Podcasts about nicola willis

National's Nicola Willis and Labour's Carmel Sepuloni spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The government is promising changes to the Commerce Act it says will prevent "creeping acquisitions and predatory pricing". The Economic Growth and Commerce Ministers, Nicola Willis and Scott Simpson, say the changes will set out clear rules for mergers, and streamline approvals for business collaboration. RNZ Business journalist Anan Zaki has more.

Nine clergy have been chained to the door of Nicola Willis' office in the Wellington suburb of Johnsonville since Monday morning. One of the Clergy taking part in the action, Father Gerard Burns, spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In today's episode, the latest RNZ Reid Research poll has the political landscape in a deadlock -- the Labour Party still a nose ahead of National, but neither side able to govern alone; Nine clergy have been chained to the door of Nicola Willis' office in the Wellington suburb of Johnsonville since Monday morning; New Zealand middle distance runner Geordie Beamish has claimed a stunning world championship gold in the 3000 metres steeplechase in Tokyo; For the first time ever, a New Zealand woman has successfully co-skippered a yacht through the Northwest Passage.

Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was giving a presentation at Utah Valley University when he was shot and killed by a gunman from long distance.Green MP Kahurangi Carter joins us LIVE at 9pm to talk about the Green Party's seven promises so that every child in Aotearoa deserves to grow up with safety and stability, wrapped in aroha.You can see more about the idea at https://www.greens.org.nz/forthechildrenKieran McAnulty smites Nicola Willis in a calculated slap back when Nicky No Boats thought she can have a cheeky dig at Kieran...she can't =================================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

