is quite simple. We build houses for people, and we rent them out. He said it only got difficult when the previous administration wanted to make it a more social enterprise and bring in mixed model housing communities. If you drill down to what the job is, it's actually quite simple. So why have we struggled for decades to run a Cook Strait ferry crossing? It really, from the outside, doesn't seem that difficult. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 23 June 2025, David Kilcullen, former advisor to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaks to Heather du Plessis-Allan on the odds of Trump bringing in regime change in Iran. Exclusive polling shows Kiwis don't think Cook Islanders should continue to get automatic access to citizenship, healthcare and superannuation if the country continues with its foreign policy push towards China against NZ's will. Finance Minister Nicola Willis is refusing to tell Heather the price of the new Kainga Ora wool carpets. All Black rookie Brodie McAlister on finding out he'd made the team - and the first person he told. Plus, the Huddle weighs in on the situation in Iran and whether saunas are taking off in NZ. 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.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 16 June 2025, Foreign Minister Winston Peters tells Kiwis in Iran and Israel to get away from the "arc of danger" but the ways out are limited. Are your sick leave entitlements on the chopping block? The Government walks back the PM's claim that the entitlement might soon drop from 10 to 5 days. Roles reversed? Heather gets a telling off from Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Plus, the Huddle debates whether National is turning out to be Labour in a blue jacket and the taste of tearless onions. 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.

Rabobank’s chief executive discussed the bank’s Fieldays breakfast, where Finance Minister Nicola Willis spoke about her clear vision for the primary sector, including using wool carpets in Kāinga Ora in state homes. He also talks about a positive result in the Federated Farmers banking survey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says a move to require wool carpets in state housing makes financial sense. Nicola Willis has announced a change to Kainga Ora's supplier agreement that will see it re-open its previously nylon-only carpet tender process. From the start of next month, all public entities will also be required to use woollen fibres where practical and appropriate. Willis told Mike Hosking officials have told her it makes sense for Kainga Ora to make this change. She says it's cost-neutral, and it performs well across a number of other dimensions. Nicola Willis says the Reserve Bank should never be exempt from cost-cutting across the public sector. Newly released documents show Adrian Orr's abrupt resignation as Governor came after he was denied the Budget allocation he was seeking. The Finance Minister says the central bank still has the funding it requires to do its statutory duties. She told Hosking the Reserve Bank can't operate as a "gilded palace" – it needs to be fiscally responsible, like all other government departments. Willis says any idea that the Reserve Bank doesn't need to abide by the same funding constraints as other Government agencies is wrong. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are fears Finance Minister Nicola Willis is opening a can of worms by potentially allowing young farmers to dip into their KiwiSavers to buy farms. She explained she was seeking advice from the IRD on the matter, which is yet to be considered by Cabinet. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny weighed in on the debate. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 9 June 2025, NZ Rugby's boss is calling it quits, and ZB Rugby Editor Elliot Smith has got the scoresheet on his performance. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says yet more action is coming on to crack down on the supermarket competition. Heather reckons schools need to take a long hard look at themselves, after the Auditor General pointed out excessive spending including overseas holidays, Pilates classes and lavish parties. The mystery author behind the unauthorised Jacinda biography reveals themselves. Plus, the Huddle was on fire, talking inappropriate school spending and is it normal to be an adult and never have tried KFC? 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.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis may get her wish to see the latest move in the Avatar franchise premiere in the capital at the end of the year. That's due to a decade-old agreement between the producers of the Avatar franchise and the Government. It states at least one of the films produced here must hold a local premiere - if the studio wants to receive its rebate payment - worth about $60 million. Former Arts and Heritage Minister Chris Finlayson says an event like this will be huge for Wellington. "If it means the red carpet can be rolled out in front of the embassy, that's fantastic." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister Nicola Willis says one in five taxpayer dollars is now going into the health system, with record investment in frontline services. But a leading health policy expert says based on this year's Budget, the public system is treading water or even sinking. Ruth Hill reports.

Infometrics' Principal Economist says the Government's not entirely ignoring the lack of budget funding allocated for lifting KiwiSaver employer contributions. The Greens say the Government hasn't accounted for the cost to public services, which could cost more than $700 hundred million. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says that's being worked on - and will be in next year's Budget. Brad Olsen says the hole wasn't costed, but hasn't been forgotten. "There is a cost - it will have to be met, but it's not being directly disclosed in the Budget figures." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 26 May 2025, Superintendent Blair MacDonald explains why police are no longer going to attend shoplifting crimes where less than $500 was stolen unless there's good reason to. Health Minister Simeon Brown says prefab hospital buildings are the way to go to build a cheaper (and faster) hospital in Nelson. Finance Minister Nicola Willis reveals what's not written in her diary for Saturday - the day David Seymour takes over as Deputy Prime Minister. The Huddle debates why we're so obsessed with Nicola Willis' Budget outfit and whether it's appropriate we even talk about it. Plus, what happened when Heather asked ChatGPT if she looks hot? 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.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has defended the government's budget decisions including changes to Kiwisaver, saying most workers will end up with larger retirement savings. Willis spoke to Corin Dann.

