“This is a budget that should have been delivered in year one of the Coalition’s term”, according to Economist Cameron Bagrie. He says the if the fiscal discipline shown in Budget 2026 had been applied back then, the outcome would have been paying dividends in the lead up to this year’s election.
Without a doubt, election year budgets can make or break the chances of re-election for governing parties that are struggling in the polls.
And that’s the situation National now finds itself in.
It wasn’t meant to be like this, of course.
Looking back to when the Coalition was first elected, Treasury’s 2024 Budget Policy Statement revealed the extent of the economic mess they had inherited. Labour had left a mountain of debt, run-away spending, and forward funding commitments that accounted for over two‑thirds of the new Government’s operating allowance. It left the Coalition with little capacity to finance their election pledges.
With substantial funding needed to rebuild health, education, law and order, and infrastructure, New Zealand’s economic woes were further exacerbated by an on-going decline in productivity, which Treasury revealed had fallen by almost one percent during Labour’s term in office. The rapid expansion of regulation – and the public service bureaucracy – were identified as key contributors.
Of the many factors that influence productivity, a country’s regulatory burden is one of the most significant. Over their six years, Labour delivered an extraordinary number of new rules and compliance demands to further their socialist reforms. These included embedding the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals ‘into everything we do’, introducing mandatory climate-reporting regimes along with expansive social justice programmes that imposed the identity politics framework of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across the public sector, as well as entrenching the He Puapua goals of tribal co-governance into State decision-making.
With regulations accelerating faster than output, it is little wonder New Zealand’s productivity fell into decline.
As regulation expanded, so too did the Wellington bureaucracy — from 46,000 officials when Labour entered office to almost 65,000 when they departed. This led to activist ideology being embedded throughout the state sector — including the judiciary, education, local government, and tertiary providers. And as a result, the institutional resistance to reform faced by the Coalition was extreme.
To tackle the economic challenges, the new Government adopted the same strategy that Finance Minister Bill English had successfully used to help the country recover from the Global Financial Crisis – and nine years of Labour. That involved keeping a tight rein on government spending while allowing an expanding economy to grow the country out of the financial mess.
Using this model, by the end of their three-year term the Coalition expected to turn the growing deficit into a surplus, to reduce Labour’s massive debt blowout to under 40 percent of GDP – with a long-term goal of 20 percent, and to bring down core Crown spending from almost 35 percent of GDP to 30 percent.
To achieve these goals, they planned to boost economic growth by lowing tax thresholds and reducing red tape – along with eliminating poor quality spending and reprioritising expenditure into areas of greatest need.
With inflation finally coming under control and interest rates falling, the new Government expected growth to increase to an average of almost three percent per year over their three-year term.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan.
The economy failed to ignite because the modest tax cuts were completely overwhelmed by negative forces: rising power and fuel prices driven by extreme climate policies based on “implausible” models, a sharp downturn in construction, public sector cuts, rising unemployment, weakening Chinese demand for exports, and the fact that large numbers of households were stuck on fixed-rate mortgages and couldn’t take advantage of the lower interest rates. All of these contrived to trap the country in prolonged economic stagnation.
On top of that, the Coalition’s key objective of reducing red tape and regulation stalled, leaving businesses struggling with high costs and delays.
Then, when the outlook was finally looking brighter at the beginning of this year, events in the Middle East brought critical fuel shortages and supply chain disruptions that have impacted heavily on the economy.
In other words, National’s strategy of growing the country out of the economic decline they inherited from Labour, hasn’t worked. In hindsight, Cameron Bagrie is right to say that this latest austerity budget is the one that National should have delivered two years ago, especially as it was exactly what their voters were calling for at the time.
With all this in mind, the objective of Budget 2026 was to restore fiscal discipline, keep new spending tightly constrained, and reduce the size of government by redirecting savings to priority frontline services and infrastructure. Rather than immediately terminating many of the programmes deemed to be no longer necessary, with an election only months away and the Coalition no doubt anxious to avoid the inevitable political backlash that occurs when funding dries up, an incremental approach has been adopted, delaying many of the real cuts to future years.
A series of pre-Budget announcements revealed both the direction and the trade-offs of their approach, with the public service a key target.
