Nicola Willis | |
---|---|
43rd Minister of Finance | |
Assumed office 27 November 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Christopher Luxon |
Preceded by | Grant Robertson |
21st Minister for the Public Service | |
Assumed office 27 November 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Christopher Luxon |
Preceded by | Andrew Little |
Minister for Social Investment | |
Assumed office 27 November 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Christopher Luxon |
19th Deputy Leader of the National Party | |
Assumed office 30 November 2021 | |
Leader | Christopher Luxon |
Preceded by | Shane Reti |
Deputy Leader of the Opposition | |
In office 30 November 2021 –27 November 2023 | |
Leader | Christopher Luxon |
Preceded by | Shane Reti |
Succeeded by | Carmel Sepuloni |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for National Party list | |
Assumed office 3 April 2018 | |
Preceded by | Steven Joyce |
Personal details | |
Born | Nicola Valentine Willis 7 March 1981 Wellington,New Zealand |
Political party | National Party |
Spouse | Duncan Small (m. 2007) |
Children | 4 |
Alma mater | Victoria University of Wellington University of Canterbury [1] |
Website | Party website |
Nicola Valentine Willis [2] (born 7 March 1981) [3] is Deputy Leader of the National Party and Minister of Finance in a Coalition Government with ACT and New Zealand First. Willis entered the New Zealand Parliament in 2018, when she inherited Steven Joyce's seat in Parliament as the next on the party list after his retirement from politics.
Willis was born and raised in Point Howard, Wellington. She is the eldest of three children. [4] Willis's mother was a journalist in the Parliamentary Press Gallery, [4] her father a partner in corporate law firm Bell Gully [5] who later rose to be chairman of the New Zealand Energy Corporation an "active oil and gas exploration company". [6] After a "privileged childhood", she first attended Samuel Marsden Collegiate, a private school for girls, before asking to spend her last two years of high school boarding at King's College in Auckland – a decision she regretted. [5] Her first job was as a cashier and server at a Wholly Bagel Café in Wellington, later working in retail stores selling clothing. [7]
She graduated with a first-class honours degree in English literature from Victoria University of Wellington in 2003, [8] and a post-graduate diploma in journalism from the University of Canterbury in 2017. [9] She was a member of the Victoria University Debating Society, competing in international tournaments.
After graduation, she worked as a research and policy advisor for Bill English and as a senior advisor to John Key in 2008. [10] In 2012, Willis joined dairy co-operative Fonterra in a lobbyist role. [11] She was later a general manager of Fonterra's nutrient management programme, and sat on the board of Export NZ, a division of lobbyist group Business New Zealand. [11] [12]
Willis was a director of the New Zealand Initiative, a pro-free-market public-policy think tank, from May 2016 until February 2017. [13] [14]
Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018–2020 | 52nd | List | 48 | National | |
2020 –2023 | 53rd | List | 13 | National | |
2023 –present | 54th | List | 2 | National |
Willis contested the 2017 election as National's candidate for the electorate of Wellington Central, [15] and was number 48 on the party list. She gained 26% of the electorate vote. [16] On the party list vote, National lost two parliamentary seats while the Labour and Green parties each gained one. [17] Willis was second in line should there be a vacancy in a list seat held by a National Party MP during the 52nd New Zealand Parliament, and she and Maureen Pugh entered parliament several months later, after the resignations of Bill English and Steven Joyce in March 2018.
