Podcasts about nicola willis

The Finance Minister's revealed top-level legal advice was sought over the Reserve Bank's battle with Treasury for funding. The bank received less money than it anticipated in the latest funding round - which prompted Adrian Orr to quit as Governor. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacks the issue further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's First Up pod: we have news and reaction from around the world as the G7 summit kicks off in Canada; its a very important day for the lovers of the chocolate chip cookie and finance minister Nicola Willis says the plans to change sick leave are about being clear. First Up - Voice of the Nathan!

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.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 12th of June, it's good news Thursday as we see good news for wool, good news for our food and fibre exports, and good news for our elective surgery waitlist. You won't believe how many people are leaving Auckland and the North Island to head to Christchurch and the South Island. Award-winning comedian Jimmy Carr is heading this way, but before that he's on to talk cancel culture, his love of New Zealand, and his life of the tour. 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 latest poll will be a tough read for the Labour Party and Chris Hipkins. Labour saw a three percent drop in support to sit on 29, Chris Hipkins' preferred Prime Minister rating also fell by 1 percent. National also saw a drop in support, down 2 percent to sit on 34. Nicola Willis says even after complaining about their budget - Labour didn't see a jump in support. "Well, it gives me confidence that New Zealanders get where we are as a country - which is that we're a Government doing a big clean-up job. The books have been left in a mess." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Green Party has accused the Government of having a three-quarter-billion dollar hole in the Budget. As part of the 2025 Budget, released last week, the Government announced that the default KiwiSaver contribution for employees and employers would lift to 4 percent. But the Greens say the Government had not accounted for that increase for its own employees in its books, and over the Budget forecast period it could add up to $714 million in costs. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Nicola Willis has since shrugged off the accusations. 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.

Nicola Willis says National still hasn't decided on its superannuation policy ahead of next year's election. The Finance Minister says keeping eligibility at 65 is increasingly expensive - and Prime Minister Luxon has expressed interest in making changes. Willis says discussions will need to take place about the matter as a caucus. "What that will look like will be different from the last election - because, obviously, 3 years have gone past since then. New Zealand, as we have pointed out in the past, is quite an outlier." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! RNZ reports police staff have been directed to not investigate shoplifting below $500 and online fraud below $1000. There's also a new 'value threshold' to determine which retail crimes will be investigated - what kind of message does this send? Nicola Willis raised some eyebrows over her choice of outfit on Budget Day - does this really matter? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the announcement of how the government is planning to spend money over the next year comes the question of how this will impact the National Party's chances of being re-elected into power in next year's General Election. When presenting her work to Parliament, Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, said that “every Kiwi knows this government has their back”. However, elements of the Budget have been criticised by opposition parties and various activist groups, with opposition leader, Chris Hipkins, calling funding decisions in the Budget “strange and unnecessary”. The Budget can play a major role in whether a government will be re-elected or not.  Labour's 1958 Budget, for example, which has since become known as the ‘Black Budget,' resulted in Finance Minister at the time, Arnold Nordmeyer, imposing additional taxes on cars, alcohol, and tobacco, in an attempt to limit the need for international goods during the payments crisis in late 1957. This caused political tensions, and as a result, Labour lost the 1960 general election after one term. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Brian Roper — an Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Otago, about how Budget 2025 will impact National's chances to be re-elected, and his opinion on what party, or parties, will make up the next government.

Last week, Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, announced her ‘growth' Budget for 2025. In the Budget, multiple initiatives received a boost in funding.  Operational funding and capital funding for Māori education received a $54 million boost and $50 million boost respectively for Māori learner success, with a $14 million injection for Māori wardens, Pacific wardens, and the Māori women's welfare league. However, a variety of Māori initiatives have faced substantial cuts. The Māori Development Fund has had $20 million cut over four years, $32.5 million has been cut from Māori housing initiatives, and $375.5 million cut to the Kāhui Ako programme. Labour's Māori Development spokesperson, Willie Jackson, claims that overall, in Budget 2025, Māori initiatives are seeing cuts of roughly $750 million. For our weekly catchup, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp about Budget 2025 and it's impacts on Māori initiatives. They also spoke about the debate on the potential suspension of Te Pāti Māori co-leaders, Rawiri Waititi, and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and MP Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, being pushed back prior to the Budget debate.  As well as this, notably, during the Budget debate itself, both Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer were absent. However, they first discussed the 2025 Budget and Māori initiatives

