NZCPR Newsletter: Budget 2026

“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.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Government was right to give billions to defence and forget arts

Geez, how sorry do you feel for Paul Goldsmith at the Music Awards, eh?

So, he's invited to the awards and he hasn't got his mate Chris Bishop with him this time. Bishop didn’t go after what happened with Don McGlashan last year.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: I would argue Budget 2026 wasn't tight enough

Well, you would have done well to heed Nicola Willis’s warnings ahead of this Budget that there would be no spend-up, because there is no spend-up.

There is no money for - well, there is money for the important stuff. You’ve got the schools and the classrooms, and the hospitals, and the Waikato Expressway, and Winston Peters’ pet projects.

Ryan Bridge: Budget spending must be careful and calculated

The Budget is always a fizzer in the sense that most of it is announced days in advance.

There are a few sweeteners on the day, but this time, unless there's a rabbit about to be yanked from a hat, even they might be more Werther's Original than chocolate cake.