Budget 2022: Jacinda Ardern reveals Covid has robbed her sense of taste

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Finance Minister Grant Robertson on Instagram Live. Photo / Instagram

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed on Instagram Live that she has lost her sense of taste since contracting Covid.

Ardern and Finance Minister Grant Robertson spoke on the five minute stream pre-Budget, which started by presenting cheese rolls.

The PM described hers as being "a bit beige" before saying she has lost all her taste.

"I hope that comes back to you soon," Robertson said.

"I'm sure it will," she replied.

(Article continues beneath live blog)

Ardern asked Robertson how he was feeling on Budget morning.

"Really good actually ... every Budget has its own challenges and obviously the way the world is has made this one really hard to put together," Robertson said.

"Getting the balance right of what we are going to do for people right now and what we need to do to get the right health system and address climate change."

He said the Budget has a good balance and he was feeling good about that.

Remote cheese rolls this year, and Le Roy doing the honours of delivering PM’s tie gift. pic.twitter.com/Yv2knR1QDo

— Thomas Coughlan (@coughlthom) May 18, 2022

The PM spoke about the tradition where on Budget morning she would pop down to the Finance Minister's office to gift a tie.

This year that was delivered to Robertson in an envelope. A black tie with red bubble prints.

Jacinda Ardern's annual Budget Day gift for Grant Robertson is a new tie.

"I'm not in your bubble, but I'm next to your bubble," Ardern said.

"It's beautiful," Robertson said.

Robertson said the world was an "uncertain and volatile place" at the moment.

He said the big focus of today's Budget would be around health.

"We've been very careful in the way we've put this Budget together...we want people to see that we've got that balance right."