On the Campaign, September 29: What you missed on the election campaign today

National's finance spokesperson Nicola Willis at the Mood of the Boardroom. Photo / Michael Craig

A bold statement by National’s Nicola Willis at today’s Mood of the Boardroom could come back to haunt a National-led government post-election.

Speaking at the Herald-run event in a debate against Labour’s Grant Robertson, Willis ramped up rhetoric against NZ First and Winston Peters.

Earlier this week, National leader Christopher Luxon said he would pick up the phone to Peters if he had to after the election to form a coalition, but his preference would be a National-Act coalition.

Willis went further though, telling the audience: “I don’t want to go into Government with NZ First” when asked about financial demands NZ First might make.

NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan was in the room, and told On the Campaign, the Herald’s daily election podcast: “I think why that’s significant is that, if she does have to go into government with them - and the polls suggest that that’s one of the more likely outcomes of the election - then everyone will know for the rest of next term that the government that Nicola Willis is finance minister of is not one that she particularly wants to be in, so I think that’s why those two have avoided using that formulation of words.”

The Herald’s Poll of Polls shows that the chances of a National-Act coalition have slipped in recent weeks, showing it is more likely that NZ First will be needed to form a government.

In other election news today, National released its fiscal plan, and is already facing criticism over potential fiscal holes and putting more children into poverty by cutting benefits.

Listen to the full episode of On the Campaign for the full rundown of today’s big election stories.

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