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. Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of public affairs firm Capital. He is currently providing PR support for Andrew Little's Campaign for Mayor of Wellington, on a voluntary basis.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand First is backing major changes to KiwiSaver ahead of the election and it's sparked discussion about what this could mean going forward. The party's announced it will campaign on compulsory employee and employer contributions rising to 10 percent, to be offset with tax cuts. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says this will likely be a significant issue ahead of the election, but she's voiced concerns about the tax cuts. "For context, our tax package that we delivered after the election was $3.7 billion - so that is a heck of a lot of tax cuts. So the question then becomes - how do we fund that?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Nicola Willis and Labour's Carmel Sepuloni spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Christopher Luxon doesn't think the Reserve Bank's reputation has suffered any long-term damage. Neil Quigley resigned as chair of the central bank on Friday night, after Nicola Willis raised concerns over its handling of Adrian Orr's resignation earlier this year. Willis has revealed to Newstalk ZB, she would have asked Quigley to resign, if he hadn't resigned of his own accord. The Prime Minister says Quigley has made the right decision. He doesn't think the current situation is a mess, but it would have been a shambles if it had carried out much longer. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neil Quigley marched off into the sunset at 5.49pm on Friday. Late enough for the news to miss the TV 6pm bulletin. It's an old PR trick. Leaving the shock value to dissipate over the weekend before the start of play on Monday. It was evidence to me that successive governments and the Reserve Bank have failed to respect each other or realise that even though they are independent their actions combine and affect all of New Zealand In the Covid years the Reserve bank reacted and made money essentially free. But the Labour government wanted to be seen to be doing something, so they started overspending and throwing borrowed money away. The result was a superheated economy that crashed spectacularly and spectacularly quickly So, then the Reserve Bank made money expensive again to attack the overheating. But the new Government, this time National, again wanted to be seen to be doing something so they cancelled government expenditure throwing us into a deeper economic funk than anyone had expected. In both scenarios the governments didn't seem to realise what was happening at the Reserve Bank. And the Reserve Bank was too proud to take into account the stupidity of governments. Government's need to heed the advice that they give Council's. Stick to the knitting. Their job is to do the basics. Fund Health, Education and the Police. And build us stuff to help us do business like roads and rail and ferries. Not to worry about the price of butter or the number of supermarkets. And keep the borrowing as low as is reasonable Meanwhile let the Reserve Bank worry about inflation and the big financial stuff. That's how successful governments respected the independence of the Reserve Bank and how the last two amateur governments did not. The saga also shows how political Treasury is. Their advice wavers in the wind of whoever is in power and is not to be trusted. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether it's the government, international organisations, higher education, or the media, one of the defining dynamics of the social media age is the deteriorating trust in public institutions. It's extraordinary, really. At a time when humans are on the whole wealthier, healthier, and more dominant than at any other time in our species' history, we're more distrustful of the institutions that are supposed to serve us. Saturday Mornings is usually a monetary policy-free zone, and I promise to mostly keep it that way for now. But it was pretty remarkable at the close of play last night to see an announcement from the Finance Minister about the Chair of the Reserve Bank. Neil Quigley had resigned, effective immediately, following further revelations about his handling of former Governor Adrian Orr's departure. Nicola Willis confirmed to Newstalk ZB that if Quigley hadn't offered his resignation, she'd have asked for it. I don't expect everyone to follow all of the Reserve Bank dramas. But the long and short of it is that former Governor Adrian Orr got in a dispute with the government over the bank's funding. It turned into a showdown of sorts, the Reserve Bank Board raised concerns with him about his conduct (some of which he disputed), and after taking leave for a few days he ultimately resigned. But instead of being absolutely transparent about the dispute and what had actually happened, the RBNZ Chair Neil Quigley told media that Orr had resigned for “personal reasons”. If this was just some rando then no harm no foul. But Adrian Orr was the Governor of the Reserve Bank, one of the most powerful public servants in the country. His pen stroke and the decisions of his Monetary Policy Committee could be the difference between thousands or hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs or homes. Like many journalists, I didn't buy the “personal reasons” explanation and felt we all deserved to know more detail about what had actually happened. Ater all, this wasn't a private company. The Reserve Bank serves us. After Neil Quigley's explanation, and after the Reserve Bank declined for Adrian Orr to be interviewed, I even went to the extreme length of sending him a letter at his home asking him to front. It's something I'd almost never do, but the public deserved an explanation. And it's taken until now and a ruling from the ombudsman for us to get the full story. I think there are lessons in this for all of us who work in jobs that purport to serve the public. In my role, I think about trust a lot. And look, I know this is very different to the Reserve Bank, much lower stakes, but I had the chance to reflect on my own work this week, and tried to lean into the spirit of introspection and openness. I was on a podcast, re_covering, in which Newstalk ZB's Frank Ritchie asks journalists to reflect on a story they covered. I didn't choose one which I'd absolutely nailed. Instead, I reflected on my five years as TVNZ's US Correspondent, and on my surprise at the first election of Donald Trump. As I said on re_covering, the fact so many of us were so shocked by the result (including Trump!) shows I and the rest of the news media covering that election had done a massively insufficient job of reflecting the scale of the anger and dissatisfaction with the status quo in the US. That election changed the world. Ultimately, I hope reflecting on my surprise will make me more sceptical of conventional wisdom, and better at my job today. Humans are fallible. We all make mistakes. But the Reserve Bank episode demonstrates the best thing a public institution can do to protect its reputation is not try and protect its reputation. Just admit when you got things wrong. Admit things that make you look bad. Learn lessons the hard way. Convince the public you have nothing to hide by showing us you have nothing to hide. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reserve Bank board chairman Neil Quigley has resigned “with immediate effect” in the wake of the shambolic handling of Adrian Orr's resignation as Governor. Finance Minister Nicola Willis made the announcement just before 6pm on Friday - the day after the Reserve Bank revealed Orr temporarily stepped down as Governor a week before the public was told he resigned The Finance Minister says she did not ask the Reserve Bank Chair to quit, following news he's resigned with immediate effect. Nicola Willis told Heather du Plessis-Allan that having completed key work streams with the bank, Quigley said the timing was appropriate. Willis says she raised criticism around the board's handling of information relating to the former Governor's exit. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode the Gals chat to Hon Nicola Willis - Minister of Finance, Economic Growth and Social Investment - about budgets and tax, misogyny and pay equity.

