Māori unions, iwi leaders and Opposition MPs gathered in Matangireia (Parliament's historic Māori Affairs Committee room) on Friday to discuss Budget 2026.
Māori unions and iwi leaders say the Budget will not do enough to alleviate Māori unemployment. Acting President of Te Rōpū Kaimahi Māori Amokura Panoho said the purpose of the gathering was to reiterate that Māori and Māori workers were invisible in the Budget. The Māori unemployment rate was 11.5% in the March 2026 quarter, compared to a national rate of 5.3%.
Panoho said the country would continue to see an exodus of rangatahi. "We're going to continue to see our exodus of our rangatahi with all of their dreams and aspirations going to another country," she said. "I know personally, I've got five children, four of them are living in Australia. And the industries that they work in, they don't have the same level of protections and same level of income that they are given in Australia."
National Iwi Chairs Forum spokesperson Na Raihania said the briefing was to describe what the Budget has taken from Māori. "We used to build homes in this country, not houses, homes. Homes that held our whānau together," Raihania said. "This Budget and its two predecessors have demolished all of that structure, the structure that we rely on to keep our whānau and hapū solid."
Economist Ganesh Nana called Budget 2026 a holding the line Budget, saying the Government's line was set when it came into office to bring down government spending, reduce government debt and return to surplus regardless of shocks. "Well, the books might be good, but the rest of the country's not feeling very happy or not feeling very well," Nana said.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis described Budget 2026 as a responsible one, saying "thanks to this government's careful management of the public finances, New Zealand is digging its way out of the post-Covid fiscal and economic hole. Balanced books are now in sight".