Their goal is to eliminate around 8,700 core public service roles by mid-2029, merge government agencies, introduce a ‘sinking lid’ on budgets, and require a greater use of AI and digital tools. As a result, they expect $2.4 billion in savings over four years, which will be redirected into priority areas such as education (literacy and numeracy), health (disabled care, ambulance services, and mental health response), defence (fleet renewal, maritime security, and new drones), border security (enhanced drug detection and cargo scanning), and infrastructure (hospitals, schools and roads).
Budget Day announcements delivered more of the same: financial restraint across the board through funding reprioritisation, with spending focused on health, defence, transport, education, and infrastructure.
Trades training was a major winner gaining enough funding from the scrapping of the fees-free tertiary scheme, to double the number of Trades Academy places from 10,000 to 20,000 over the next four years, with extra funding available for those with no qualifications to attend trade schools. In addition, new vocational education pathways will be provided in schools to align more closely with real-world labour market demands.
A further 1,000 Youth Guarantee places will also be funded to target 16-to-24-year-olds with low or no qualifications, providing wrap-around support and a direct pathway into apprenticeships.
Other new initiatives include $450 million set aside in an “emergency savings account” to provide support should the Middle East conflict worsen; a new levy on banks to fund their regulator, the Reserve Bank; an increase from $1,000 to $10,000 in the amount not-for-profits can earn without paying tax; and a $100,000 cap on donors gifting to charities they control themselves to limit risks.
As a result of these measures, Treasury predicts the economy will grow on average by 2.7 percent over the next four years, rising to 1.2 percent this year, and peaking at 3.2 percent in 2028. Annual inflation is projected to rise to 4 percent this year, before returning to the target range of 1 to 3 percent for the rest of the forecast period. And unemployment is also expected to peak this year at 5.5 percent before falling back to 4.3 percent in 2030.
The Coalition is, of course, claiming responsible economic stewardship, as the debt will finally start tracking down towards their 40 percent goal the year after next, the long-awaited surplus will finally arrive the year after that, and core Crown expenses will fall to their 30 percent of GDP target, the year after that!
So, while the Budget has addressed many of the challenges New Zealand faces, it has failed to tackle the “elephant in the room” – the unaffordable cost of superannuation and healthcare for the rising number of retirees.
Proper reform in this area is an issue that this week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, former Finance Minister Sir Roger Dougles, has long argued is critical for the New Zealand’s future economic wellbeing:
“New Zealand’s serious superannuation problems began in 1976 when the Muldoon Government replaced Labour’s compulsory super savings scheme with a Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) system. That single decision changed everything. PAYGO allowed politicians to make generous promises without having to fund them properly. It created massive unfunded liabilities — IOUs that future generations would have to pay. Today those unfunded liabilities stand at around $2 trillion. The burden falls squarely on the young.
“Successive governments have conveniently kept these liabilities off the official books, misleading the public about the true state of our finances. This is not just bad accounting — it is dishonest politics.
“The Government’s latest Budget continues the pattern of short-term political management rather than the deep structural change New Zealand now desperately needs. While some restraint is being shown in public service numbers, the hard decisions on superannuation, welfare dependency, and genuine incentives for self-reliance are once again being avoided.
“Looking ahead to the next 50 years, the problem is stark. The $2 trillion in unfunded liabilities we now face is growing by around $80 billion each year. Unsustainable welfare promises, combined with a serious lack of competition and choice in public services including education and health are locking New Zealand into long-term decline.
“We cannot keep kicking the can down the road. The unfunded liabilities are real. The demographic pressures are real. The declining productivity and growing dependency are real. It is time for honesty and courage.”
Sir Roger has long argued that the only sustainable answer to the rising cost of pensions and healthcare for an ageing population is a system built on personalised superannuation accounts, along with a universal health insurance scheme. He maintains that such a model would transform New Zealand’s long‑term outlook and allow Kiwis to retire with substantial savings, thanks to the ‘magic’ of compound interest over a working lifetime. But he also concedes the idea is unlikely to appeal to politicians, since it would shift a significant proportion of taxpayers’ money into individual accounts rather than leaving it under their control.
In Singapore — a powerhouse country with a similar population and a system built on compulsory retirement savings and universal health insurance — individual savings have built the Central Provident Fund into a vast capital base that underpins national development, allowing government spending to remain at just 18 percent of GDP, roughly half of New Zealand’s 32.6 percent.