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. New Zealand: 7/10 We're the 3rd safest country in the world and about to outgrow Australia. How's that for openers? Horticulture NZ: 7/10 Their plan is to double export returns within 10 years. That's the sort of attitude that turns tides. More please. Sean O'Loughlin: 8/10 My hero of the week. He took Auckland Transport to court and won. Brains - 1. Arrogance - nil. Nicola vs Tory: 6/10 Who doesn't love a bitch slap? And who doesn't think Nicola has an excellent point? Principals: 4/10 Or at least the ones who wrote to the Education Minister asking for her to stop her reforms. In that letter is so much that's wrong with education – people overseeing failure and yet not wanting change. Putin: 3/10 You forgot that, didn't you? Where is the meeting? Where is the place? Where is the date? Did Trump get stiffed? LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's just over four years since the Commerce Commission released its first report on the supermarket sector in New Zealand and, yesterday, the Government announced what it's going to do. Which, in my view, will achieve nothing. To be fair, Nicola Willis wasn't in Government four years ago and it was Labour that received that first report and went about hiring the Grocery Commissioner. Who, I think we can all agree, has done next-to-nothing. My supermarket bills certainly haven't got any cheaper since he's been at his desk. So the Government is going to make a change to the fast track legislation specifically targeted at making it quicker for an overseas operator to move in to New Zealand and start building supermarkets here. The law change is going to be done by Christmas and then the likes of Aldi and Lidl will be falling over themselves rushing to set-up shop here. As if. Because it's been my view all along that, if these overseas outfits wanted to be here, they would. A country the size of ours means nothing to the other big operators. No matter how much red tape the Government wants to get rid of. Bearing in mind too, that no supermarket chain is a charity. Let's take German operator Aldi - which is often touted as an international operator that could come here and create more competition. It's kind-of here already. Because it's been registered with the New Zealand Companies Office since 2000. But it hasn't bothered doing anything more than that - focusing on Australia, instead. But, despite Aldi operating across the Tasman, Australians are still paying through the nose. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission put-out a report earlier this year saying that Aldi is among the most profitable supermarket chains in the world. Prices in Australia have risen sharply over the past five years, with the supermarkets increasing profit margins during that time. Aldi being one of them. As for Nicola Willis claiming that Costco might want to set up a few more stores, that wouldn't make supermarket prices cheaper for people everywhere. The Minister has acknowledged that she doesn't see this as any sort of overnight fix. She says the lack of competition in the supermarket sector has developed over the past 20-or-30 years and told Newstalk ZB today that she'll know this policy has worked when we have another competitor operating in all the main urban centres. Don't hold your breath, minister. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big box wholesale supermarket chain Costco has its eyes on expansion, and a new "express lane" for supermarket developments will help that happen, according to the Minister for Economic growth. Nicola Willis today unveiled policy changes that the government believes will help boost competition in the grocery market that's curently dominated by two chains; Woolworths and Foodstuffs. Minister for Economic Growth, Nicola Willis spoke to Lisa Owen.

Calls for certainty from the supermarket sector as Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis weighs more action. She's introduced fast track consenting to encourage new players into the market. Willis says she's looking carefully at the idea of breaking up the duopoly. Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive Chris Quin told Mike Hosking the future of their business needs clarity on what regulations will be put in place. He says the individual owners are scratching their heads wondering what's going to happen. Quin also believes the amount of competition already in the market may be higher than people realise. He says 30% of the retail grocery market is third players in Auckland and 18% nationwide. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicola Willis was back yesterday for another "guns at dawn" with the supermarkets. She had the results of the RFI, the Request for Information. The main takeaway was we are too tied up in red tape and we need to make it easier to do business. Now we know this of course, because before the RFI she told us this, and she told us she was going to do something about it. She told us she was going to do something about it again yesterday. Play another song Nicola. Then the bad news: ALDI and Lidl, a couple of large supermarket players who she had been courting, didn't even take part in the RFI. Why? Because, as I have said for about two years, we are too small and the scandal Nicola insists exists, actually doesn't. There is no scandal, they just can't be bothered with a country our size. Costco did take part though. But Costco isn't Nicola's answer. Why? Because Costco isn't going nationwide, even though Nicola said they may, may, have one or two more stores in the coming years. Then the worst bit of her greatest hits show, the finger wagging exercise, yet again, of threatening to break the industry up with regulation. She is awaiting a report. When? She doesn't have a date. Who's doing the report? The same company that did the same report for Labour. It's good work if you can get it, aye? So what did we actually end up with? A re-announcement of the fact we are hard to do business with. Fine, stop telling us and actually change the laws. The second issue is major players couldn't even be bothered taking part. And the third point, the thing that may bring real change. Do remember, I think all this is nonsense but in Nicola's mind it's a scandal. But the thing that can bring real change is no closer because we don't have the report and we don't even know when we are getting the report. Having got the report there is of course no reason to think such a major business-busting trigger by a so-called "business friendly" Government would even be pulled. So, is your trolley any cheaper? Has Nicola or her Grocery Commissioner, another game-changing pile of nonsense she referenced, actually achieved anything? Has a cent been saved? Has a law been changed? Has a new player arrived? Or is this just like the banks? No smoking gun to be found?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 28th of August, Nicola Willis has her solution to the supermarket problem. Mike isn't convinced. Mike's offered the chance to fly to London and research a banking scam, however he's not sure there is one. Kiwi singer Georgia Lines is in for a song and a chat ahead of the release of her new EP and career move to Nashville. 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.