Leader Simon Bridges appointed Willis National's spokesperson on early childhood education. [18]
Willis was vocal against Grant Guilford's attempt to change Victoria University of Wellington's name to the University of Wellington. [19]
Willis was a key player in Todd Muller's move to replace Bridges as caucus leader in a 2020 the leadership coup, with she and Chris Bishop both taking a role as Muller's "numbers man". [20] [21] She was rewarded with a ranking of 14 in the party caucus, and with the additional portfolios of Housing and Urban Development. [22] [23] Only 55 days later Muller resigned, becoming the shortest-serving leader of any political party represented in Parliament in New Zealand's history. [24] His replacement Judith Collins [25] left Willis at the same ranking, but with Muller's departure she automatially joined the front bench as 13th in caucus. Collins also granted her the opposition education spokesperson role. [26] With Muller's backers Bishop and Willis rising under Collins, political commentators speculated that "potential dissenters are being kept busy with big new portfolios". [27]
Willis' list ranking for the 2020 general election was 13, making her return to parliament a certainty. Although she also contested the Wellington Central electorate, voters soundly preferred the incumbent Grant Robertson by more than 3 to 1, with him gaining 27,000 votes compared to her 8,500. [28] National was returned to Opposition and Willis was returned to the housing portfolio, where she worked with Housing Minister Megan Woods to develop bipartisan housing reform designed to encourage more medium density dwellings. [29]
In November 2021, National Party leader Judith Collins lost a confidence vote and was removed by the National caucus. Willis was seen by media and political commentators as a contender for the party leadership or deputy leadership. [30] Despite the speculation, she never launched a leadership bid, but was asked by Christopher Luxon to be his running mate as he launched a campaign for the leadership. They were elected unopposed on 30 November 2021, after Luxon's main rival, Simon Bridges, dropped his leadership bid in exchange for the finance portfolio. [31] As deputy leader, Willis's liberal views on social issues are seen as a counterpoint to Luxon's more conservative positions. [32] [33]
Luxon unveiled his first shadow cabinet in December. Willis was assigned responsibility for housing and social investment. [34] She picked up the finance portfolio in March 2022 when Bridges announced his resignation. [35] As finance spokesperson, Willis defended National's policy of lowering tax rates despite criticisms that the policy would be inflationary; [36] [37] [38] Luxon eventually dropped the policy. [39] [40]
On 19 November 2022, Willis was selected as the National candidate for the north Wellington electorate of Ōhāriu ahead of the 2023 New Zealand general election, instead of trying for a third time in Wellington Central. [41] Ōhāriu was regarded by some commentators as "much more winnable" for Willis than Wellington Central. [42] [43]
In early August 2023, Willis introduced a private member's bill to allow parents to share their leave entitlement and take time off together. The bill was supported by all parliamentary parties except Labour, which used its majority to block the bill. In response, Willis accused Labour of "insulting every parent in New Zealand" in order to deny National a "win." [44] During the lead-up to the 2023 New Zealand general election, Labour subsequently campaigned on raising paid parental leave from two weeks to four weeks if re-elected. [45]
Willis has appeared multiple times on the "Yes Minister" segment of the New Zealand panel show 7 Days .[ citation needed ]
In the run up to the 2023 New Zealand general election, National campaigned on cutting taxes and proposed recovering lost revenue by reopening the housing market to foreign buyers and taxing them 15% on purchases over $2 million. The plan was criticised by a number of economists during the campaign, with claims there were insufficient wealthy foreigners wanting to buy houses in New Zealand and the Government would be $530 million short each year. [46] Allowing foreign buyers into New Zealand was unacceptable to Winston Peters and the plan was abandoned as part of the post-election coalition agreement between National, ACT, and the New Zealand First parties. [47]
In mid September 2023, Willis admitted that only 3,000 households would get the full tax relief under National's proposed tax policy, but denied that National had misled voters about its tax plan. She said she would resign if National failed to deliver on its tax reduction plan. [48]
During the 2023 New Zealand general election held on 14 October, Willis unsuccessfully contested the Ōhāriu, which was retained by Labour MP Greg O'Connor by a margin of 1,260 votes. [49] Willis was re-elected to Parliament on the National Party list. [50]
Following the formation of the National-led coalition government in late November 2023, Willis was appointed as Minister of Finance, Minister for Public Service, Minister for Social Investment, and Associate Minister of Climate Change. [51]