This is a compelling illustration of the benefits of a savings-based system. Singapore has created a massive, fully funded pool of national wealth that individuals own to finance their own retirement, healthcare, education and housing. Unlike New Zealand’s Pay-As-You-Go superannuation framework – which creates large unfunded future liabilities – Singapore’s model delivers robust social outcomes with lower taxes and minimal government spending, fostering personal responsibility over state dependency.
The need to address superannuation was also highlighted by all three credit rating agencies in their measured response to Budget 2026.
Both S&P and Fitch affirmed New Zealand’s AA+ rating with stable outlooks, while Moody’s kept its Aaa rating but maintained a negative outlook. All three agencies welcomed the Government’s efforts at public service restraint and reprioritisation but expressed disappointment at the slow pace of fiscal consolidation. Notably, all three rating agencies highlighted the need for reform of New Zealand Superannuation, warning that without changes the long-term fiscal pressures from an ageing population will become increasingly unsustainable. They noted that the return to surplus has been delayed yet again, that core Crown spending remains well above pre-COVID levels as a share of GDP, and that net debt is still forecast to peak higher than previously expected.
The rating agencies made it clear that while the Budget shows prudent short-term management, it falls short of the more ambitious structural reform needed to put New Zealand’s finances on a truly sustainable long-term footing. While the direction is positive, the trajectory is tediously and unnecessarily slow.
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THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Do you give Budget 2026 the thumbs up, thumbs down, or a yawn?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| It is a responsible budget. Of course the Coalition could have been tougher in some areas but it is Election year and I would rather get them back to continue the job than lose to mayhem again. | Anne |
| Better than a Budget from the Left – just! Should have been done in 2024 and will all 8,700 public servants’ roles be terminated – I doubt it! | Monica |
| Not hard enough. | Irene |
| Slow and steady, the economy will improve. | william |
| I want to see some harder decisions made, only absolutely necessary spending Go hard, put us back at the top. Vote Act or NZ First | Carole |
| Axing over staffing in public sector roles, Reckless taxpayers money been given to Maori, and the list goes on was a pre election promise National and the coalition made took along time to get actioned if at all. | Wayne |
| Hard work to make any sense of the restraint needed to keep our head above water. | Murray |
| At least Nicola is not going all out as per Robinson and splashing the cash, sure they should have been installing greater control earlier, but better letter than never. I think it is positive, just not happy with Winston stopping or not allowing reform of nation super age entitlement. That has to change and be increased. | Peter |
| A thumbs up to a degree, but not progressive enough. Sir Roger is right; superannuation overhaul and a complete rethink is mandatory | Peter |
| A bit late and gutsy just before an election but delays justified by several grenades tossed in. Now imperative to follow through with haste. | Mike |
| But I endorse the view that this budget should have been delivered in year one and not year three of this government! | Peter |
| Its going to hurt either way. Labor to blame for the shambles we are in at present. Send them the invoice. | mike |
| Didn’t go far enough in reducing Government expenditure. Too little too late. | caren |
| Promises remain unfulfilled! The Singapore example illustrates competent governance of a population only slightly more than NZ,, but is assisted by the island’s lack of the extensive the infrastructure that is required to service New Zealand. | Gary |
| Thumbs up, yes i think the Government is on the right track with the budget as it’s way past time to stop the freebies and handouts, it’s time to pull our socks up and put our big boy pants on and get the country back into the black. Get rid of the dept so that the country can go forward on the straight and narrow and stop thinking of what’s in the budget (for me) mentality. because if the other lot were into power the first thing they do is lolly scrambles for all, and next thing is to raise taxes to pay for all the give aways. A budget and an election should be what’s best for the country as a hole, not what’s in it for me. | COLIN |
| Except for the decision on superanuation, it was ok. | Kevin |
| Big decisions are still in the too hard basket. We need to radically slow the social welfare system and introduce far more personal responsibility. | Peter |
| Since the government does not admit it’s spending is much greater than pre Covid regulations it cannot be trusted to release an honest budget. | Ray |
| Nothing much | Rob |
| A good, albeit late, start towards fiscal responsibility | Terry |