Nicola Willis says she's not bluffing with the idea of potentially breaking up the supermarket duopoly. The Economic Growth Minister has introduced a fast track consenting process for supermarkets encouraging more players into the market. She told Mike Hosking it's a welcome mat for international players that makes it very clear in law and regulation that opening stores in New Zealand is easier than elsewhere. Willis says this is a big issue for New Zealand, and she's going the things that are sensible to help. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's another hit of the most insightful and sharp 30 minutes in political analysis. Tonight Wallace is joined by RNZ's Mihingarangi Forbes, Stuff's national editor Andrea Vance and former national minister Wayne Mapp. The Whip panel looks at economic growth minister Nicola Willis's announcement about fast tracking new supermarket developments. Followed by Mihi's reporting on how the Public Service Commissioner is considering absorbing a number of smaller ministries into larger agencies: say goodbye ministries for Women and Pacific Peoples. Then a quick check on New Zealand's stance on statehood for Palestine: is the government moving fast enough now the UN has decleared a famine in Gaza City? Then, four year parliamentary terms are possibly back on the menu: what do the panel think? And finally, they take a look at the upcoming Tamaki Makaurau by-election - who is likely to win?

The Government expects new supermarkets to pop up in months, rather than years - with planned reforms. It's introducing legislation to pass before the end of the year to allow supermarkets that boost competition to be up for fast-track approval. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says supermarkets can also apply for streamlined building consents. "Really, it's just a matter of how quickly they can build." Costco's confirmed its looking at opening new stores in New Zealand, after success in West Auckland. Meanwhile, the Government's looking at the costs and benefits of breaking up the supermarket duopoly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All good so far from Nicola Willis on supermarkets. She's got to the nub of the problem, which is basically red tape. Governments of all stripes, including her, have been quick to point the finger at private enterprise for high prices. And there's truth in that, but most haven't looked in the mirror like Willis did yesterday and admit it's them that also has a problem. We all do, really. Everybody moans about prices but then moans about construction of anything new - not in my backyard. Consultation up the wazoo, committees, petitions, Duncan Webb on a soapbox - that's democracy. Like Churchill said, the lesser of two evils. It's taken them two years to get here, but they could have just listened to our interview with the former Managing Director of Costco back in March - he told us all this then. The other big problems were real estate prices and shipping - getting goods here on their timeframes. I predicted this (humble brag) all last week. They'll tinker round with fast-track and consumer laws and plaster their pressers with the threat of breaking up the duopoly. Divestment. Forcing Pak'nSave to sell some stores to a new entrant, forcing Foodstuffs to sell some distribution centres. What I said last week is still true now, ACT won't go for it. Plus, the even the Commerce Commission said it's risky as. Cost could outweigh benefits. So, Willis should stop with the threats. If you own a supermarket right now and your livelihood is being threatened, are you going to invest? Hire staff? Plan expansions? The threat is purely political and could end up doing the opposite of what Willis wants it to. Put it in the bin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government expects new supermarkets to pop up in months, rather than years - with planned reforms. It's introducing legislation to pass before the end of the year to allow supermarkets that boost competition to be up for fast-track approval. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says supermarkets can also apply for streamlined building consents. "Really, it's just a matter of how quickly they can build." Costco's confirmed its looking at opening new stores in New Zealand, after success in West Auckland. Meanwhile, the Government's looking at the costs and benefits of breaking up the supermarket duopoly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Nicola Willis and Labour's Carmel Sepuloni spoke to Corin Dann.

