Matthew Hooton: Budget Reveals We’re Going Broke Faster than We Knew

Matthew Hooton: Budget reveals we’re going broke faster than we knew

Whatever its other merits – and they are few and far between – Nicola Willis’ second Budget at least forces Labour to admit it must introduce massive new...

New Zealand stuck in red as government chases growth

New Zealand is mired in deficits and debt, with Finance Minister Nicola Willis's second budget showing the nation's...

How can research contribute to economic growth if it’s not funded properly?

For New Zealand to innovate and compete, science investment must increase as a proportion of GDP, argues MacDiarmid Institute director Nicola Gaston. In New Zealand, a lack of strategy and research funding – by both the current and previous governments – has been well documented, most comprehensively in the first report by the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG), released late last year. If there is one word that sums up the current state of N…

GUEST BLOG: Tadhg Stopford – Lies of Willis & Treasury : Budget 25

Nicola Willis’s economic policy is not just cruel. It is unlawful in spirit, negligent in practice, and treasonous in consequence. This is no longer a political disagreement. It is a case of fiduciary breach, maladministration, and coordinated public harm. Let’s walk through how and why.   What Is Fiduciary Duty in Public Office? Public office is not a slogan. It is a sacred trust — a legal and moral duty to act: In good faith With competence An…

New Zealand: Fiscally adrift – Standard Chartered

Federal government kept its objective of going back to a surplus by FY29; however deficit course has actually broadened materially. Development projections were reduced throughout the projection horizon. Near-term issuance cut, however overall loaning over the projection horizon modified up by NZD 4bn. The budget plan does little to move the near-term financial policy outlook, Requirement Chartered’s economic experts Bader Al Sarraf and Nicholas…

Tackling New Zealand’s rising tax debt

The Government will boost its investment in chasing tax evaders, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says.  “Hard-working Kiwis who pay their taxes are being ripped off by tax cheats who deliberately evade their obligations,” he says. “New Zealand’s tax debt rose to $8.5 billion by the end of 2024. At a time when the Government is carefully managing every dollar to fund the essential frontline services Kiwis rely on, it’s essential we crack down on tho…