Podcasts about nicola willis

Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel.

This morning Nicola Willis and Tangi Utikere joined us for our weekly political panel. We also heard from a mother in rural Hawke's Bay who says proposed cuts to school bus services could have negative economic impacts on the region. A pharmacist spoke to us about another hacked medical database and what information may have been accessed, while Pharmac is widening access to two medications used to treat advanced melanoma. If you are considering a lifestyle change, Antarctica New Zealand has 40 jobs available on the ice, and we spoke to someone who knows what it is like to work on the continent.

So, the People's Select Committee of former MPs has reported back today and, completely unsurprisingly, has slammed the Government for scrapping the pay equity law last year. Which is fair enough in some ways, it was a shoddy process. The MPs say it offends the rule of law and they're probably right. It was done in a hurry to save last year's Budget, rushed through under urgency and changed the rules retrospectively. It's all really cynical stuff from a Government and too much of that sort of behaviour undermines confidence in the way the system works. But even though they make some fair points and mount some fair criticism of the way Nicola Willis and Brooke van Velden ran this thing out, I can't get past the next question I have, which is: so what? What do these former MPs think will happen as a result of this report? The pay equity scheme is not going to be brought back in the form it previously existed. It's far too expensive. The cost to the Government was estimated at $13 billion over four years. The cost to the entire economy would have been much, much higher. The former MPs want political parties to make it a bottom line to reintroduce the scheme after the election. No party can credibly commit to that. Where would they find $13 billion, other than by making the country's already worrying structural deficit even worse and adding to our already far-too-large debt? Chippy will make noises about bringing it back, but press him a little harder - ask him where he's going to find the money - and you don't get any sufficient answers. Ultimately, that's where the argument ends - where do you find the money? Yes, it was bad lawmaking. Yes, people were hurt by it. Yes, it's fair to criticise. But where do you get the money? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says there's no mandate to reduce the state's shareholding in Genesis Energy. The Crown's directing $200 million towards new shares to retain a 51% shareholding in the company, following a $400 million capital raise. Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking if we don't take part in this raise, we'd be breaching the law requiring the state to maintain majority ownership – something the coalition's committed to. She says we don't want to be a barrier to these energy companies growing in the way New Zealanders need to secure electricity supply. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Still no clarity about whether Wellington's second Mt Victoria Tunnel will begin construction this year. National promised to begin work on the tunnel this term, but Transport Minister Chris Bishop last week suggested that wasn't firm. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says geotechnical work is underway - but Cabinet hasn't decided when construction will start. "We're looking at all the Roads of National Significance to determine what order do we sequence these in, and how do we make sure that we fund them in the most appropriate way - and how does that sit alongside our really important obligation to be maintaining the roads?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest Freshwater poll is out, and it is a total shocker for National. With the party sliding to 30 percent, senior figures like Nicola Willis are suddenly facing the axe. Duncan, Rachel Smalley, and Ashley Church dive into whether a leadership change is coming and why Winston Peters is suddenly looking like a potential Prime Minister. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On last night's The Bradbury Group conservative commentator Matthew Hooton suggested the data around the Māori Wards debate may find that is Winston Peters referendum on Māori seats went to a vote, that conservatives may well side with keeping them as opposed to losing them. Hooton suggests maybe it's time to call Winston's bluff and put it to the vote.Carmel Sepuloni and Nicola Willis clash on RNZ this morning talking about inflation, potholes versus more rail and tolls on bridgesChippy was on fire in the house attacking the government on the racist language that is already become evident in their campaign already++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel.

Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined us for our weekly political panel; Shane Jones joined us following the death of a woman who was attacked by dogs in Northland; The government is seeking advice on whether to toll Auckland's Harbour Bridge, we spoke to Greater Auckland's Matt Lowrie; Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger joined us with an update on the flooding across the region. And we spoke to Jono Ridler who is swimming the length of the North Island - he came up for air and we gave him a call to find out why he's doing it