In today's episode, we have our weekly political panel with National's Nicola Willis and Labour's Carmel Sepuloni; There appears to be confusion over the rules governing when schools are considered open; Students at Lincoln University have been told to re-sit part of their course in person, after a lecturer questioned whether some had used AI tools to complete their work; A small town in rural Victoria is still in lockdown, while police continue the search for a man who shot two police officers dead on Tuesday; An iwi and construction consortium is proposing a public-private partnership for a multi-use ferry terminal and port at Marlborough's Clifford Bay.

Further work on tackling the supermarket duopoly is in the wings. The Finance Minister claimed an update is imminent on plans to improve competition in the supermarket sector. She says this has been an issue for decades - and she'll have more to say in coming weeks. Nicola Willis says the announcement won't be a 'silver bullet' but it will reveal what the Government's been working on. "I'm not going to be announcing an international supermarket chain with 50 stores that's going to be opening up next month." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"MP's struggle to identify silver bullet solutions". That was the headline Friday as Jenee Tibshraeny detailed a years worth of work by the Finance and Expenditure Committee that has come up with zip. Oh they have made recommendations, don't get me wrong. Imagine what it would look like if they had been toiling away for a year and came up with a blank piece of paper. But without telling you I told you so... I told you so. Here is the difference between us and them. They entered this particular exercise with an ideological or conspiratorial bent. The opposition and their ideas involve public ownership, Māori banking theories and all sorts of psychobabble that has nothing to do with competition. The Government has the Nicola Willis idea that this is all a scam, the banks are crooks and they are ripping us off. I have argued there is no scam, there is plenty of competition and I have become increasingly convinced the issue really lies in the Reserve Bank and their desire for retail banks to hold gargantuan amounts of money in reserve "just in case". Labour buys into this thinking, which is why they appointed Adrian Orr, who introduced the rules in the first place. The evidence is all around us. Is there choice? Do people swap banks a lot? Do banks openly compete for customers? Can you do deals through brokers, or directly? Yes, yes, yes and yes. Would more banks help? Probably, but there is nothing stopping them opening. So, the committee has no silver bullet. Do you know why? Because there isn't one. Because guess what - the system isn't broken. No, it's not perfect. It's what happens with limited markets and small populations. As I have said to Nicola Willis all along, if you've got an answer, do it. Pull the trigger, show us your trick and wave your wand. But one year of searching tells you one thing. If you look at things with an open mind, you wouldn't have gone down the rabbit hole. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the podcast... -Political Firestorms: Calls for Nicola Willis' Removal - Shane Jones calls out the hypocrites who wanted to ban coal - Stuart Nash & Ashley Church Panel Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chief Instagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast  TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The OCR dropped by 25 basis points to 3 percent today, with the MPC divided about the cuts. This indicates the economy is not in a good spot - where does this leave the Government? Winston Peters is offering to give public evidence at the Covid inquiry - is this a stunt? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 20 August 2025, acting Reserve Bank Governor Christian Hawkesby speaks to Heather about the decision to cut the OCR down to 3 percent - and why the bank didn't go for a bigger cut. How many more days will students be off school because of striking teachers? The union's Chris Abercrombie tells Heather they're hoping to get a better pay deal from the Government. Things are going from bad to worse for Fletcher Building. CEO Andrew Reding tells Heather they're a victim of the economy which hasn't been this bad since the 80s. Should your life insurance company have access to genetic tests you do, and hike your premium as a result? Plus, the Huddle debates the state of the economy and whether Nicola Willis is in the danger zone. 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.

