Willis Defends Coalition Government's Economic Record

National Party Deputy Leader Nicola Willis spoke about her party's economic management at a public meeting in Auckland's Tāmaki electorate. She recalled that Treasury officials had told her just months ago that her and the coalition Government's efforts were paying off, with the recovery expected to 'roar through this year.'

However, the finance minister said that outside forces such as Iran, Hormuz, oil prices, supply strain, and economic stress intervened, causing growth to be delayed. In the first three months of the year, New Zealand's economy was growing at 0.8 percent, which is three times faster than Australia's 0.3 percent growth during the same period.

Willis emphasized that the second quarter of this year saw a difficult recovery due to an oil price shock, but she pointed out that the foundations are now in place for the New Zealand economy to grow strongly and accelerate in the coming years.