PremiumThomas CoughlanPolitical Editor·NZ Herald·29 May, 2026 05:00 PM8 mins to readFinance Minister Nicola Willis' Budget this week was aimed at securing New Zealand's future and may also have helped her own political one. Photo / Mark MitchellKEY FACTSThe Government did not announce additional cost-of-living relief in the Budget beyond an already announced $50 a week increase to Working for Families.Finance Minister Nicola Willis presented numbers showing an earlier return to surplus. The Budget included $2.4b in cuts to departmental baselines. Every Finance Minister complains about a lack of options. No matter which party they’re from, Finance Ministers are squeezed by voters’ desire for more and better public services and their limited appetite to pay higher taxes for them.
Nicola Willis has endured more of this squeeze than