| At last they are making government smaller and getting rid of bureaucrats, only 8,000 though. Seymore wanted to axe15,000. | Rose |
| Get back and mske real change, starting next year | Glenn |
| The first step of many in the right direction. | Barbara |
| Nothing for cost of living. | Ann |
| Cut the spending! | Varina |
| My kids and grand kids have already left the country but I feel concern for those kids remaining here who will have to pay the debt my current super causes. | Ray |
| AT last, the Government has started to grapple with the huge problems that confront us. This should have happened in budget 2024. | Keith |
| need to be more specific on action | leo |
| I like Sir Roger believe compulsory superannuation & health care are a must , plus reducing state employees by at least 25,000 ( in Wellingtons bureaucracy) Another area is solo mothers were the more babies you have ( with numerous fathers) the more welfare you receive & the fathers made to pay ( with compulsory DNA of same ) Plus the ongoing intergenerational Free state housing must end as this was never its intended outcome & be for a limited time ( 6months max) The working for families abolished. ACC also to go & personal responsibility by individuals to same & no more subsidising tourists with free healthcare. All climate controlled nonsense applicable to farming etc & huge $$$ removed ( the Paris accord ) China is like India Pakistan the biggest global polluters etc & pay No $$$ & NZ should follow. | Derek |
| not enough done to cut government spending or debt | Tom |
| Get reelected then deal to the welfare stae problem, including superannuation. | DAVE |
| Superannuation costs need to be addressed by raising age for qualification | Don |
| Sorting out the books after Labour’s mismanagement. | Phil |
| Politicians think more of themselves than the people they are supposed to serve. | Harvey |
| It’s a start, but it never goes far enough. | Kelly |
| Thumbs up. Long road to balance the books after labours reckless over spending. Where did the 50% of unspent covid money go? Anyone know? Why would anyone vote labour. It is what labour are not telling us until after the election is so alarming. Then you have the radical greens and maori party, absolute bunch of basket cases and labour will get into bed with these idiots. | Alan |
| Doesn’t go far enough | David |
| Not ballsy enough | Andrew |
| What they inherited along with the fuel crisis, I think that this is definitely a step in the right direction – pardon the pun. | Sue |
| This budget was required a couple of years ago. Having said that it is still a good budget | Graeme |
| Labour lite socialist budget.State 5 times the size it should be.Future very grim for NZ.No wonder our children are moving overseas.Heart breaking. | Pattie |
| Don’t think it went far enough they need to really slash the wasteful spending and put the money where it will do the most good | Peter |
| Only just. No real courage | Chris |
| The approach is too soft. Gutless National with its “lets not offend anyone” approach is avoiding taking the hard ass management strategy needed | Noel |
| No heart in this coalition. Punching superannuants and others on low pay is criminal in a country that should be lifting all citizens. Sir Roger’s idea for superannuation needs to be implimented as soon as possible. | Ian |
| Difficult for the Coalition to catch-up economically, after the $60 billion Ardern Labour wasted on the fraudulent Covid fiasco, not to mention the $millions given to Maori bikie gangs. She bankrupted NZ then escaped!! | Theodora |
| It’s a mediocrity brought about by an election year otherwise I suspect it would be worse. They are merely managing the pace of decline rather than halting it. | John |
| The Govt has not done what it promised and has failed to reduce the massive unnecessary costs of a highly bloated public service. That’s where huge savings should be made – get rid of 30,000 of them | Gordon |
| I dont trust any of the govts Labour or National they are not for ordinary NZealanders & promises made before the election usually are forgotten. I think a law that ALL poleticians MUST get nz tax payers views before making THEIR LAWS as I dont think they really care about us tax payers. | Cindy |
| Great extra funding for trades and education and health Not enough cuts in earlier budgets | Gaye |
| Better late than never | Peter |
| Not enough! | Roger |
| Just should have been the 1st budget. Then maybe there would have been wriggle room to give the beneficiaries who only look at what’s in it for them ( not all)a bit to sway their vote. National, nz 1st and Act need to stop fighting for each others votes but gain the opposition votes. | Rita |
| Cameron Bagrie said it all. | Dan |
| Luxson could not lie straight in bed . Campaigned on reducing Grubberment staff and getting rid of the Maori shit and he lies | Greg |
| Sum this Budget up in two Words, Election Year. | Geoff |
| Timid.The singaporean construct appeals.what a dunderhead muldoon was.the huge interest bill on our previous borowing is crippling | gale |
