Budget 2026 has arrived wrapped in the language of “discipline,” “responsibility,” and “tough choices.” According to Finance Minister Nicola Willis, this is the “right Budget for the times.”
Respectfully Minister — I beg to differ.
Because when you strip away the slogans and the spin, what remains is a Budget that offers very little for Māori, very little for economic growth, and very little for the thousands of whānau already struggling under the weight of rising costs, insecure employment and a stagnant economy.
The irony in all of this is hard to ignore.
At a time when the Māori economy remains one of the few genuine green shoots in New Zealand’s wider economic landscape, this Government has delivered what can only be described as bare cupboards for Māori.
That should concern every New Zealander.
For years now, the Māori economy has demonstrated sustained growth across agribusiness, exports, infrastructure, fisheries, tourism, technology and whenua-based enterprise. Māori businesses have continued investing while others pulled back. Iwi entities have strengthened balance sheets, created jobs and supported communities during some of the toughest economic periods in recent memory.
And yet Budget 2026 barely acknowledges that contribution.
There is some money in the Budget for iwi radio — and frankly, I suspect that has far more to do with New Zealand First than any genuine economic strategy from National. Credit where it is due: someone inside that coalition understood the importance of Māori broadcasting, language revitalisation and regional communication networks.
But outside of that, Māori were largely absent from the Government’s economic vision.
That absence speaks volumes.
Because what this Budget lacks most is not simply targeted Māori investment — it lacks ambition.
There is remarkably little here around meaningful job creation. Little around major economic stimulus. Little around transformative infrastructure capable of driving long-term productivity. Little around regional regeneration. Little around innovation. Little around unlocking Māori enterprise as a national economic driver.
Instead, we are being sold austerity dressed up as prudence.
The Government insists this is a “tight Budget” required for difficult times. But difficult times are precisely when governments should invest strategically into growth, jobs and economic confidence.
That is how economies recover.
That is how communities stabilise.
That is how you stop recessionary pressure from deepening social inequality.
The Minister has repeatedly suggested there is “no lolly scramble” in this Budget — as though Māori somehow expect handouts rather than economic partnership.
That framing is not only insulting — it fundamentally misunderstands Māori economic reality.
Sorry Minister, Māori do understand economics.
We understand investment.
We understand long-term planning.
We understand intergenerational wealth.
We understand resilience.
We understand how to grow enterprises despite structural barriers, underinvestment and policy neglect.
The Māori economy has proven that over and over again.
Meanwhile, successive governments — including this one — continue struggling to manage widening inequality, housing shortages, weak productivity and growing social division.
If anything, perhaps it is Māori economic models this Government should be studying more carefully.
Because while Wellington obsesses over spreadsheets and spending cuts, Māori enterprises have been quietly building sustainable economies grounded in whenua, whānau and long-term thinking.
The truth is this Budget feels politically defensive rather than economically visionary.
It is designed to reassure markets, appease coalition tensions and create the appearance of fiscal control. But it does little to inspire confidence among ordinary New Zealanders asking where future jobs, opportunities and growth are actually going to come from.
And perhaps most concerning of all — it misses the opportunity sitting right in front of it.
The Māori economy is not a side conversation anymore. It is central to New Zealand’s future prosperity.
If this Government cannot see that, then it risks not only failing Māori — but failing the wider economy as well.
Because the future growth story of Aotearoa will not come from austerity alone.
It will come from investment, innovation, partnership and backing the sectors already proving they can deliver.
And right now, one of those sectors is Māori.
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