Labour has raised some concerns over the FTA with India, but Finance Minister Nicola Willis is pushing back. The opposition says they want the un-redacted advice about the deal and greater protection for migrant workers. Nicola Willis says there's strong aspirations in the agreement to promote investment. "What it's saying is - let's both agree to promote significant levels of investment in our respective countries, let's put some aspirational targets out there." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour has raised some concerns over the FTA with India, but Finance Minister Nicola Willis is pushing back. The opposition says they want the un-redacted advice about the deal and greater protection for migrant workers. Nicola Willis says there's strong aspirations in the agreement to promote investment. "What it's saying is - let's both agree to promote significant levels of investment in our respective countries, let's put some aspirational targets out there." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For those of us with PCT, post Covid trauma, I've just given it a name and an acronym, the news that Nicola Willis is launching an inquiry into the actions of the Reserve Bank during Covid is going to bring back some bad memories, but I guess that's what National's relying on. During the pandemic, you'll recall the Reserve Bank cut the Official Cash Rate to a record low and for the first time printed about $55 billion worth of digital money – $55 billion that was pumped into the economy to keep it afloat. Many other countries did that too. Most didn't do it to the same extent we did, but most countries, most Western economies did the same thing. But they, like we, found that there is a cost to free money. High inflation, massive increase in house prices, businesses struggling to pay the money back. Was the hangover worth it? That's what Finance Minister Nicola Willis wants to find out. “I think this is about the future. It's less for me about who was to blame and who we can tell was wrong. What it is about is saying, well, if you were doing it again, how would you prevent some of the overspending? How would you prevent some of the overuse of this money printing tool? How would you make sure you got it right? And so actually this is about the future and doing it better in the future. If we were to repeat the mistakes of Covid and just blindly ignore the lessons of history, I think that would be a major failure. “I fully acknowledge support for the economy was required. And so the question that we are asking is, well, the benefits that occurred because there was this money printing and this borrowing are known, but let's examine what the costs were and then do a weigh up of the benefits of the costs and ask ourselves, did we just maybe go a bit too far? And in future, how would we calibrate that better? And look, I think the idea that New Zealanders shouldn't have this information before the election is really wrong because actually it does have a bearing on the democratic process. It does have a bearing on the way that people position themselves for the future.” The timing is interesting. Reminding everyone of the Covid experience just before the election – who's that going to work for? You'd have to ask yourself. National promised during the last election campaign that they would order an independent review of the actions of the Reserve Bank and that review did not happen until now, and that's the start of the next election campaign. Willis says, oh come on, it's not about that. I was just really, really busy doing other stuff. I had a lot on my plate, I had a lot to deal with, which is true. I was updating the Reserve Bank's mandate to a sole focus on fighting inflation. I've had a lot on my plate. I'm only just getting round to it now. Still and all, I am not averse to an inquiry and I don't want it to be a witch hunt. And I think it would be really, really, really good to have a truly independent and dispassionate look at decisions made in the heat of the moment and weigh up whether you would make those same decisions next time. Obviously there'll be slightly different circumstances, but if people have to stay home and businesses have to shut down, how do you manage that? How do you manage that over the short term? How do you manage that over the long term? I would have really liked to have seen that happen with other decisions made during Covid, like having a long hard look at the way health and Covid health was prioritised over everything else. The decision makers at the time said the hospitals would have been overwhelmed and therefore all health would have suffered. You look now at the cancer waitlists and the deaths from people who weren't picked up while the hospitals were in shutdown mode and you say, okay, alright, so that happened, as a result this happened, was it worth it? I would love to see a dispassionate, cool, clear-headed look at the decisions that were made and bring into account everything that happened during that time and say was it worth it? I know we've had the Covid inquiries, but I don't really, I don't feel that we've had a clear, concise, dispassionate report. Yes, we would do this again. No, we wouldn't do that. Maybe we'd do this. I'd just like to see it set out a little bit more clearly, a blueprint, because what caused so much pain last time was the fudging and the decisions on the fly and not fully formed decisions. If you're able to get a really good analysis of the decisions made with a cost benefit factor weighed up, an emotional cost, personal cost, as well as the dollar figure, and if you broke it down to the Reserve Bank, to health, to employment, to housing, I think it would be really helpful for future generations to see, okay, they did that, let's not do that this time. It might look like a good idea, but ultimately the cost was just too great. When you look at the children and education and schooling, what was the cost there? It might have been worth it – that's what we might find. I might have to agree that for all my moaning and bitching and railing under the restrictions, they were the right decisions to make and I might have to accept that, but I don't really feel we've got a clear analysis of the decisions made and whether they were worth it. I mean, perhaps there has been and I just haven't been willing to hear them, but I can't recall seeing anything set out, laid out, simply, clearly, concisely, critically, and coolly. And that's what I'd really love to see. I bet there are some of you, probably in the South Island, who think, oh for God's sake, what a waste of bloody time. This again. And I don't blame you. I'd love to be in that position. I really would. So you might think it's a complete and utter waste of time. If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 12th of February, the Government has announced an independent review into the monetary policy during Covid – practical or political during an election year? The All Whites have secured a game against England just before the World Cup – their highest-profile game in decades. And country-pop singer Maren Morris is in the country and joined for a chat about her career, from starting a 15-years-old to winning a Grammy. 