| It never does anything for our family. | Kim |
| OK for now. What else could be done ?? A curb on increasing Maori intervention in all aspects of our lives — all too gutless to oppose them. | Alan |
| Too many lost opportunities! | Kevin |
| I get sick of working finding young people with no ambition to even want to work. Jacinda taught every one the government will look after u. my question is what with. Bring in work for the dole. | michael |
| Should have been introduced 2 years ago, as Cameron has stated | Noel |
| Too late. Should have been delivered after the last election and to long coming into effect. | Gaylene |
| I gave it the thumbs up, but it should have been done sooner. Much sooner. As for the embedding of Labours UN led agreements, these should have been done away with. I would hope, that if National or this current Coalition were elected again, that they will ensure that it is undone. | Heather |
| Not addressing the core problems | Lynton |
| I will give a thumbs up with a proviso. Considering what they have left to play with, I consider one could call it ‘the best they could do with what they had to play with. | Helen |
| Does not go far enough. | Vic |
| Difficult for the Coalition to recover from the outlandish Labour Party spending ($ Billions) on the fraudulent Covid fiasco, extreme donations to Bikie gangs etc. | Theodora |
| A step in right direction considering circumstance. Next term can tackle more aggressively if economy improves | Richard |
| Better than nothing, but if they are scared of political backlash from cutting spending they need to worry about the BIGGER political backlash from NOT CUTTING SPENDING. The ‘unambitious’ sinking lid on the Public Service also indicates that they are NOT IN CONTROL of this. They COULD repeal much of the legislation on which many of the spurious departments, ministries and agencies are created and drop the numbers this way. As it is, their approach invited the activists to weed out those who are not on the same page and make things worse. There are too many things which we can criticise o have any faith that the current government is good enough to vote for. | Ken |
| Who do we vote for. The current coalition have many shortcomings, but we don’t need the Marxist opposition to govern again either. | Hugh |
| NZ has to recover some debt – tighten the belt and get on with it. | Clive |
| Progress | Dave |
| Necessary fiscal restraints needed to work to wards a better economy for the country | Brenda |
| Some people had expected a miracle when the Coalition was elected to fix NZ in a hurry. It has been a had slog for the last three years give credit where credit is due.. Where were all the experts when the Coalition needed support to get there chnges passed. New Zealander should think back to when most people had a Personal Pension scheme in some form or another and the Politicians of the day changed the Country’s economic direction. Aka Roger Dougles. | Frank |
| Carrots are appearing as the election approaches! Plus a government seemingly content with the reported growing racial divide – Street names in Hastings now appearing in Yellow above historical black English names! When was this change discussed and voted on in Hawkes Bay? Was this voted for in Hastings Council by some or several unelected now no longer eledgeable Council appointed supporters? Something doesn’t sound too good if I’m correct? | Stuart |
| Not nearly enough economic restructuring Still borrowing like a drunken sailor | Geoff |
| It didn’t cut hard enough | David |
| Suppuration costs need to be reduced and compulsory saving for an age pension for all is needed now | Malcolm |
| It has been delivered 3 years too late buy a National dominated Govt to gutless to do what is correct–and in the country’s best interests. | William |
| is probably what is needed but I think it will be the end of National and the existing coalition. The incoming Government will really be a mixture of the “Weird Mob” and will really screw things. The Country will be stuffed. “God Defend New Zealand” | Bruce |
| Not the ultimate but a bold effort | Tony |
| An amazing budget in the circumstances. | Ian |
| Because it doesn’t address structural reform we need | Lesley |
| I think its reasonable, but it annoys the bejesus out of me that Luxon didn’t immediately cut the grossly oversized public servants Jacinda burden us with. | John |
| This is a great budget for the country. However, it is not a vote-catcher and won’t be popular with everyone. Too many people focus only on their own back pocket rather than looking at the bigger picture and considering the long-term future. Sometimes the best decisions for tomorrow are not the most popular ones today. | Bruce |
| Should have been even tighter but a fair start. | Bill |
| A sidestep rather than the changes needed. No sign of a genuine cut in the wasteful spending and duplication in social services caused by the fixation with identity politics. | Roydon |
| Spineless | Malcolm |
| With conditons outside our control e.g. Trumps tariffs and the middle east war I would give an 8 of 10. Added to thre debt left of 9 billion in interest only before paying back any principal. Under those 8 out of 10 is a great effort. | Stephen |
