Nicola Willis channels Bill English in Budget scene-setter; David Seymour distracts from his own good news story - Audrey Young

OPINION

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Welcome to the Politics Briefing. Finance Minister Nicola Willis did not sugar-coat it yesterday. It has been a grim six months for her, with every Treasury briefing on the economy delivering even more bad news.

“I’ve learned to dread what comes out of the forecasters’ mouths when they come into my office,” she confessed in her pre-Budget speech.

“Given this, I certainly don’t expect any windfalls before Budget day.”

The aim was to lower expectations about the May 30 Budget, and she succeeded.

Sounding rather Churchillian, however, she said it was darkest before the dawn.

In other words, there would be light at the end of the tunnel (the original quote is attributed to English theological Thomas Fuller in 1650 but Churchill is bound to have repeated it).

Eschewing comparisons with the Ruth Richardson era, Willis said it was not the time for an austerity Budget “of the sort suggested by a few commentators seemingly enthusiastic to see the mistakes of history repeated”.

Sounding more like Bill English, she said: “This is a time for care, discipline and restraint”.

She continued the dampening exercise when talking to reporters after the speech: “I think I owe it to people to be honest about [the economy] and not to pretend that on the 30th of May, I’m going to deliver a document that will solve everyone’s problems overnight and wipe every tear from every eye”.

There are three weeks to go before we get to see the Willis Way.

When the waiting is over on May 30, even if it is a Budget that no one celebrates, it should have a strong enough imprint and plan of the minister herself that it requires no comparison with others.

Sushi and sniping

David Seymour created his own distraction from his own good news Budget story this week on school lunches when he decided to call sushi and quinoa “woke food”.

And the Prime Minister was not amused when he was asked about it on the way to the House on Wednesday.

As for Winston Peters, he’s off again on a Pacific mission visiting Melanesian countries Papua New Guinea, the Solomons and Vanuatu, plus New Caledonia and Tuvalu.

Tuvalu, which has a population of 11,500 and recognises Taiwan, is quite the Pacific hot spot.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has been there this week to meet the newly elected PM, Feleti Teo, and confirm a controversial security pact signed by his predecessor allowing Australia to vet security deals it might develop with third parties - such as China.

Meanwhile, I have written a piece (see below) on a new book by Justice David Collins about the establishment of New Zealand’s criminal justice system and the clash of cultures that ensued with Māori.

It has echoes of some of the debates we are still having today. It’s full of historical detail and fascinating cases.

Quote unquote

“If you don’t get that sushi’s woke, then I don’t know how to wake you up” - David Seymour responds to questions about why free school lunches wouldn’t have what he calls “woke” food such as sushi and quinoa.

“I’d just say, given everything that’s going on in this country, do you think that is the most sensible question to be asking?” - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon responds to questions about whether there is such a thing as woke food.

Micro quiz

Trade Minister Todd McClay launched free trade negotiations with which country this week? (Answer below.)

Brickbat

Goes to Labour’s Duncan Webb for a poor attempt at humour on X after David Seymour announced the school lunch programme would be a no-frills option - no hummus or quinoa. Webb’s response: “Do you think [David Seymour] doesn’t like humus [sic] because it’s too close to [Hamas]?”

Bouquet

Goes to Labour’s Willie Jackson for being invited to take part in an Oxford Union debate on May 23 - on the motion that British museums are not very British. He will be speaking against the motion. If you get lost for words, Willie, just use your standby argument - tell the other side they’re: “Hopeless, useless and incompetent!”

Latest political news and views

Tax cuts: Finance Minister Nicola Willis has promised 93 per cent of households will benefit from tax relief in the forthcoming Budget.

Knife crime: Police are developing a strategy to combat knife crime as stabbing incidents increase overseas.

Power crunch: Kiwis woke to the threat of rolling power outages this morning due to a nationwide grid emergency on the coldest day of the year.

Benefits: The Government has introduced a new requirement for Jobseeker beneficiaries to attend a seminar within a fortnight of their benefit starting.

Opinion: The Labour Party needs a bolder leader than Chris Hipkins if it wants to capitalise on National’s missteps, writes Matthew Hooton.

Treaty Principles Bill: A Waitangi Tribunal claim into the Government’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill is under way in Wellington.

Food fight: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was irked by questions from journalists about what foods included in free school lunches were and were not “woke”.

School lunches: It’s out with quinoa and in with sandwiches as Associate Education Minister David Seymour aims to save $107 million a year with a new no-frills school lunch programme.

Genter confrontation: Green MP Julie Anne Genter said she accepted she needed help de-escalating confrontations after she was referred to Parliament’s Privileges Committee.

Justice: Former Solicitor-General David Collins has set out a clash of cultures in his new book on New Zealand’s early justice system.

Fast-track bill: Ngāti Toa Rangatirai has sent a warning to the Government and developers after hundreds marched on Parliament against the fast-track consenting bill.

Water costs: Figures collated by the DIA suggest the Government’s replacement for Three Waters will cost Aucklanders less than Labour’s two attempts at water reform, at least initially.

Wellington housing: Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop has sided with Wellington’s council on most of its alternative proposals to intensify housing in the city.

Controversial comment: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leaders are endorsing an allegation made by one of its MPs that the Government is on a “mission to exterminate Māori”.

Carbon market: A change of government hasn’t seen the carbon price rise as expected, as market participants remain wary of their exposure to regulatory risk.

Voting rules: The Government looks set to overturn a change made in 2020 to allow people to enrol to vote on election day.

Look out for Claire Trevett’s Politics column in the Weekend Herald on the politics of the energy crisis and a feature from me on Christopher Luxon and foreign affairs. Parliament is in recess next week before resuming on Tuesday, May 21 at 2pm.

Quiz answer: The United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven emirates.

Audrey Young is the New Zealand Herald’s senior political correspondent. She was named Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards in 2023, 2020 and 2018.

For more political news and views, listen to On the Tiles, the Herald’s politics podcast.