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's rejecting an accusation it's using Covid as an election tactic. Nicola Willis announced an independent review this year of the monetary policy the Reserve Bank delivered during the pandemic. It'll be released just weeks before the election, and Labour's Chris Hipkins claims the Government's aiming to revive pandemic conspiracies. Willis told Mike Hosking she suspects it wouldn't have mattered what the timing is, the reaction would've been the same – their political opponents saying they shouldn't be asking these questions. But she says when the Reserve Bank did its own review, the results showed there hasn't been enough examination into their decisions. The Finance Minister is also insisting she's keeping an eye on the banking space as ASB reports higher margins. The bank saw modest growth in the second half of last year, reporting a net profit of $765 million. Its net interest margins ticked up six basis points to 2.35%. Willis says told Hosking more people are already looking for better banking deals, and she's working to improve competition. She says she's comparing our regime internationally, especially with the banks' Australian counterparts, and looking at whether we're getting our settings right. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Government inquiry into the Reserve Bank's decisions through the Covid era could have come far sooner. The bank printed $55 billion worth of digital money, costing taxpayers more than $10 billion. The review's findings will be released just weeks before the election – a move that's cast speculation of an underlying political motive by the Finance Minister. Former Reserve Bank senior staffer Geof Mortlock told Mike Hosking the Government's taken too long to get on with it. He says he's been advocating for it, including to Nicola Willis, for at least two years, so it's well overdue. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Morris Williamson, Auckland councillor and former National Party minister, and Jack Tame, host of Saturday mornings and Q&A, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Nicola Willis announced a surprise inquiry into the Reserve Bank's actions during Covid with questions arising over the timing. And, Winston Peters visits Saudi Arabia and sits ringside at Joseph Parker's fight. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 11 February, 2026, Nicola Willis tells us why the Government's now decided to do an inquiry into Reserve Bank actions during Covid-19. We ask the Safeguarding Children chief executive if an abuse awareness campaign is likely to be effective in the wake of the murder of five-year-old Malachi Subecz. The publisher of a new book on Ron Brierley explains why he thinks people need to hear the disgraced businessman's story. And on the Huddle, Jack Tame and Maurice Williamson on whether they'd sample a michelada - beer with tomato juice. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you think there is anyone in New Zealand who believes the Government's line that it's a coincidence the findings of its inquiry into the Reserve Bank's COVID-19 response will be released a few weeks before the election? As the NZ Herald's political editor, Thomas Coughlan, puts it: the inquiry will ask the right questions at the wrong time. Because this has election campaigning written all over it. The official line is that the review is being done to “identify any lessons New Zealand could learn to improve the response to future major events”. But how credible is that, given the findings of the inquiry will be released just weeks before this year's election? Not very, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who's saying today: “If this is a genuinely independent review that provides some lessons learned, it could be useful. But doing it right in the middle of an election campaign suggests that's not Nicola Willis' primary motivation here.” And he's spot on. Because it's not. The Government's primary motivation is to spend half a million dollars of taxpayer money on a report that is going to come out at the pointy end of the election campaign, which will do one of two things. It will either rip into the Reserve Bank in the way the Government hopes it will. So it can then say to voters, “do you really want the last lot who let the Reserve Bank get away with this trainwreck back in charge of the economy?” Or, the report will be a bit soft - not quite what the Government wants - but will still give it bragging rights about looking to learn from past mistakes. Unlike Labour, who it will accuse of not having the guts to front up to the COVID-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry. So it's going to be a win-win - especially for National. I think this would have way more credibility if the Government had come out yesterday and said it was launching the inquiry but the findings wouldn't be released until after the election. For the benefit of whoever the government of the day is after the election. If it had done that, I would have had no problem with the timing. Instead, this inquiry - which, in itself, is fully justified - is at risk of looking like nothing more than taxpayers coughing-up for the National Party's election campaign. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This morning we were joined by Nicola Willis and Megan Woods for our weekly political panel; We spoke to Justice minister Paul Goldsmith following the decision to pull the pin on the government's retail crime advisory group four months early; A coroner's report into the death of five-year-old Malachi Subecz (mella-kai shoe-bex) describes New Zealand's response to child abuse "a national disgrace", We spoke to Paediatrician Dr Patrick Kelly who is an expert in child protection; Zoi Sydowski-Synnott joined us following her silver medal performance at the Winter Olympics; And, we spoke to a 70 year old man in Whanganui who is handing over control of his treasured backyard miniature railway.