| Difficult times to do any better- we have to be fiscally responsible – it will be a disaster for the Country if Labour etc get elected | Tony |
| We are still committing $1.4 Billion into the Paris Accord slush fund and hundreds of millions towards upkeep of Maori maraes and more to the ever-growing list of Waitangi Tribunal settlements. There is no reason for our taxes to be spent on climate or according to race. | Robyn |
| Troubling times!! | Chris |
| Two years to late but in the right direction. It must be election year. Acy and N Z First will be the king makers on election day. | Ken |
| Just look how the Government of the day wrecked the savings via Life Assurance, there is no one left, look at the demise of Building Societies all wrecked through tax now there’s no one. | Warren |
| Overdue though | steve |
| Harm was coursed by the previous Labour government meaning so much time and correction has had to be made .we are hoping for better things. Not a government change. | Heather |
| Absolute thumbs up ! | Craig |
| It will take some time for the economy to recover after all the money Labour spent on other things unfortunately and won’t be an overnight fix. | linda |
| Should have had a serious budget when they first got in power like Bagrie says. Still can’t believe some of the polls which have Labour as best for the economy. | Lawrie |
| WHERE did liebour hide $Billion30?? | Mike |
| We are between a rock and a hard place. Superannuation terms must be reviewed | Malcolm |
| Budget Fudget .So Potakas pet ,the maori broadcasting propaganda machine gets $48 million to further their cause of taking over the country and yet there was no money for the prostate health programme who asked for a measly ,by comparison $6.4 million stretched over 3 years. 4000 new cases are diagnosed each year and 700 men die of prostate cancer in that time. What a crock of shit, these decision makers are, and so out of touch they need to be kicked into touch before we end up full blown bro town NZ | GlynJ |
| Proper fiscal moves,finally . Regardless of some maori empty vessel and the lesbian Topp half wit making her last attempt at fame fails miserably Despite some ill advised wanna be ^s claiming the Topp twins are a treasure ,are sorely mistaken .Expected the usual maori droll about not enough spending on the poor hard up maoris ,amazingly the powers that be decided ,no more gravy train yay about time . | Ray |
| Maybe too late to return the govt to power. Not sure that the public in general actually understand NZ’ financial situation. The opposition certainly does not. | Ann |
| More sweet nothings from a timid centre government (i.e. standing for nothing) who have backed themselves into an election year corner. | Tony |
| As you say, should have been delivered in first year | Kay |
| Same shit as always! nothing changes except the eye watering amount of tax they steal from us every year! most of us give half our income away each year and see fk all of nothing for it! we are nothing more than slaves! we get to retirement, exhausted and disillusioned until the sweet release of death! Governments are DONE! we need governance that supports the peoples needs not government greed! | lisa |
| Only part way | Bruce |
| Should have happened ealier | Lindsay |
| Could have been worse. | Tony |
| I am a great believer in Roger Douglas’s economic philosophy. A great pity more people don’t take. Singapore is a great example of where we could have been in 2026 with courageous long term planning | Rod |
| Sensible – well thought out. | Carol |
| Not exciting …. but necessary | Frank |
| A tentative thumbs up. Hopefully the government will survive the election and be given a chance to go further with reforms. With increased influence from Act and NZF of course…………. | Dave |
| Sensible sober budget | James |
| Hard to believe that at this very time -this government should vote an additional $48 million to Maori broadcasting. Why do I focus on this one thing? It seems symptomatic to me of the inaction of this government and especially this National Party which judging by our local MP has simply no idea how far left and how impotent it really is and how this matters because of the caliber of the opposition at this time.. | Roger |
| great | noel |
| Generally positive, although racist spending is still untouched and the bloated public service bureaucracy is barely scratched. Long-term superannuation is not mentioned. | Gavin |
| New Zealand Superannuation will become unsustainable. The budget overall will do nothing to arrest that. | jenny |
| I THINK THIS BUDGET TOLD PEOPLE THAT WE ARE TO BROKE TO GIVE LOLLIPOPS BUT HERE WE GO GIVING HEAPS OUT TO EVERYTHING WEE DONT KNOW ABOUT. A DISASTER | BARBARA |
| Well done A fair budget. | David |
| Very good. | Dianna |
| increasing revenue is all that saves Nicola’s day -so its a higher taxes budget | wayne |
| Steady as we go. | David |
| Maintenance of restraint needed. | Ian |
| Should have been much more proactive at the beginning of their term. | david |