KiwiSaver. I was thinking about this at the weekend. I get why the government is doing the old switcharoo. I get it. Means test the government sweet we, halve it for everyone else… save some money. Then we workers… and our employers… will slowly put more into the scheme… So that when it all comes out in the wash, we're at least no worse off than before budget day. Except that we will be worse off, because it's us and our employers paying for it. We pay more up front. Our employers pay more up front. That's added cost. Businesses recover cost by putting up prices, which we end up paying, or by lowering costs, like wages… which is how most of us make a living, right? So, the net effect is worse for us and better for the government. Now again, I get why they need to slash spending but the irony with tinkering with KiwiSaver is this. For your average kiwi working hard and saving and planning for retirement… that's what we're told to do…. These changes throw all your calculations out of whack. You plan on a long-term, predictable set of circumstances. When they're changed without warning and at random, it punishes people who are trying to do the right thing. We need more of a heads up on changes to KiwiSaver… and more importantly… NZ Super. It's not a matter of if but when that also gets means-tested. Even if the when is post-Winston. Nicola Willis says she's been giving this some thought. The future of superannuation. I'd like to know, and other hard-working Kiwi-savers I'm sure would also like to know, sooner rather than later, what those thoughts are. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

I hope you are following the butter debate, specifically the Costco part of it. Why? Because it's an insight into how the world works, especially the economic world, and why Nicola Willis and her crusade to convince us supermarkets are ripping us off might be wrong. Willis sighted Costco the other day when she once again reminded us she is back to business on the supermarkets and looking to break them up, or twist their arms, or regulate them where it hurts, so we can all feel so much better about the price of a trolley full of goods. What she knew, she said, was competition is good for prices. As I tried to say, that is school cert economics and, although partially right, isn't the whole answer. Butter at Costco is $10 per kilo. Elsewhere you can pay $10 and get half that. In that very example is part of the story - it costs different amounts all over the place on any given day, depending on where you go, or when you go. It's a bit like petrol. Also a bit like petrol, the end price is driven by international pricing. We pay international prices because we make the stuff and sell it. Its how we make a living and we should be celebrating this. If farmers weren't doing so well we would be truly stuffed. Costco, because they are large, as in globally large, buy more of anything than anyone here locally. Because of that their price per unit drops and their margins are smaller. Scale counts Also, as the consumers group pointed out, it's a loss-leader for Costco. In other words they are losing money on every pack they sell. Why? Because it gets you in the store to buy other stuff. Remember, at Costco you have already paid a membership fee to be there. So their butter isn't really $10 per kilo. They are eating the difference, as Trump would say, in the hope you buy stuff in aisle eight. Lots of supermarkets run loss leaders. They also put chocolate biscuits at eye line to tempt you. It's a clever business. But Costco and their butter is not a real economic equation. And there is no magic in their pricing, the way Nicola seems to think there is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the year of growth, Nicola Willis has presented a growth budget. But does the Investment Boost initiative, which speeds up depreciation for businesses, promise the kind of growth that the economy needs? In this special Spinoff pod for budget day, Toby Manhire asks Bernard Hickey for his take on the headline changes, and whether or not David Seymour's earlier commentary that his colleague Brooke van Velden had “saved the budget” through its controversial and hurried changes to the pay equiry scheme, has been proven true. Plus: what are the cumulative impacts of the changes to KiwiSaver and Best Start, as compared to the SuperGold cohort? And how much did the global political and economic volatility influence the documents published today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 13 billion dollars has been clawed back from pay equity changes over four years, the Government contribution to KiwiSaver has been halved, tweaks to BestStart payments have been made and a tax break for businesses. Finance minister Nicola Willis delivered what she calls a "responsible" budget - but Labour leader Chris Hipkins says its an austerity budget 'that's left women out'. Political reporter Lillian Hanly reports.