Nicola Willis and Megan Woods joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel.

The Finance Minister says the newly announced facility for importing liquefied natural gas will save Kiwi households more money. The Government plans to impose a levy on electricity users to pay for the importation facility, expected to be around a billion dollars. A contract's expected to be signed later this year. Nicola Willis says this will help fund a more secure energy supply, meaning lower costs for households. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Economic Growth Minister says things are picking up in some regions sooner than others. Unemployment's hit a ten-year high nationally, reaching 5.7% in Bay of Plenty, 5.8% in Wellington, 5.9% in Waikato, and 6.4% in Auckland. But it's fallen to 3.7% in Canterbury and just 2.3% in Otago. Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking employment is rising in many sectors, but it's not even around the country. She says Canterbury in particular has seen a big rise job numbers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 5th of February, Finance Minister Nicola Willis tries to put a spin on a headline unemployment number that doesn't help the Government in an election year. There's a sewage disaster in Wellington, so Mayor Andrew Little joined to discuss the situation. Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson discuss jobs, and Mike can't believe that money is now the gift of choice for a wedding on Wrapping the Week. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you feel better off than you did three years ago? With it being election year, that's the question politicians are going to be asking you. It's the question I'm asking you too in light of the latest unemployment numbers - which are the highest in more than a decade. That's the overall number. In Canterbury, things are a little bit better. The unemployment rate here is down and we've got 12,000 extra jobs. That was in the three months to December. Nevertheless, we can't deny that the better things are everywhere, then the better off we will all be. Not surprisingly, Finance Minister Nicola Willis is saying that employment growth is up. She says people are feeling more confident about the economy. Which is why the data released yesterday showed that, despite the overall unemployment rate increasing, there are more people out there looking for work because they're confident that there is actually work out there for them. My view on that is that, yes, there is work out there - but you have to do a lot more than just email your CV and a cover letter. In some cases, you have to physically knock on doors - just like the old days. But back to whether or not we actually feel any better off. For me, it's a mixed bag. But I suspect that's a stage-of-life thing. The kids have all grown up - so life is naturally less expensive on that front. No school camps and sports trips to pay for. I'm not buying clothes or shoes for kids who keep outgrowing them. So life is cheaper for me on that front. Nevertheless, every time I go through the check-out at the supermarket, I'm still blown away by how much it costs. Not to mention what it's like if you've still got the kids at home and you're doing the weekly shop to keep them fed and watered. Then, if you've got a home loan, there's the mortgage rates. They're still on the up and who knows what further increases might be on the cards with the Reserve Bank still fighting the inflation battle. As one of our listeners, Paul, points out: “Inflation is up, interest rates are up, unemployment is up and redundancies continue. Store closures continue too.” I'm guessing Paul's answer to my question is that he doesn't feel any better than he did three years ago. But what about you? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel.

This morning we spoke to Kris Faafoi as more people report trouble getting insurance in parts of the South Island; Are we losing the battle against the yellow-legged hornet? Biosecurity New Zealand joined us; We looked into what the government's changes to the driver's license process could mean for new drivers; Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined us for the weekly political panel; And we took a look at the new social media network for AI bots. What could possibly go wrong?

Voice of Aroha is an inclusive platform representing the voices of a variety of communities and their perspectives on many topics. This programme is run by a diverse group of former refugees in Wellington, with support from the local community.