| Probably Willis’ best budget but as you and others say two years to late. In the Coalition Government only ACT seems intent in `Getting NZ Back On Track’ and what National and Peters said in the lead up to the 2023 was bullshit. (Apologies for the language) | pdm |
| Better late than never. | Marilyn |
| I agree, two years too late and still too soft. | Rob |
| NZ is stuffed! Hopefully we put an AI in charge and it comes up with reasonable solutions, because one thing is for sure – the politicians in charge have no clue. Unfortunately all the other English speaking countries are doing the same or worse – so where to move to? | Pete |
| Dud budget from a dud Government | Mark |
| It is a step, but as Cam said, 2 years too late. | Steve |
| Just look at how much just one department burns, The DOC. Then the Ministry of Fisheries. They have basically handed over management to IWI. No accountability at all now. | Michael |
| Good to get rid of some Labour’s excesses and good to see some control over spending money on useless things – but, too little too late. | Don |
| Need more emphasis on productivity and that will open doors on what we can do and afford. No more separatism | Bill |
| Not enough.was done to tackle mistakes made by Labour.previous govt | Dominique Greenslade |
| I agree that it is a move in the right direction, even if later than it should have been. Something along Singapore’s planning seems overdue so I hope our leaders are considering it. The political risk is there, of course, but that is where honest communication can make a vital difference. Let’s hope for all our sakes the Govt acts with courage and conviction. | Barry |
| We would do so much better if we as a nation had no consecutive Governments infiltrated by Globalist agendas and their agents. NZ has turned into a petri dish full of pathogens like the Paris accords ,UNDRIP ,this unholy TOW, and numerous Climate change hoaxes etc. What we need is a radical clean out and a new start. | Michael |
| The type of Budget that should have been their first. | Graham |
| Too little too late. | Andrew |
| Better late than never. | Grant |
| all shows the power of the ideological strategy that Labour Greens etc sneakily injected into the public service, academia and legal professions | Mike |
| ‘Steady as you go’. Need more on defence though, and time to have a serious look at ALL race based funding | Geoffrey |
| The key element is productivity – Examine the huge number of activities we undertake that produce nothing of real value. 1. Cultural matters. 2 Health and Safety,. 3. Climate deception. (8.5 no action) This whole thing is and has been hugely wasteful) Untold time and demoralizing, especially youth. 4. You cannot measure the calamity of issues that have no future benefit, cost a small fortune but create nothing but maybe we are supposed to feel better. Actions Not words. | Maurice |
| But government has been lamentably slow cutting the bureaucracy | Toby |
| $48 Million to Maori TV was a mistake. They should be independent and pay for their own media. Iwis could easily subsidise this. | Peter |
| you need a referendum on the nuclear stuff? | Diane |
| Immediate change is needed | John |
| Reducing central and local govt overheads by 2030 is too late. There are commissioners employed with significant staff to fix up department failures. The people who have failed to produce govt outcomes are still in the system (with excessive income) and need to be moved on. Low productivity needs to be addressed, especially a deep dive into overseas companies that charge excessive management fees and extort profits offshore. A special focus on overseas companies that deliberately strip the assets with the aim of moving production off-shore. | Raymond |
| Realism and pragmatism prevails! | Paul |
| responsible | peter |
| High on the list must be the removal from local and central government policies to retreat from coastal communities, facilities and infrastructure. This has been high on the agenda to return nature as the driving force in management. Infrastructure has been neglected and new favilities have been made too expensive and too difficult to initiate. Council staff have become anticommunity for personal political reasons. This should be illegal and punishable by dismissal. | Richarf |
| It hasn’t addressed the elephant in the room. The extreme waste of money for everything maori. We still have a separatist society whereas maori are the privileged race. The Waitangi Tribunal needs to be scrapped along with everything for maori only, including maori seats in Parliament. | Koreen |
| A budget that supports our health system and interstructure and education is good for all New Zealaders | Alan |
| Hard to follow the mess Labour left us in | Gail |
| What would be a budget that would really get peoples attention would be one that completely stopped funding for any more Treaty claims and any more donations to Moari and Pacific hand outs and let them stand on thier own two feet like the rest of us New zealanders have to do and put the money saved into health care etc,then we would have a good bugget. | Kevin |