National's Nicola Willis and Labour's Carmel Sepuloni spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Can I ask a question about parents? I watched Erica Stanford do a press conference yesterday at a school in Wellington while launching the writing action plan. While I was watching that I was reading a story about Nicola Willis, who it was suggested by people in London might be the next Prime Minister. She had gone to the New Zealand Society on her trip last week. She stood there in a tangerine suit and there had been a buzz about the room as they wondered whether this was New Zealand's next Prime Minister. It was a weird story, and it means nothing, but if it ever came down to it, I would take Stanford over Willis all day long. She is a force of nature and if you ever want to see a minister in charge of detail, watch her in a classroom in front of cameras. You won't fail to be impressed. The bad news though is part of the day involved the release of yet more data showing our kids in Year 3, 6, and 8 are in real trouble when it comes to maths and reading. Only a small minority are where they should be. A small minority. The claim at this stage by Stanford is what they have introduced, and are introducing, is the turnaround plan. It's the magic, the cure, and the panacea. Not that it makes it better, but the numbers out yesterday were marked against some of the new standards, hence the massive failure rate. This stuff is benchmarked internationally. Once, not long ago (maybe when I was at school), in a lot of stuff we led the world. Today we are so far from leading the world it makes you want to cry. Stanford isn't crying. She speaks in a way that suggests she knows something the rest of us don't, like she has seen the future and it is bright. Or could it be she just hopes it is and is faking it till she makes it, because the gap between where our kids are and where they need to be is gargantuan? So, back to the parents. Where are they? Maths can be sort of tricky, if you want to find an excuse, but reading and writing isn't. A kid who can't read or write properly by high school is a reflection of their home life, as much as the school. Schools take too much heat. Governments take too much heat. If your kid can't write or read and your kid is 12 or 13, where have you been? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is defending the Government's move to scrap the Cook Strait mega-ferries - and claimed costs would have blown out on the original project. The Hyundai dockyard contracted to build the boats has received a total $222 million for the canned project, which includes a net $144 million final settlement. $300 million had been provisioned. Nicola Willis says the plans were not progressing well - and they were tied up in all sorts of additional complications. "There was a very reasonable reality that the port side of the infrastructure would not have been built in time for the ferries to have arrived, and that, therefore, they wouldn't have been able to be used." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions to Ministers Hon CARMEL SEPULONI to the Minister for Pacific Peoples: Does he stand by his statement, "We absolutely have endeavours to get Pasifika people into employment"; if so, why? TEANAU TUIONO to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Does he agree with the Prime Minister that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "lost the plot"; if so, why? CATHERINE WEDD to the Minister of Finance: What reports has she seen on COVID-19 and the economy? Hon KIERAN McANULTY to the Minister of Housing: How many social houses funded in the 2024 and 2025 Budgets have been built? SCOTT WILLIS to the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology: How many jobs, if any, have been lost in the science sector since the formation of this Government? SAM UFFINDELL to the Minister of Health: What recent announcements has he made about health infrastructure? CAMILLA BELICH to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Will she formally consider the report to be published by the People's Select Committee on Pay Equity next January; if not, why not? Dr HAMISH CAMPBELL to the Minister for Mental Health: What recent announcements has he made in relation to a promotion campaign for better mental wellbeing for New Zealanders? ARENA WILLIAMS to the Acting Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (Grocery Sector): Does she agree with Nicola Willis, who said in 2023 that "National will take action to get food prices under control once more"; if so, why are food prices still going up under her watch? Dr DAVID WILSON to the Minister for Resources: What recent reports has he seen on the New Zealand resources sector? TIM VAN DE MOLEN to the Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing: What is the Government doing to support small businesses? LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE to the Minister of Internal Affairs: Does she stand by her statement that online casino-type gaming providers should not have to make community returns because that would create "a perverse incentive to increase gambling activity in order to increase revenue for these organisations"; if not, why not? Question to Member INGRID LEARY to the Chairperson of the Health Committee: Were any items of business relating to Health NZ removed from the Health Committee agenda this week after the agenda was originally distributed and before the meeting took place; if so, what were they?

National's Paul Goldsmith is in for Nicola Willis and Labour's Carmel Sepuloni spoke to Corin Dann.