In the year of growth, Nicola Willis has presented a growth budget. But does the Investment Boost initiative, which speeds up depreciation for businesses, promise the kind of growth that the economy needs? In this special Spinoff pod for budget day, Toby Manhire asks Bernard Hickey for his take on the headline changes, and whether or not David Seymour's earlier commentary that his colleague Brooke van Velden had “saved the budget” through its controversial and hurried changes to the pay equiry scheme, has been proven true. Plus: what are the cumulative impacts of the changes to KiwiSaver and Best Start, as compared to the SuperGold cohort? And how much did the global political and economic volatility influence the documents published today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, the Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, has described the Budget as responsible, and what governments do to avoid austerity, Labour's Finance spokesperson says the government's changes to KiwiSaver will take money away from New Zealand's poorest workers, as part of the 2025 budget, the government will halve its yearly contributions, while minimum contributions for employers will lift to four percent in 2028, BusinessNZ is welcoming the new budget, saying it's credible and growth-oriented, and we cross the Tasman to get the latest from Kerry-Anne Walsh.

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

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday the 23rd of May, it's all things Budget on the show this morning - KiwiSaver changes, how the Government is making the "savings" gas exploration and Nicola Willis to explain it all. A home playoff game for Auckland FC this weekend as they look to make their way into the final. Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson talk Smith & Caugheys and how much you should pay for a dog! Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. The Budget: 7/10 In totality she did quite a lot with next to nothing and the intent and messaging, I hope, gave hope. Because boy do we need hope. Oh, and also a surplus. The Green's budget: 1/10 They shouldn't even be allowed near a calculator. When nurses get pay cuts because of tax you know you are dealing with nutters. The Privileges Committee debate: 6/10 Because at last the committee came to the party on rule breaking and at least attempted to right the egregious mess the place has become. The Warriors: 8/10 They just keep on winning. And this weekend at home against the Raiders - what a lip-smacker! The Golden Dome: 6/10 Is it even real? Can you build a dome in three years and, if you can, how come we can't build a road in that time? Smith & Caugheys: 2/10 That is what arrogance, incompetence, blind ideology and lack of vision does for a city. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is defending her budget and growth agenda, despite a surplus being some years away. The Government's books aren't set to return to surplus until 2029. Nicola Willis says that surplus is coming despite disruption on the world stage. She told Mike Hosking alongside spending cuts they're also investing to encourage businesses to grow. Willis says the biggest risk to getting back into surplus would be a slow down in the economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says refusing unemployment benefits to teenagers is about helping parents. This Budget makes 18 and 19-year-olds ineligible for JobSeeker, if their parents can support them. Nicola Willis says the Government has the same expectations as most parents. "I have met parents who say - look, I've got a 19-year-old who spends all day on the couch playing PlayStation and it's pretty difficult because you, the Government, send them a check each fortnight." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen joins Todd Zaner to recap the big wins, big cuts, and big moments from finance minister Nicola Willis' second budget.