AA Insurance's decision to stop offering new home insurance policies in Westport due to flood risks has prompted discussion about the future of climate-based buyouts. There's been debate over whether the Government will fund buyouts for homeowners living in areas at risk for weather damage, with many experts ruling the move as unlikely. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says there's a Natural Hazards scheme in place for homeowners impacted by flooding or landslides - and it's important to ensure people have the right insurance measures in place. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis is hoping inflation can drop back into the Reserve Bank's target band off the back of the latest data. The annual inflation rate for 2025 was 3.1 percent, up from 3 percent for the year to September. Willis says the Government supports the Reserve Bank getting back to their target band of 1 to 3 percent. "It's inflation that's the broadest driver of the cost of living. At the same time, interest rate reductions have been really important to recovering our economy after a very difficult period, but it's always the case that as the economy recovers, you do expect that eventually interest rates do go up." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has outlined her goals for the new year, as the Government prepares for the upcoming 2026 election. Willis is hoping Kiwi voters will see the benefits of re-electing a National-led Government so that they can feel rewarded for their hard work. She says the economy grew as a whole last year, and voters can hope to see more in 2026. "So we see more job creation, more opportunities for Kiwis to get ahead - that is what we want to see." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four standout guests. Four conversations that shaped how we think about money, markets, and growth.In this special episode, we've pulled together our favourite guest moments from 2025 - revisiting the ideas, debates, and insights that sparked the biggest conversations throughout the year. From investing psychology and compounding, to housing reform, economic recovery, and scaling global businesses, this episode captures the thinking that mattered most.Register now: Buying a home, investing, or want better control of your money? Join Michael Vincent and James Blair for a practical 2026 financial planning webinar.Featured Guests & Key Discussions00:00 - Luke Kemeys- Compounding vs income investing and why behaviour matters more than perfect maths- The psychology of money, motivation, and consistency- Debt repayment strategies and getting early wins that keep people on track07:20 - Nicola Willis- Housing affordability and the future of home ownership in New Zealand- Planning reform, land supply, and replacing the Resource Management Act- Red tape, building constraints, and how supply impacts affordability- Creating economic growth beyond rising house prices13:45 - Mahesh Muralidhar- Scaling Canva from a small startup to a global business- Lessons from hyper-growth, leadership, and big ambition- Why New Zealand needs more global role models- Thinking bigger and building companies that can scale internationally21:00 - Jarrod Kerr - Interest rates, economic recovery, and why the turnaround took so long- Business confidence, hiring decisions, and investment signals- Housing market confidence, GDP outlook, and what to watch next- Where momentum is starting to return in the New Zealand economyFor more money tips follow us on: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lighthousefinancialnz/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lighthousefinancialnz/The 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.

Finance minister Nicola Willis has ended the year on a high with a surprise 1.1% increase in GDP for the most recent quarter. Port of Auckland chief executive Roger Gray spoke to Corin Dann.

Finance minister Nicola Willis has ended the year on a high with a surprise 1.1% increase in GDP for the most recent quarter; Gloriavale's leaders have announced they'll challenge the forced closure of its school; Auckland Council is securing more burial and cremation spaces as the city's cemeteries begin to run out of capacity; We crossed the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh; One News Sports Editor Abby Wilson and former All Black captain Taine Randell discuss this weekend's sport action.

Nicola Willis is doubling down on her strategy for getting the government's books back in order - even as new forecasts show yet another delay to that plan. Treasury officials unveiled their half-year update this afternoon - revealing a bleaker picture than last predicted - and no sign of a surplus this decade. A year ago they were predicting a surplus by 2029 - now they're picking 2030. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Lisa Owen.

Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel; It has been a big year for the country's education sector with a number of major changes; Auckland Council has scrapped a trial of fortnightly rubbish collections after a backlash from affected residents; A local board election has been voided, and voters will have to go back to the polls, after a judge ruled fraudulent voting had "permeated or infected" the election.

Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel.

Today Heather du Plessis-Allan was joined by Labour's Ginny Andersen and National's Mark Mitchell to recap the highs and lows of 2025 on the final Politics Wednesday for the year. They also discussed the retail crime numbers, the state of the Government's books, the need for a social media ban, and the situation with Nicola Willis and Ruth Richardson. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government insists it has a plan to turn the economy around. Treasury's Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows the country is first forecast to be in the black by 2029-2030. The Finance Minister has admitted the country is borrowing money to pay the interest bill on the debt. Nicola Willis told Heather du Plessis Allan that bill is about $9 billion a year. She says around 80% of borrowing over the next few years will be for capital assets like hospitals, schools, and roads. There may also be more cuts to the public service as they aim to get back down to surplus. Economic growth is expected to be just 1.7% next year, and Willis says there's still room for efficiency in the public service. She will be sending letters out to her cabinet colleagues to give them ideas on where they can make some savings. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 17th of December, Nicola Willis responds to the surplus being pushed out another year, the third blowout in her two years as the Finance Minister. Indycar champ Scott Dixon is on to talk his career and the launch of a new world class karting facility in Auckland. And Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen cover all the highs and lows of 2025 on the final Politics Wednesday for the year. 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.