The Finance Minister says the latest One-News Verian poll shows the fight is on. Chris Luxon's popularity has dropped to a two-year low, while National sit steady on 34 percent and Labour shoots up four to 33 percent. Today's earlier Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll predicted a hung Parliament. Nicola Willis says it comes down to who people trust to steer the economy. "The reality is, the economy is still recovering. And that means that we're not seeing instant overnight success - we never claimed that we would - but we are doing the right thing." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Treasury report has pointed out that government spending is still near its peak during the pandemic. This comes after finance minister Nicola Willis said her government won't repeat the previous government's mistakes. Former finance minister Ruth Richardson told Heather duPlessis-Allan that ‘[Nicola Willis] needs to face up to what the Treasury is telling her.' LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says anxiety about tariffs will be playing a part in slowing down New Zealand's economic recovery. Unemployment's reached a five-year high of 5.2%. Economists think it could rise even higher before it starts turning around. Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking tariffs aren't great, but some people may have been more worried than they should be. She says the tariffs will have affected confidence and investment intentions, but it's important to remember that New Zealand is doing okay compared to the rest of the world. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unemployment is tipped to reach a nine-year high on Wednesday. National's deputy leader Nicola Willis and Labour's deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss

The Finance Minister reckons New Zealand will eventually be able to work out a better deal with the Trump administration following last week's shock announcement. President Donald Trump has unveiled a surprise 15 percent tariff on New Zealand - higher than that for both the UK and Australia. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says there's a possibility things could improve, given the changing trading relationship between both nations. "The question for us is - if it does change, does that mean we get better treatment?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister's floating the idea of listing KiwiBank on the stock exchange. Cabinet has given KiwiBank's parent company the green light to raise an extra $500 million. However, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says this won't occur without an electoral mandate. "That will be for individual parties to take a position at the election - but I've been advised that any potential public offering could take place before 2028." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this bonus from our conversation with Labour's Finance Spokeperson, Barbara Edmonds unpacks her approach to tax policy. Following our conversation with Finance Minister Nicola Willis, Barbara raises the question of fairness in how different types of income are taxed, and the need to reassess what's included in New Zealand’s “broad base, low rate” system.Barbara also weighs in on employee share schemes, saying they can lift productivity and give workers a real stake in the businesses they help grow—if the tax settings are right. For more of this episode or our chat with National's Nicola Willis, head to http://linktr.ee/sharedlunchShared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website. Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Reddell, who appears on this show a fair bit, has put the Adrian Orr resignation back in the news. He has a source close to the action that, in simple terms, suggests that Orr packed a sad at a couple of meetings, one of which was with Nicola Willis, the chair of the Reserve Bank Neil Quigley wrote to Orr with a list of concerns over that behaviour, and Orr quit. The underlying issue appears to be the fact the Government were determined to cut the Reserve Bank's budget, which ultimately, they were successful in doing. Why? Because like everything else under the Labour Government, too much money was spent, things blew out and the Reserve Bank had wandered off into new and expensive areas they didn't need to be in. The main point being: essentially what we thought happened, did. Adrian Orr has a short fuse, a fairly elevated sense of entitlement and importance, and didn't like what was unfolding – which is fine. He didn't have to like it and if he disliked it so badly, he could walk, which he did. But, and here is where this is important, he held a critical role in all our lives. People in jobs like that need to exemplary. Exemplary in execution and exemplary in person. He wasn't. He was a failure. Which then takes us back to how he got the job: through Grant Robertson. Not only did Robertson appoint Orr, he reappointed him. Bad people make bad decisions, and those bad decisions go on to have consequences. By way of contrast what do you reckon the pressure on Jerome Powell is like right now? Is Powell yelling and packing a sad? Is Powell going to quit in a massive hissy fit and vanish from the face of the earth without a word? I have a dollar with anyone who wants it that the answer is "no". Maybe Orr doesn't give a monkey's. Maybe Orr is that sort of bloke who's so inflated and mesmerised by himself that he is well past any reputational reflection. Maybe Grant is too. But the damage still sits in our bank accounts and rates bills and economic funk to this day. The bloke who stuffed the joint, packed a sad and stormed out, never to be heard from again. It's a sad indictment on a role and influence that should have been handled a great deal more elegantly and with a mile more professionalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicola Willis is defending her decision to seek answers from Fonterra about its prices. The price of butter has almost doubled in the past 14 months because Asia is demanding more, and Europe is producing less. Fonterra is ruling out selling butter to New Zealanders at a lower price than it makes overseas. But Willis told Mike Hosking she has no regrets about raising the issue with the dairy co-op in the first place. She says she can't dismiss an issue lots of New Zealanders are talking about. LISTEN ABOVE 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. Trump: 7/10 He has had a significantly positive week: SCOTUS sacking people has gone his way, deals with Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan, and Australia flipped on beef. Only downside is he's stuck in the Epstein files, and he has cankles. Nicola “mainland” Willis: 4/10 The old "I'm going to teach them a thing or two" trick blew up in her face. NCEA: 6/10 We will wait for the detail, but the idea that the joke that is NCEA gets blown up is no bad thing. Colbert: 7/10 The defence was "but he is number one". But the reality is being number one only counts if you're making money. He wasn't. The helipad appeal: 1/10 This country is too full of timewasters. We had a hearing, everyone had their say, someone won and someone didn't. That's life. Sky TV: 8/10 A small bag of lollies for a buck is good enough, far less a whole TV station. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the Opposition’s plan for our financial future? After our recent conversation with Nicola Willis, we’re talking to Labour's Finance Spokesperson, Barbara Edmonds, about the policies that impact your pay packet and your opportunities. Barbara talks about the challenges facing NZ households, the future of KiwiSaver, and what her economic plan would prioritise. Hear her concerns about replenishing the brain drain and our reliance on property as the path to wealth—and her optimism on the Māori economy, retail investing, and the opportunities AI presents for Aotearoa. Barbara explains why she considers current cuts "blunt and cruel" and sees crypto as a serious consideration for lawmakers. Plus, the mum-of-eight reveals how her own life experiences inform her policy. For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunchShared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website. Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cost-of-living politics reared its head again at Parliament, with MPs exchanging blows over soaring butter prices. Labour accused the coalition of lacking a plan, a claim immediately thrown back at it by a fired-up Christopher Luxon. All this came as Nicola Willis prepares to meet with the global dairy giant Fonterra to hear its take on dairy costs. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch reports.