The Finance Minister says the Budget's designed to give businesses even more confidence for the future. The Budget, released on Thursday, will put aside $65 million over four years, for loosening rules that might put off overseas investors from choosing New Zealand. Nicola Willis says we can't let debt keep blowing out forever - and would risk the economy crumbling away if we allow major extra taxes or excessive borrowing. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls speculates about other future changes that could be unveiled ahead of Budget day. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2025 Budget is due out this week - and the Finance Minister's feeling hopeful despite the concerns around Te Pāti Māori's antics. Prime Minister Chris Luxon made it clear earlier today that National will not make any concessions on the Privileges Committee's recommendation to suspend three Te Pāti Māori MPs from Parliament. Nicola Willis says this week is all about the Budget - which aims to address concerns Kiwis have about the cost of living. "We just need to focus on the things that will make a difference to people. We can't control Te Pāti Māori, they will do what they want to do." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACC minister's questioning whether ACC is the right outfit for people needing compensation after experiencing sexual assault. In 2023 the Court of Appeal ruled that sexual abuse survivors were entitled to compensation for the loss of potential earnings from when they were abused. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's not clear what the minister's intention is. “It sounds to me as if he's looking to shift this liability to another section of government.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The finance minister's making more commitments ahead of next week's budget. In her pre-budget announcement, the finance minister said $577 million will be injected into film and television projects over the next four years. Willis said the approach is necessary to compete with our neighbours across the ditch and further abroad. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh off a pre-Budget speech that took aim at the recent changes to pay equity, Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins joins Bernard Hickey to discuss the government's plans to cut $4.4 billion of spending over the next four years. What are the potential downsides of Nicola Willis' austerity approach to budget management? What other types of debt might we be accruing without realising it? Listen in to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has talked up how changes to KiwiSaver, due to be announced at the Budget, will boost members' balances. She's offered up some hints - but it's unlikely the Government will help by opening up its wallet. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny speculates further ahead of Budget day. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show... The pay equity scrap is a mess that the national Government should have been able to avoid. It’s been shambles when the truth is, it’s easily defendable. The eyeballs are on Nicola Willis - but never in 30 years of journalism and political reporting have I resorted to using the C-word like Andrea Vance did in her stuff column. Not necessary and not defendable. And joining me to dive into all of it is National Party pollster, David Farrar Plus some Letters to the Editor! Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chiefInstagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

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.

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.

There's belief that injecting taxpayer dollars into venture capital comes with high risks. The Government's putting $100 million into the Elevate fund - which supports small business start-ups. It's diverting $61 million from its yearly Super Fund contribution, topped up with $39 million from the Budget. The Taxpayers Union's James Ross says commercially viable businesses wouldn't need propping up by the Government. "The fact that the Government is having to do that just proves how high-risk these investments are - and it proves the risks that the taxpayers are being exposed to." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister has revealed the Government will will make its first withdrawal from the Super in 2028 - five years earlier than initially planned. In the first year, $32 million will be withdrawn - but from 2031, withdrawals are expected annually. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen explains why this is happening. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister's keeping a cool head, despite being the subject of some colourful language in yesterday's papers. The Post's Andrea Vance wrote a column on Sunday levelling the c-word at Nicola Willis - as well as Judith Collins, Louise Upston, Nicola Grigg, Brooke van Velden and Erica Stanford in response to the Government's pay equity changes. Nicola Willis says she's used to criticism and insults as part of politics, but she's voiced concerns about the implications for other women. "I always think about other young women who want to go into politics, and I don't want them to think that it's okay to have their gender weaponised against them - and I don't want any young women to think there's a difference between girl maths and boy maths. It's called maths." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are a lot of remarkable things about that C-word column yesterday, and one of them is that it is still up online, and apparently no one is sorry for this. If you haven't seen this column, let me get you up to speed on this: Yesterday, Sunday Star Times columnist Andrea Vance did something that I would venture no other mainstream columnist has ever done in this country - she called a minister of the Crown a c-word in the newspaper. She didn't write the c-word out, she wrote it as c....The subject of it was the gender pay equity revamp, the minister was Nicola Willis and Andrea wrote - "turns out you can have it all, so long as you're prepared to be a C...." Now, I don't even know how to start explaining to you how wild it is that that happened yesterday, that Andrea dropped the C-bomb in the Sunday Star Times. That word is the 2nd most banned word on radio. We are not allowed to say it - and if we do, go to town on us and complain because somebody is going to get in a huge amount of trouble, and we will be saying sorry. But at least on the radio, to some extent, I think we have the defence of being able to say - Hey, look, it was the heat of the moment and the words slipped out of my mouth. That is not what happens in newspapers. Words don't just slip out onto the paper, you write it down, you consider it, you rewrite it, you reread it. You make sure that every single word is exactly what you mean to say. Nothing about that is in the heat of the moment. And then you send it to your editors, and your editors read it, and they look at it and they go - yep, that's okay, they can go in the newspaper. And that it what happened. Now, I'm not a prude. I am not offended by swearing, I swear myself, and I have also done exactly what Andrea has done. I have said things about ministers that I shouldn't have said, and I've regretted and I've apologized for it. But this is out of hand, what has happened here. There has to be some decorum. I mean, we can hardly complain about anonymous trolls on social media attacking our female politicians when our very own columnists do it in print with their names attached to it. And reverse this, by the way, if you're not offended by it: Imagine it was Jacinda. Imagine that a columnist had written this about Jacinda, how much outrage that would have caused, how cancelled that person would have been. There were other c-words we weren't allowed to say about Jacinda. Cindy was one of them, communist was another. And if you said either of them, people would flip out. Well, imagine how people would have flipped out if we'd said the c-word. It is very hard to respect an argument about how Nicola Willis isn't a real feminist in a column that attacks her in the most un-feminist way, right? It uses the most gendered putdown that you can think of. It uses terms like girl math to basically suggest that she can't balance the country's books because she's a woman. Now for the record, I think Andrea Vance is a fantastic journalist and an incredibly incisive opinion writer, and I think that her editor Tracy Watkins is the best at what she does, but this was a mistake and it lets everyone down when we drag the tone down that badly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Josie Pagani from Child Fund joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Andrea Vance's piece in the Sunday Star Times calling female Government MPs the c-word and accusing Nicola Willis of 'girl math' has copped some backlash. What did we think when we read that? Erica Stanford has been brought on board to figure out how to ban under-16s from social media - what do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister admits many Kiwis aren't getting as much work as they'd like to be. Unemployment has remained unchanged at 5.1% in the March quarter, despite most economists predicting a rise. However, 21% of employed people are now working part time. Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking the ongoing rise in the under-utilisation rate is a concern. She says it's clear that some people are going into part time work rather than full time work, and aren't working as many hours as they'd like to be. Willis says she'd like to see those numbers improving. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 8th of May, our unemployment numbers look to have peaked, and we have the latest report from the advisory group for organised crime. Would you be happy if Mark Lundy moved into your neighbourhood? Should we know where a high-profile prisoner is reintegrating back into society? Outgoing Air NZ CEO Greg Foran gives his first in-depth interview since announcing his resignation. 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.