On 13 December Willis, in her capacity as Finance Minister, declined KiwiRail's request for an additional NZ$1.47 billion to replace its ageing Interislander ferry fleet. Funding to replace the Interislander fleet with two new ferries by 2026 had previously been approved by the outgoing Labour Government. In justifying her decision, Willis said that: The Ferrari is not the only car in the garage, and at the moment, the option that KiwiRail has had on the table, is the equivalent of the Ferrari, and now we're going to go off and see whether there are any good reliable Toyota Corollas available ... and maybe then we won't need to spend so much on a really big hangar of a garage. [52] Willis' decision to scrap the ferry replacement project was criticised by Labour's finance spokesperson Grant Robertson. [53] In addition, the Maritime Union of New Zealand, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, the New Zealand Merchant Service Guild and the Aviation and Marine Engineers Association called on her to resign as Finance Minister. [54]
On 20 December, Willis unveiled the Government's mini-budget, which delivered NZ$7.47 billion in operational savings. [55]
In mid-March 2024, Willis summoned Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People officials and Disability Issues Minister Penny Simmonds for an urgent briefing following criticism from disabled people's carers and families following the Ministry's cuts to respite care funding. Willis said that news came as a surprise, and she had not been told how dire the situation was before news broke. [56] On 26 March, Willis announced that future decisions about the Ministry's funding would go to the New Zealand Cabinet to be signed off, with the disabled community being consulted. She also criticised the previous Labour Government for allegedly allowing the Ministry to overspend for several years. [57]
In late March 2024, Willis released the Government's "Budget Policy Statement." She also confirmed that the Government would set a smaller budget allowance that the previous Labour Government, with no new borrowing. [58] Despite slower than expected economic growth, Willis affirmed the Government's promise to deliver NZ$3.5 billion in the upcoming 2024 budget. [59]
Willis is described as a social liberal, and has a focus on LGBT rights and action on climate change. [60] She is a member of the National Party's BlueGreen environmental caucus. [61] [62] Willis supports euthanasia, and is pro-choice. [4]
In the 2020 New Zealand general election, Willis' unsuccessful campaign in the Wellington Central focussed heavily on increasing roading in the central city, with the slogan 'Four Lanes to the Planes'. [63]
Willis married Duncan Small in 2007, and they have four children. [4]
The New Zealand National Party, shortened to National or the Nats, is a centre-right New Zealand political party. It is one of two major parties that dominate contemporary New Zealand politics, alongside its traditional rival, the Labour Party.
Winston Raymond Peters is a New Zealand politician who has been the leader of New Zealand First since it was founded in 1993. He was re-elected for a fifteenth time at the 2023 general election, having previously been a member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1981, 1984 to 2008 and 2011 to 2020. Peters has served as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand and 25th minister of foreign affairs since November 2023.
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, commonly known as Green or the Greens, is a green and left-wing political party in New Zealand. Like many green parties around the world, it has four pillars. The party's ideology combines environmentalism with left-wing and social-democratic economic policies, including well-funded and locally controlled public services within the confines of a steady-state economy. Internationally, it is affiliated with the Global Greens.
Interislander is a road and rail ferry service across New Zealand's Cook Strait, between Wellington in the North Island and Picton in the South Island. It is owned and operated by state-owned rail operator KiwiRail. Three roll-on roll-off (RORO) vessels operate the 50-nautical-mile route, taking about three hours to complete the crossing.
Grant Murray Robertson is a retired New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party who served as the Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2023, as Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 2023, and as the 19th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2020 to 2023. He was the member of Parliament (MP) for Wellington Central from 2008 to 2023.
Simon Joseph Bridges is a former New Zealand politician and lawyer. He served as Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition between 2018 and 2020, and as the Member of Parliament for Tauranga from the 2008 election to May 2022, when he resigned.
Kāinga Ora, officially Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, is a Crown agency that provides rental housing for New Zealanders in need. It has Crown entity status under the Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities Act 2019.