| a good commentary NZF – populist ACT – principled | DOUGLAS |
| Oh dear what can National do better! | RICHard |
| Good solid budget, which was needed sooner after labours huge debt from borrowing and spending. Also still do not know where the leftover money from covid went. 50% was not used for covid. Where is it labour? Does any body know? | Allan |
| The idea of masking the Gold Card acceptable for ID has many people believing that it’s a backdoor way of implementing Digital ID. | Janet |
| Maybe next year. | Paul |
| The present coilition Government has had a tough time trying to undo the financial damage to our economy by the last Labour Government but they also need to address the millions going to race based laws and regulations by the last two Government’s. We will never be able to successfully lift our standard of living for our multicultural country if we continue with this grievance industry which is keeping our country poor.Furthermore this present Government is doing well to bring in better Frontline services for everyone regardless of race based laws. | June |
| weeelll…… only to be expected.. | Gill |
| could have been a lot sooner & better. | Chris |
| As per the main comment -it should have been implemented sooner. Lack of courage, integrity and the evolution of free rides in NZ politics have become evident to New Zealanders. So many now are unhappy enough with our leadership to now take a position. Probably also time for our stronger politicians to suggest we make some modifications to our political system(s). | Andrew |
| Its going to Take at least another 10 Years to Fix labours mess | Les |
| A major step in the right direction at last ! | Chris |
| Not enough saving | Wayne |
| Good but could have been done 2 years ago | john |
| It’s less than average | Graeme |
| I believe that the cuts that are only proposed in this budget are what should have been done in the first place. Do an Argentina and cut cut cut then blame it all on the Labour Party. Now they can’t do the blaming and must take the responsibility on themselves. Roger was in the wrong party and has proved that time and again. A savings based scheme is needed and there is no better time to start it than now. | Cookie |
| This is a coalition budget and government it is NOT just a National Budget – MMP is what we got and have to accept this crazy form of democracy | DAVID |
| It would help the economy if Maori businesses paid the same tax as everyone else along with several charities which have dodgy reputations | Gareth |
| We are in a mess because of crooked politicians. | Evans |
| still need to question why so much money to maori broadcasting | john |
| Promises, promises, promises – but the proof of the pudding will look be in the eating. Typical Willis style any meaningful action is deferred to the future. By that time the cake will be stale and unfit for consumption! | Alan |
| Once we all realise that it does not matter which “government” is administering my country, they all answer to the same puppetmasters, and what we are witnessing is political theatre, you know, with actors, directors and producers. Think the Truman Show, the Matrix etc. | Neil |
| on the way at last. | alan |
| about time | robert |
| Too little too late! | Gavin |
| Should have been done in year one. | Alan |
| It is essential that the government considers all aspects of its financial management when planning its budget. They only get one chance! | Murray |
| Disappointed they have not gone far enough with their election promises, we need less bloated beauracracy in Government and much more commitment to getting rid of one race benefiting from the taxpayer dollar | Peter |
| Need to seriously reduce the size of government. Stop welfare for people with useless degrees. | Robert |
| Budgets, always seem like “smoke and mirrors” to me? How can we be sure that our Politicians, are telling the truth… and giving we taxpayers, the correct data? and what have we got to compare their figures with, I think it must be time that we as Taxpayers, demanded the correct data, from them | David |
| Very limited courage or direction | Basil |
| I agree with Cameron Bagrie – something along the lines of this budget should have been delivered straight after the Coalition was elected. Its what we all expected and wanted. I suppose it is better late than never! | David |
| While this budget is definitely going in the right direction, it still lacks courage. I thought the Coalition was going to stop funding race-based initiatives, yet they are still funding things like Maori radio radio and TV. It should stop! | Murray |
| It looks to be a very responsible budget – well done to the Coalition. Here’s hoping that Labour with the Greens and the Maori Party don’t get elected to ruin it all! | Paula |
| Sir Roger Douglas is right – politicians are too gutless to introduce a scheme that would really benefit the country if it means taking power away from them. We need a savings-based scheme like Singapore. Is there a political party prepared to champion this cause? | Henry |
| Thumbs up – good budget. | Phil |