In today's episode, Finance Minister Nicola Willis has defended the government's budget decisions including changes to Kiwisaver, saying most workers will end up with larger retirement savings, new sanctions marking the next phase of the government's Traffic Light welfare system, mean beneficiaries who fail to meet their obligations can have half their benefits restricted to being spent on essentials-only for a month, President Donald Trump said he wants the "names and countries" of every international student enrolled at Harvard University, and Auckland FC's dream first season is over after they were knocked out in the A-League semi-finals by Melbourne Victory.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis talks to Mike Hosking about the week's big issues after the budget announcement last week. Health New Zealand's aiming to perform more than 30-thousand elective surgeries by June 2026 by outsourcing more straightforward cases to private hospitals. Willis says getting doctors and specialists on longer term contracts will get more people the care they need sooner. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last week announced his intention to raise the retirement age. Willis says no discussions have taken place yet, but says the Government would need to be upfront with their plans. "At some point, a future government is either going to have to slap a lot more tax on people or it's going to have to front up to whether the settings can be tweaked a little bit," she says. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the budget dominated the news with Finance Minister Nicola Willis promising no frills after cutting new spending nearly in half. Max Rashbrooke is a senior research fellow in the School of Government at Victoria University, he has written extensively on inequality and talks to Susie.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hit go on commercial building developments, oil and gas exploration, dam builders and more. In a new investment boost programme, businesses can now deduct twenty percent off the cost of a new asset. There's no cap on how much the asset can cost. Deloitte Tax Partner Robyn Walker talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the new scheme. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis on the choices and trade-offs in yesterday's budget.

The government's halving its contribution to kiwisaver. Businesses will have to up theirs from 3 to 4 percent over time. They get a tax break in return. Theres an average $14 a fortnight increase to working for families, for low and middle income households. Changes to the pay equity law are saving the government 2.7 billion dollars a year. Finance Minister Nicola Willis spoke to Lisa Owen. 

The Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, has described the Budget as responsible, and what governments do to avoid austerity. Willis spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Morning Report that while the Budget is responsible, it has something for every New Zealander. RNZ's political editor Jo Moir and RNZ's business editor Gyles Beckford spoke to Corin Dann.

Did the government get it right? We dive into the biggest shake-ups to KiwiSaver since the scheme began—Finance Minister Nicola Willis' new 2025 Budget includes cuts to government contributions, new eligibility for teens, rising minimums, and a fresh set of trade-offs for your future retirement balance.Next Steps: If these KiwiSaver changes have you wondering whether your fund, provider, or contribution level is right for you - Lighthouse Financial can help. For more money tips follow us on:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The content in this podcast is the opinion of the hosts. It should not be treated as financial advice. It is important to take into consideration your own personal situation and goals before making any financial decisions.

​On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday 22 May 2025, Heather is live from Parliament for Budget 2025 and gets first up reaction from Labour Leader Chris Hipkins. She asks Finance Minister Nicola Willis whether she's gone far enough to get spending under control and why she is making changes to Kiwisaver. Plus, the Huddle debates the details in the Budget and whether it will get the economy humming. Former NRL star George Burgess defends the "Run It" event he was a part of, after the event led to two people with head injuries. And the South African High Commissioner to NZ gives his reaction to the extraordinary Cyril Ramaphosa-Donald Trump meeting. 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.

No unicorns, no rainbows, no BS, but not austerity - this is how Finance Minister Nicola Willis has described her second budget to be revealed this afternoon.  Independent economist Cameron Bagrie on how the numbers might add up.

It's Budget day and the Finance Minister Nicola Willis says there will be no lolly scramble and no BS. Political reporter Lillian Hanly has more.

Billions in spending has already been announced, and more to come for today's budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis is hours away from unveiling her second budget, and is promising no frills or excess. The Government's been slowly teasing figures, including a $600 million infrastructure investment into the country's rail network. Infrastructure New Zealand Policy Director Michelle McCormick told Mike Hosking they're trying to make some progress. She says it's good to see they're continuing to build on the fundamentals. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A promise today's budget will deliver real growth for the economy. Finance Minister Nicola Willis is hours away from unveiling her 'No BS Budget', claiming there'll be no frills or excess. The Government's been slowly teasing figures, concentrating on balancing the books through cuts and reprioritisation in spending. Business NZ CEO Katherine Rich told Mike Hosking the government knows its role in business recovery. She says they're the first government in a long time that's methodically looked through what can be done to make things easier. It's also been teasing changes to the KiwiSaver scheme, with more to be revealed. It's expected to increase KiwiSaver's default contribution rate from the current 3% as well as means-testing its own annual contribution, up to $521 dollars. Rich told Hosking they'll be keeping a close eye on things. She says it depends on how it's phased in over time, so businesses can factor it into wage negotiations and salaries. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget 2025 is set to be revealed to the nation tomorrow - and Finance Minister Nicola Willis has promised it will be a “No BS Budget” with “some surprises”. Willis will take a step towards unwinding the expansion of Government that accompanied (and followed) the pandemic - while growing the economy. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny outlines some questions she hopes to see resolved. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just yesterday Finance Minister Nicola Willis pledged $577 million dollars to support film and TV production. That will boost funding of the rebate scheme to just over $9 billion. 