The 2017 New Zealand general election took place on Saturday 23 September 2017 to determine the membership of the 52nd New Zealand Parliament. The previous parliament was elected on 20 September 2014 and was officially dissolved on 22 August 2017. Voters elected 120 members to the House of Representatives under New Zealand's mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system, a proportional representation system in which 71 members were elected from single-member electorates and 49 members were elected from closed party lists. Around 3.57 million people were registered to vote in the election, with 2.63 million (79.8%) turning out. Advance voting proved popular, with 1.24 million votes cast before election day, more than the previous two elections combined.
James Peter Edward Shaw is a New Zealand politician. He has been a member of parliament since 2014 and a co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 2015 to 2024.
Shane Raymond Reti is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, and a Cabinet Minister with the roles of Minister of Health and Minister for Pacific Peoples, since 27 November 2023. He was first elected at the 2014 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Whangārei electorate. He is a member of the New Zealand National Party and served as its deputy leader from 10 November 2020 to 30 November 2021 including a period of five days as interim leader following the ousting of Judith Collins.
Christopher Bishop is a right-wing New Zealand National Party politician who was first elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives in 2014 as a list MP. Bishop won the Hutt South electorate in 2017 but lost the seat in 2020. He returned to Parliament as a National list MP and served as National spokesperson for Housing and Infrastructure and was the Shadow Leader of the House. He is the Chairperson of National's 2023 Election Campaign. He is the current MP for Hutt South. He is a former lobbyist for tobacco company Phillip Morris.
Simeon Peter Brown is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party.
Christopher Mark Luxon is a New Zealand politician and former business executive who has served as the 42nd prime minister of New Zealand since November 2023. He served as leader of the Opposition from 2021 to 2023. Luxon became member of Parliament (MP) for Botany in 2020. He had previously been the chief executive officer (CEO) of Air New Zealand from 2012 to 2019.
The 2023 New Zealand general election was held on 14 October 2023 to determine the composition of the 54th Parliament of New Zealand. Voters elected 122 members to the unicameral New Zealand House of Representatives under the mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system, with 71 members elected from single-member electorates and the remaining members elected from closed party lists. Of the 72 electorates, only 71 seats were filled, with the remaining electorate MP determined in the 2023 Port Waikato by-election, due to the death of one of the general election candidates. Two overhang seats were added due to Te Pāti Māori winning six electorate seats when the party vote only entitled them to four seats, with an additional overhang seat added after the by-election making for 123 members of parliament.
The Shadow Cabinet of Judith Collins formed the official Opposition in the 53rd New Zealand Parliament, and previously in the 52nd Parliament. It comprised the members of the New Zealand National Party, which is the largest party not a member of the Government. On Collins' dismissal as leader on 25 November 2021, the cabinet essentially ceased to exist, but what remained was de jure led on an interim basis by her deputy leader, Shane Reti, until the next leadership election. The cabinet was succeeded by that of Christopher Luxon.
Barbara Rachael Fati Palepa Edmonds, is a New Zealand politician. She was elected as the Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Mana, representing the Labour Party, in 2020. She served as the Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister for Pacific Peoples, Minister of Revenue and Minister for Economic Development in the final year of the Sixth Labour Government.
Jessica Hammond is a New Zealand public servant, perennial candidate, playwright, and blogger. Hammond stood for The Opportunities Party for Ōhāriu in the 2017 and 2020 general elections.
The 2021 New Zealand National Party leadership election was held on 30 November 2021 following the removal of leader Judith Collins in a vote of no confidence on 25 November 2021. Deputy leader Shane Reti was made interim leader until the election. Simon Bridges was the only person to publicly announce his candidacy. About an hour before the National Party caucus was set to meet, he withdrew from the race and endorsed Christopher Luxon.
The Shadow Cabinet of Christopher Luxon formed the official Opposition in the 53rd New Zealand Parliament from December 2021 to November 2023, replacing the Shadow Cabinet of Judith Collins. Christopher Luxon was appointed Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition in a party leadership election on 30 November 2021.
The Sixth National Government is a coalition government comprising the National Party, ACT Party and New Zealand First that has governed New Zealand since November 2023. The government is headed by Christopher Luxon, the National Party leader and prime minister.