As National's Finance Minister Nicola Willis prepares to deliver her third budget later this month, I wanted to give you brief context on our financial situation as a government.
In short: our fiscal reality is tightening, and there’s no easy way around it.
After years of wasteful spending from Labour through the COVID-19 years, our government now faces a structurally weaker set of books. Nominal debt is higher (currently forecast to be nearly $200 billion this fiscal year!), budget deficits are lingering and will do so until at least until 2028/2029, and the conflict in Iran is causing real uncertainty and pressure for the New Zealand economy.
All of this leads us to an uncomfortable truth: that the gap between what our government collects and what it promises needs to close.
On the revenue side, the problem is cyclical and structural. Slower economic activity means weaker tax revenues. On the spending side, the pressure is only going to get more intense. Healthcare, superannuation, and welfare costs are rising with our nation's ageing population. On top of this, our country faces a massive infrastructure deficit that has been building for decades.
This election, you will no doubt hear from a range of political parties on their proposals to address the financial and economic issues our nation faces.
The options presented by Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are to simply raise more taxes, borrow more and spend more of your money.
National's approach has been and continues to be to slow spending growth, apply a more disciplined approach to prioritise your taxes to boost economic growth, and to cut wasteful expenditure where we can.
The politics of this approach have not been easy, and we have been under fire for stopping what we see is wasteful spending of taxpayer money. However, we believe this is the best path forward for New Zealand's future.
Raising taxes harms economic growth and worsens cost-of-living pressures. And borrowing more pushes public debt higher at a time when interest costs are already climbing.
This year alone our government is set to pay more than $8.8 billion just to service the current debt! That's more than the amount we currently spend on police, justice, corrections and defence.
This election I hope you keep the fiscal challenges that I have outlined above at the forefront of your minds as politicians promise to spend up today at the expense of your children's future tomorrow.
There is very positive news for our community in the ongoing fight against the invasive yellow-legged hornet in our community. Experts are increasingly confident that New Zealand is winning this battle, with recent progress showing the eradication effort is gaining real momentum.
After months of intensive work, response teams have successfully located and destroyed dozens of nests in the wider North Shore area. Importantly, recent surveillance has not identified new nests at the same rate as earlier in the response, suggesting the hornet population is being brought under control.
This is a significant milestone. The programme, supported by a strong community reporting effort, has helped contain the hornets to a relatively small geographic area around Glenfield and Birkdale. Every nest removed represents thousands of hornets that will never emerge, protecting local ecosystems and our vital bee populations.
The lack of recent detections and the strong progress so far give real cause for optimism. Experts describe the situation as one where there is a genuine opportunity to completely eliminate the hornet from New Zealand if this final push is successful.
Community support continues to be a key part of this success. Reports from local residents have played a major role in helping crews locate nests quickly, and ongoing vigilance will help ensure nothing is missed in this final stage.
What you can do:
- Stay alert for unusual wasp activity
- Report any suspected sightings promptly by calling 0800809966 or by emailing info@mpi.govt.nz
- Do not approach or attempt to remove nests yourself
Overall, the message is encouraging. Thanks to the combined efforts of biosecurity teams and the local community, Glenfield is at the forefront of what could become a rare and significant biosecurity win for New Zealand.
Parliament has passed new legislation that will significantly change how transport is planned and delivered in Auckland.
The reforms shift responsibility for transport strategy, planning and local roads from Auckland Transport back to Auckland Council, giving elected members a stronger role in decision making and improving accountability.
A new Auckland Regional Transport Committee will also be established, bringing council and central government together to plan long term priorities for the region.
Auckland Transport will continue to operate, but with a more focused role delivering public transport services such as buses, trains and ferries.
The changes will be rolled out over the next six months, with the goal of creating a more democratice and responsive transport system that better reflects the needs of Auckland communities.
As your local Member of Parliament, I would like to invite you to a public meeting I am hosting with Minister Cameron Brewer, MP for Upper Harbour.
The topic for the meeting will be affordability. As your local MP, I know it has been a tough time for many families struggling with the cost of living, and I welcome the opportunity to engage with you on this important issue.
Event Details:
📅 Date: Wednesday 8 July 2026
🕙 Time: 4.30pm for a 5.00pm start
📍 Venue: Glenfield War Memorial Hall, Hall Road, Glenfield
🎟️ Cost: Free
📞 RSVP: dan.bidois@parliament.govt.nz or 09 481 1089
Light refreshments will be provided.
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I look forward to seeing you out in our community soon.
Regards,
Dan Bidois
MP for Northcote