Education Minister Erica Stanford is not alone in forwarding Parliament and ministerial emails to her personal account - with Nicola Willis and Chris Bishop revealing they're guilty of similar acts. The Cabinet Manual says ministers should avoid using personal mobile and email accounts wherever possible. CISO Lens Country Manager Nadia Yousef says Webmail services like Gmail can be safe if you use a strong password multi-factor authentication - but it's not an appropriate tool for Government use. "Long, strong and unique passwords - it's something we talk about all the time and everyone's absolutely sick of hearing it - but they are the silver bullet with multi-factor." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says she steers clear of emails - following a recent ministerial scandal. This follows 1News reports that Erica Stanford sent pre-Budget announcements to her personal email before they were announced last year - one of tens of examples since she's been a Minister. Her use of personal email could be a breach of the Cabinet manual - which all ministers are obliged to follow. Nicola Willis says she's never really sending emails. "I'm meeting with people face to face or I'm talking to my team and saying - look, could you just make sure that that minister's aware of this. Sometimes we do formal correspondence, letters and the like, but very rarely am I sitting at my keyboard." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brigitte Morten is a director with public and commercial law firm Franks Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government, a National Party member and currently volunteering for the party's deputy leader, Nicola Willis. Lianne Dalziel is a life member of the Labour Party and a former MP and Cabinet Minister. She ran as an independent for Christchurch's mayoralty in 2013 and was the city's mayor for three terms. She writes a regular column for Newsroom.co.nz.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Brigitte Morten is a director with public and commercial law firm Franks Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government, a National Party member and currently volunteering for the party's deputy leader, Nicola Willis. 

