Latest / Best of Business / Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on the state of the 2026 finance debate

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Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on the state of the 2026 finance debate · Best of Business

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from Newstalk ZB. Follow this
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• 0:16
  Speaker 2: As we mentioned earlier, the Herald's Wellington business editor, Janae Tibshirani,
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  Speaker 2: is at the same debate as Barbara Edmonds. She's with
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  Speaker 2: us now. Hi, Janae.
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  Speaker 3: Hi, Heather.
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  Speaker 2: So it's already kicked off, eh?
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  Speaker 1: How's it going?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, good. It's kicked off. I've just dipped out and
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  Speaker 3: it's just started. There's about 700 people here in Queenstown.
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  Speaker 3: So pretty big turnout. And there seems to be a
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  Speaker 3: lot of energy in the room. So I'm looking forward
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  Speaker 3: to the debate.
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  Speaker 1: Okay.
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  Speaker 2: Who do you think is likely to come in with
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  Speaker 2: the strongest arguments? I'm picking David Seymour would have some
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  Speaker 2: good arguments because this is his wheelhouse, isn't it?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, look, I mean, David's big on the economy. Nicola
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  Speaker 3: Willis has had a whole term in government as the
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  Speaker 3: finance minister to practice answering these questions. I'll be interested
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  Speaker 3: to see how Kewle Wong goes, because as people might
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  Speaker 3: have watched the debate last night, she was seen to
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  Speaker 3: be a strong performer. Same with Chloe Swarbrick. Shane Jones
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  Speaker 3: is in there as well. These are all some of
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  Speaker 3: the best politicians in terms of debating, politicking, spinning a yarn.
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  Speaker 3: I think it should be a pretty entertaining debate.
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  Speaker 2: I think the person who will probably have it the hardest,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, there'll be two people having it the hardest,
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  Speaker 2: don't you think? It'll be Barbara Edmonds, because she's going
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  Speaker 2: to come under a lot of heat for the capital
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  Speaker 2: gains tax, because that thing is flimsy as all hell.
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  Speaker 2: But Nicola Willis as well, because she's going to be
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  Speaker 2: copying it from both sides, from her right and her left.
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  Speaker 3: Well, that's the thing, you know, like a lot of
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  Speaker 3: what National is pitching for is maybe not resonating with
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  Speaker 3: people because they're not big, bold ideas. Other than their
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  Speaker 3: policy for KiwiSaver contributions to be compulsory, which I think
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  Speaker 3: is a really big deal, a lot of what National's
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  Speaker 3: pitching for is just, you know, for the same to
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  Speaker 3: be continued, for there to be some stability, to get
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  Speaker 3: the sort of macroeconomics of the economy sorted. You know,
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  Speaker 3: there is no cost of living crisis if inflation is
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  Speaker 3: down significantly. supply equals demand in the economy, all that stuff. Now,
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  Speaker 3: the problem is that stuff is fundamental, but maybe it's
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  Speaker 3: a bit boring. It's not as interesting in a debate
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  Speaker 3: than if you can come out and say we're going
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  Speaker 3: to give free money to this group or we're going
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  Speaker 3: to do this fancy scheme or that. And that's what
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  Speaker 3: some of the other parties are coming out with. So
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  Speaker 3: I think that's what's kind of putting National on the
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  Speaker 3: back foot, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.
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  Speaker 2: Hey, you've been looking at Acts Pledge to return the
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  Speaker 2: rental loss ring fencing, right? The value in this is
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  Speaker 2: to what? Take pressure off the landlords to have to
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  Speaker 2: hike up the price of the rental?
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  Speaker 1: Yes.
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  Speaker 3: Look, so I don't know if people remember, but before 2019,
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  Speaker 3: if you were a property investor, you could, and you suffered.
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  Speaker 2: A lot Yeah, I think we'll have to leave it there. Sorry, Janaye,
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  Speaker 2: the AI has got a hold of your line and
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  Speaker 2: is really mucking around with it. That was Janaye Tibshirani.
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  Speaker 2: Enjoyed the debate, by the way, mate. Janaye Tibshirani, the
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  Speaker 2: Herald's Wellington business editor.
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