It’s been several days since Budget 2026 was handed down, and at Radio Waatea we’ve spent that time reviewing the hundreds of responses that poured in across our platforms following our extensive coverage and our Question of the Day:
“What did you think of the Budget? Does it deliver for Māori?”
The answer from our audience was loud, clear, and overwhelmingly sceptical.
Across Radio Waatea’s digital platforms, we received a total of 971 comments and responses.
- 337 comments came directly through Facebook.
- More than 100,000 people engaged with our Budget 2026 content.
- Approximately 84 percent of respondents expressed disappointment, concern, or outright opposition to what was delivered.
While the Government has described Budget 2026 as a responsible roadmap for economic recovery and growth, many of our listeners and readers struggled to see how that translated into meaningful outcomes for whānau, hapū and iwi.
“Like Opening an Empty Box for Christmas”
Many comments reflected a sense of frustration and unmet expectations.
Among them were:
“Did it deliver for anybody? Yeah? Nah?”
“Like opening an empty box for Christmas.”
“It doesn’t deliver for anyone except the elite.”
“Nicola Willis says the Budget is for all of us. Who is all of us?”
One commenter summed up what many appeared to be feeling:
“The Budget delivered Māori straight back to the far queue — which is exactly where I’d like to leave National on November 7th.”
Another remarked:
“Sure does, they have increased the budget for jails.”
The theme repeated throughout hundreds of responses was not simply dissatisfaction with individual spending decisions, but a broader perception that the Budget lacked a clear vision for addressing the challenges many New Zealanders are facing.
Not Everyone Agreed
While critical voices dominated the discussion, there were also contributors who defended the Government’s approach.
One respondent wrote:
“Yes, yes it does. It will serve all people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. It may not have given you lollies or direct-to-your-purse handouts. It has given our blended whānau opportunities for growth and development in areas of health, education, roading and transportation and hopefully security in an unstable world environment. It didn’t give everything, but so it shouldn’t. We need to climb out of the doldrums slowly to ensure a better future.”
Others argued that Budget measures should not be targeted specifically toward Māori communities.
Comments included:
“There are more than just Māori in New Zealand. They get enough handouts. It’s about time they stand on their own two feet.”
And:
“Why should it? Do Māori deliver for the rest of NZ taxpayers?”
That last question deserves an answer.
The short answer is yes.
Māori workers, businesses, land trusts, incorporations and iwi organisations contribute billions of dollars annually through income tax, GST, company tax, rates, levies and other forms of taxation.
The Māori economy itself is now estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars and continues to grow across sectors including agriculture, fisheries, forestry, tourism, technology, construction and professional services.
The suggestion that Māori are somehow separate from the taxpayer base ignores the reality that Māori are taxpayers, employers, business owners, workers, homeowners and consumers who contribute significantly to the national economy.
Looking across nearly one thousand responses, a common thread emerged.
Many people were not necessarily demanding more spending.
They were asking for a plan.
A plan to address the cost of living.
A plan for housing.
A plan for health services.
A plan for rangatahi.
A plan for economic development.
A plan that gives people confidence their children will be better off in the future.
For many of our respondents, Budget 2026 felt less like a roadmap and more like a collection of accounting decisions.
Whether that perception is fair or not, it is politically significant.
Budgets are about more than balance sheets. They are statements of priorities and signals about where a country is heading.
The Government will argue that difficult economic conditions required restraint and that long-term recovery depends on careful spending and reducing debt.
Its critics will argue that restraint without vision leaves communities struggling to see where the opportunities lie.
What Radio Waatea’s audience has made clear is that many people remain unconvinced.
Nearly a thousand comments later, the dominant question is still not what was funded.
It’s what future was being promised.
And for a large majority of those who engaged with us, that future was difficult to see.
As always, we thank everyone who took the time to share their views. The conversation around Budget 2026 is far from over, and neither is the debate about whether it truly delivers for Māori and for Aotearoa as a whole.
