Damien Grant: Nicola Willis has betrayed the principles she once championed

“We must back our risk-takers, innovators, and entrepreneurs who put their capital and livelihoods on the line to produce a product, idea or new way of doing things.

“We must back the hard workers, those who go the extra mile, who toil day in day out to make progress for themselves and their families. The dairy owner who works twelve hours a day, six days a week, with one week off at Christmas.”

The above two paragraphs are inspiring; words I could have written in defence of the diligent, productive and determined Kiwis who have worked impossible hours to build and own their small share of the Foodstuffs co-operative and did so in a country that believed in protecting the property rights of its citizens.

Well. I did not write them. Nicola Willis did. They come from her maiden speech.

Ryan Bridge: Nicola's supermarket bust up isn't serious

Nicola's supermarket smash-up is not serious.

She's playing a very risky political game and she knows it.

Cost of living is the only game in town this election – win on the cost-of-living battle and you win the war.

Ryan Bridge: Labour's fallen for Nicola's election trap

Labour's fallen into a cunning wee trap set by Nicola Willis a few weeks ago.

She laid the bait —releasing 'fiscal rules' her party would abide by if re-elected— and challenged Labour to do the same.

On the weekend, they took the bait and released their own 'fiscal strategy'. Which is different form their 'fiscal plan' – more on that in a second.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Let's make a start on unwinding years of public sector bloat

As you’d expect, I’m a huge fan of Nicola Willis’ plan to cut down the size of the public sector.

This is the second issue I’ve been harping on about to her. The other one was, obviously, the fees-free year for university students. So I’m stoked that, on this show, we’re two from two in terms of agitating for cutting back on wasteful public spending.

Ryan Bridge: Nicola Willis is right not to splash the cash

A 1pm presser and Covid‑style alert levels.

This fuel price spike is bringing back bad memories from those dark days of lockdown.

But a few facts help put things in perspective.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Nicola Willis needs to be braver and cut more

It's no surprise that Nicola Willis has pushed out the 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.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Nicola v Ruth - bring it on

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.

Perspective with Ryan Bridge: What will the Willis-Richardson debate do for Nicola's credibility?

This Nicola Willis-Ruth Richardson showdown looks like it'll go ahead next week after the HYEFU release.

As you'll know from listening to this show on Monday night, Nicola's not happy with Ruth. And Ruth isn't too happy with Nicola.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The GDP numbers are the fault of the Reserve Bank, not Nicola Willis

How is it that we are having a conversation today about whether Nicola Willis needs to quit her portfolio because of yesterday's shock GDP number?

This is crazy. What happened yesterday is not Nicola Willis's fault. It is the Reserve Bank's fault. It is not a matter of opinion. It is a fact.

Ryan Bridge: The waiting game continues for the economy

Has Nicola Willis failed on growth in her year of growth?

So far, yes.

We’ve gone nowhere in six months. Q2 basically wiped out Q1.

Should she resign?

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Why did Nicola Willis hype the Fonterra meeting?

So guess what's happening after Nicola Willis' butter meeting with Fonterra last night? Nothing.

After hyping the meeting, after Mikey chasing Miles down the street, after the news going live with the banner across the TV that the Fonterra meeting is underway, after all of that - nothing is happening because nothing can happen, because Fonterra's not ripping us off.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Will Nicola Willis' tight Budget go far enough?

I want to talk a little bit more about Nicola Willis’ tight budget - I haven’t changed my position from yesterday and I'm impressed at how little she’s giving herself to play with.

But the truth is, it doesn’t go far enough - at all.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Can Nicola Willis pull off her no new money budget?

If Nicola Willis can pull this Budget off, it'll be impressive, because she has written a budget, by the looks of things, that is so tight, there is basically no new money.

If you haven’t caught up on this, Nicola Willis gave a speech this morning in which she announced she was cutting back her new spending in this budget hugely.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: Does Finance Minister Willis need to "take advice" on everything....

Does Finance Minister Willis need to "take advice" on everything, including what to eat for lunch?

1. Finance Minister Willis was asked whether she wanted to change legislation to force the Reserve Bank of NZ to cut capital requirements that are currently being imposed on our Big Banks. She replied, “Whether or not I need to do that is something I’m taking advice on”.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: How to Break Monopoly power in the NZ Economy....

Finance Minister Willis Challenges DownToEarth.Kiwi to give her "ideas" about how to Break Monopoly power in the NZ Economy. Here they are.

When interviewed by Heather du Plessis-Allan on Newstalk ZB yesterday, Finance Minister Willis said, "And I'd like to put this out to Robert MacCulloch: if he has more ideas on how we can drive competition in the NZ economy, to break up some of these duopolies that are making too much money out of New Zealanders, then I am up for those ideas". I've already done so. Her National Party rejected them. Despite knowing some of her colleagues, who've asked whether she'd like to meet to me, she never did. Why not?

Professor Robert MacCulloch: Finance Minister Willis is Sitting on a Gigantic Fiscal Hole....

Finance Minister Willis is Sitting on a Gigantic Fiscal Hole - she's conjured Figures in Budget 2024 that Contradict Treasury's Long Term Fiscal Forecasts.

Should the assertions in this Blog be even roughly correct, it looks like Finance Minister has a lot of explaining to do. Where's the evidence? Well, the long term fiscal situation is one my fields in economics - we even flew out the guru on such matters, Larry "Fiscal Gap" Kotlikoff, from the US several years ago. I organized a meeting between him and PM English, as well as other Members of Parliament. The graph below comes from the NZ Treasury's Long-Term Fiscal Forecasts. It was released in 2021. The forecast for 2035 is that the Budget will be in deficit by about 2% of GDP (as measured by the excess of Core Crown primary expenses over Core Crown primary revenues). Given GDP is around $400 billion, we're talking about $8 billion per annum. That kind of number causes our national debt to explode. The excess is mainly due to the ageing population putting pressures on health and pensions spending.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: Finance Minister Nicola Willis - A First Year Economic Report Card

National was elected on the promise of fixing the economy. Not talking about it; but to deliver the goods. Not to do a public relations and marketing job, since we tired of the spin doctors & comms teams under the previous Labour government. National was elected to deliver tangible improvements in our daily lives. How is Finance Minister Willis doing? She has not yet proved herself. She has little over one more year to do so. How come?

Hon Nicola Willis: Need and value at forefront of public service delivery

New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says.

“Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations for needs-based service provision. The circular makes clear that the targeting, commissioning, and design of public services should be based on the needs of all New Zealanders.