Three prizes for three good calls this week by the Government. 1) Financial literacy coming to a school near you in 2027, and not a day too soon. In many respects it's the more valuable end of the education spectrum. It's education you can actually use. 2) Nicola Willis and her cutting of the operating allowance from $2.4b to $1.3b. The $2.4b number already had headlines for being skinny, or unrealistic. $1.3b is rabbit out of a hat material. I assume she is telling the truth when she says she has found billions in savings, because you can't run a country on thin air. 3) David Seymour, with more reality check reminders that we have too much Government. In his speech he alerted us to just how much - 82 portfolios, 41 departments and 28 ministers. If ever you wanted an example of bloat, there it is. The portfolio joke is about appeasing people. There isn't an issue or pressure group you can't appease by inventing a label. The real issue is ministers. The good news currently, as Audrey Young in the Herald pointed out this week in her famous marking of ministers annual outing, is most of them are getting good scores and most of them are decent operators. But it is not always the case and too often, with the last Government being your classic example, portfolios are used and/or invented to reward loyalty and/or give people pay rises. Whether you can do the job is secondary. Good governments are run by a handful of talent. In David Lange's day it was the Prime Minister, Roger Douglas, Richard Prebble and David Caygill. With Helen Clark it was the Prime Minister, Michael Cullen, Phil Goff and Annette King. With John Key it was Key, Bill English and Steven Joyce. This time its Christopher Luxon, Chris Bishop, Nicola Willis and Simeon Brown - multiple portfolios at the heavyweight end of the index. Unlike the real world, you will note Cabinet and Government never downsize. The public service can be downsized, but the Government never is. Sadly for Seymour, unlike the other two ideas this week, his isn't real. Financial literacy will materially improve our kids' future. Willis and her austerity will materially improve our economy. If Seymour somehow trims a single minister or ministry, it won't be an idea - it will be a miracle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a tough few years for inflation, interest rates, and investor confidence, Nicola Willis is charged with not only repairing but expanding the economy. So how will our Minister of Finance and Economic Growth make that happen? Get a preview of the upcoming Budget, and hear how the Minister plans to strike a balance between stimulating growth and managing spending. How will we prioritise investment into key areas like health, education, and defense? How can we reduce NZ’s debt and attract international investing and lending? Can new trade agreements counteract the infamous Trump tariffs? Plus, how the government plans to bring financial literacy into classrooms. For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand and Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) (collectively referred to as ‘Sharesies’). Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own. Shared Lunch is not personal financial advice and provides general information only. We recommend talking to a licensed financial adviser. You should review relevant product disclosure documents before deciding to invest. Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. Content is current at the time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister has shaved a billion dollars off the government's spending limit with more cuts to public services. Nicola Willis said she's worked hard to avoid the mistakes of austerity budgets of the past, balancing growth with investment. She's confident about getting back to surplus by 2029, saying New Zealand must curb its borrowing. Political reporter Russell Palmer was at the minister's pre-Budget announcement on Tuesday and filed this report.

The Finance Minister has virtually halved the amount of new money the govenrment will spend in next month's budget from 2.4 billion dollars to 1.3 billion. Nicola Willis made the announcement during a speech on Tuesday, while also giving more clues about what to expect in the not so big reveal. Checkpoint hit the streets to ask people in West Auckland's Avondale what government spending is important to them. Gareth Kiernan, Infometric's Chief Forecaster spoke to Lisa Owen.

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. 

A former Finance Minister says cutbacks to public spending need to be seen in context. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed a drastic cut to the operating allowance in next month's Budget, from $2.4 billion to $1.3 billion. There will be no new funding for most Government departments, with the focus being on priority areas and paying off debt. Steven Joyce told Mike Hosking there's still scope to reduce spending. He says Government spending has doubled in the past eight years while inflation has only gone up about 30% in the same time. Joyce is also saying there's growing public appetite for more public sector restraint. The Government's ruling out giving most departments any additional funding in the next Budget, but Joyce says reaching that target will depend a lot on the international economy. However, he told Hosking there are still lots of changes that can be made to bring down government spending. Joyce says making those changes requires a bit of work and requires ministers having a good political radar and knowing what can't be cut. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.