What do you reckon happened at the big butter meeting? Willis and Hurrell. Nicola and Miles. Is it a meeting that took on a hopeless amount of hype, or was it a sign that at times this Government, and Willis in particular, say stuff that makes them look like they are on to it when perhaps they're not? The reality is these two meet regularly. Fonterra plays an outsized roll in our economy and therefore it would be odd if they didn't meet. But Nicola has this penchant for saying stuff that might lead you to believe she could produce an Uzi out of her handbag and blitz the room. She has the banks, who she keeps telling us are people we should not be locked in a dark room with. She has the supermarkets who, in her Clouseau-type way, suggests she has been ferreting about the isles and has found dastardly deeds. Jacinda had the same predilection when she told us the petrol companies were "fleecing us". It's all good stuff for headlines and attention. It's very good guy/bad guy, and if hot air were rocket fuel she could have flown to the moon and back six times. But is your butter any more affordable? Of course not, and in that is the problem – not with the price, but with Nicola. Wouldn't it be fantastic if there was a scandal, or a rip-off, or some highway robbery? Wouldn't it be awesome if she could tie a butter producer to a chair and waterboard them until they screamed out "yes, yes, yes it's true, the real price is only $3.76 not $8.50". Sadly, it isn't going to happen. Presumably, as if she needed it, Miles worked her through the calculations at last night's meeting. We pay the global price for butter, the irony being in this case that's actually good news because dairy in general is booming and we need something to boom. What we would like to do versus what we have to do, for good reason, are two separate things. That's why butter is the price it is. The real question for Nicola is how many meetings, threats and finger waggles does she have to produce for no change before someone calls her out for being a lot of mouth and not a lot of trouser?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The eye-watering price of butter has prompted Finance Minister, Nicola Willis to ask for a please explain from her former employer Fonterra. Checkpoint has run numerous stories about the cost of the pantry staple, with the price climbing as high as $18 for a tub of semi-soft butter. Fonterra has pinned the price of dairy products here on the global dairy trade auction price, but Willis has questioned why people overseas are getting a better deal. Farmer and former Fonterra Board member Leonie Guiney spoke to Lisa Owen.