ANALYSIS: The coalition Government is about to clear its final hurdle of the term and the race to election day starts now.
The passing of the 2026 Budget is the last task the coalition absolutely has to tick off collectively this term. Passing the budget is a matter of confidence - if you don’t have the votes, game over, government over.
The 2026 Budget, titled “Securing New Zealand’s Future”, felt like the coalition had somewhat expired. They had ticked off the majority of the fundable coalition commitments in earlier years and - judging by its sparsity - couldn’t reach agreement on any extras.
Perhaps that’s why the budget felt so bland. There was no cohesive story to tell other than a responsible hand on the books.
And once the hours of urgency to pass it through the house are over, the three parties are free to split their separate ways.