Nearly a quarter of the money spent on National's FamilyBoost policy has been poured into administration costs, and not into the back pockets of families. Finance Minister Nicola Willis spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis says changes to KiwiSaver will be revealed at next week's Budget. The NZ Super Fund will cover only 20% of future Superannuation costs, with withdrawals starting in 2028. The fund will continue growing despite withdrawals, but Superannuation costs are expected to reach $29 billion annually. There will be changes to KiwiSaver announced at next week's Budget, with the Super Fund only expected to cover – at best – 20% of the cost of Superannuation in the future, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Willis wouldn't say what the changes would be, but they would be “positive”, she told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning. The minister has previously not ruled out changes – including means-testing – to the $521 given to KiwiSaver members who contribute at least twice that amount each year. “[Changes will be positive] because I want to see people's KiwiSaver balances grow. KiwiSaver has become particularly important for those saving to buy their first home – we had more than 40,000 people use KiwiSaver to do that in the past year," she told Hosking. “And it's become an increasingly important supplement for people's retirement income.” Willis announced yesterday that the Government was forecast to make its first withdrawal from the NZ Super Fund in 2028, five years earlier than forecast at last year's Budget. Superannuation costs are expected to reach $29 billion a year in a few years, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Photo / 123rf The fund was set up in 2001 to subsidise the future cost of Superannuation, easing the burden on taxpayers. The date of the withdrawal – forecast to total $32m in 2028 – isn't at the Government's discretion and is written into the Fund's governing legislation. The first withdrawal would be followed by some “bouncing around between withdrawals and contributions”, but from 2031 onwards, withdrawals were expected every year, Willis said yesterday. Despite withdrawals, the Super Fund won't shrink in the short-term. It will continue growing for some time as withdrawals will be smaller than the overall growth in the fund, the Herald reported yesterday. Treasury's forecasts, which were based on a complicated formula relating to how much is in the fund, GDP, taxpayer numbers and other factors, confirmed help was needed to pay for superannuation, Willis told Hosking this morning. “We've all talked for several years about at a certain point, the cost of superannuation will get very high, and then we'll need the Super Fund to help. We're now at that point.” Asked how much of the cost of superannuation the fund would cover “in its golden moments”, Willis told Hosking: “In its golden moments it's only going to be about 20% of the total cost”. “There's no getting away from the fact that superannuation is very expensive … just in the next few years, it's going to leap up to $29 billion a year, because there are a lot of people over the age of 65 and superannuation is pegged to the after-tax average wage, so that number keeps going up. “That's the commitment that we have as a country, is to fund that entitlement, and we then need to pay for it. And there are fewer taxpayers, of course, in the future to help pay for it.” -Cherie Howie LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 14th of May, Finance Minister Nicola Willis is on after announcing the first Super Fund withdrawal will come years earlier than expected. The Government is planning on investing $140 million into improving school attendance – Associate Education Minister David Seymour elaborates. Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell discuss Jevon McSkimming, missing the new 500 police targets, and pay equity 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.

A listener asks: will the Government change its KiwiSaver contributions - and if so, how should it do it? Finance Minister Nicola Willis is not ruling out changes to the Kiwisaver subsidy. Should the Government even do this? And if they do, what does it mean for you and I?Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A listener asks: will the Government change its KiwiSaver contributions - and if so, how should it do it? Finance Minister Nicola Willis is not ruling out changes to the Kiwisaver subsidy. Should the Government even do this? And if they do what does it mean for you and I?

In this quick bite: Leighton Roberts sits down with NZ Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Where are the inspiring local success stories and why don't we hear much about innovative Kiwi businesses? Plus - the government's fiscal strategy, current debt levels and the path to budget balance and why New Zealand's size might be its advantage. This clip is taken from our previous episode '' For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch If there are any companies, sectors, or topics you'd like to see on Shared Lunch, flick us an email at sharedlunch@sharesies.co.nz to let us know.Investing involves risk. This episode is brought to you by Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand.Information provided is general advice only and current at the time and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the product disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents, including a Target Market Determination for Sharesies, can be found on our website at https://sharesies.com.au/disclosures. If you require financial advice, you should seek advice from a qualified financial advisor. The views expressed by individuals are their own and Sharesies does not endorse any of the guests or the views they hold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the government announced plans to cut the operating allowance in this year's budget by $1.1 billion, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hinted at changes to KiwiSaver.

In a speech on Tuesday, the Finance Minister revealed the operating allowance - that is the new money the government's got to spend is basically being halved, from $2.4 billion to $1.3 billion dollars. Nicola Willis spoke to Lisa Owen.