It's no surprise that Nicola Willis has pushed out surplus by another year. That now makes it three years in two years, as in she has delayed surplus by three years in just the space of the two years she's been at the Finance Minister's desk. Had she kept her pledge, the one she made about tidying up this country's books when asking for our votes in 2023, we would be seeing a surplus next year. Now it's 2029 at the earliest. Getting our books back in order is important if we don't want our kids to pack up and leave for Australia when they're old enough to. Nicola can blame everyone from Treasury to Trump if she wants, but she has not done enough to get us back to surplus. She has defended, and kept, Jacinda's wasteful policy of paying for one free year for university students. The policy has been repeatedly criticised as a flop that doesn't actually make anyone go to university. Cutting that would save us in the vicinity of $1 billion over four years. She has given welfare to households on more than $200,000 a year by giving them money for childcare. People on that kind of coin don't need benefits. Cutting that would save $1 billion in a little over five years. She still hasn't cut or income tested the Winter Energy Payment, which is going to people who are still in the workforce and being set aside for nice trips to Fiji. Cutting that would save $1 billion in less than two years. Trimming it would save less, but it would save something. She has cut 2000 public servants when Grant and Jacinda added 14,000. Be in no doubt - money is tight. But there is still a lot of waste that could be cut if Nicola Willis was brave enough. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The debate over a debate between Finance Ministers - past and present - has descended into farce - with both sides now accusing the other of chickening out. Nicola Willis had challenged Ruth Richardson - who chairs the Taxpayers' Union - to a public debate over the government's fiscal strategy. But they can't seem to agree on a location. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch reports.

Friday has come and Heather du Plessis-Allan was joined by Kerre Woodham and Tim Wilson to Wrap the Week that Was. They discussed Air New Zealand's new safety video, the Willis v Richardson debate, the quote of the year, and artificial intelligence. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Taxpayers Union is taking aim at government spending with a campaign that has finance minister Nicola Willis at its centre. Taxpayers' Union chair and former finance minister Ruth Richardson spoke to Corin Dann.

The Taxpayers Union is taking aim at government spending with a campaign that has finance minister Nicola Willis at its centre; The latest State of Cancer report says treatments are better and death rates are falling - but we're crawling while other countries sprint; The Government has released a new app it says will make it easier and safer for people to access government services; The United States could soon ask travellers for their five-year social media history, as a condition to enter the country; As people tighten their spending in tough economic times, it seems live music is still something people will shell out for.

So, to the Nicola Willis v Ruth Richardson debate. Here's a challenge to Nicola Willis: do it this year. Do it next week. I'm hearing that having challenged Ruth Richardson to the debate, Willis' office would prefer to do it next year. I can understand why. By next year the momentum will be gone and we'll all have moved on to other things and it, probably, won't get as big of an audience. Next week though is a big week. The Government is opening its books. It sounds like Nicola might be pushing out surplus, again, for the second time in two years. Then we've got the GDP number and that's coming off the back of the Taxpayer's Union campaign calling her out for her big spending, which kicks off today. So next week there's much more energy around a debate. If it's pushed out to next year, I would read it as the first sign of losing courage. And if I was cynical, it's the first sign of them hoping this will fizzle and die because frankly, it was a political mistake to challenge Ruth Richardson to a debate. Regardless of what you think of her, Ruth can article all the problems with Nicola's big spending budgets and debt gathering in a way that most members of the media can't, which is to say she will mount a case that Nicola is spending too much and taking us down exactly the same path of economic trouble that Grant started us on. And I suspect that will convince a lot of voters that we have a problem here. And we do. We have a problem when we have a government that promised to cut spending and yet spends more than Grant and will, by mid next year, have taken on $45 billion more in debt, which will by then account for almost a quarter of our total debt. This is an important debate, because what is more important for a government to do well than run the country's books? So, next week? How about it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel.

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Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel.

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