On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 17th of December, Nicola Willis responds to the surplus being pushed out another year, the third blowout in her two years as the Finance Minister.

Indycar champ Scott Dixon is on to talk his career and the launch of a new world class karting facility in Auckland.

And Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen cover all the highs and lows of 2025 on the final Politics Wednesday for the year.

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It's no surprise that Nicola Willis has pushed out surplus by another year.

That now makes it three years in two years, as in she has delayed surplus by three years in just the space of the two years she’s been at the Finance Minister’s desk.

Had she kept her pledge, the one she made about tidying up this country’s books when asking for our votes in 2023, we would be seeing a surplus next year.

Now it’s 2029 at the earliest.

Getting our books back in order is important if we don’t want our kids to pack up and leave for Australia when they’re old enough to.

Nicola can blame everyone from Treasury to Trump if she wants, but she has not done enough to get us back to surplus.

She has defended, and kept, Jacinda’s wasteful policy of paying for one free year for university students. The policy has been repeatedly criticised as a flop that doesn’t actually make anyone go to university.

Cutting that would save us in the vicinity of $1 billion over four years.

She has given welfare to households on more than $200,000 a year by giving them money for childcare. People on that kind of coin don’t need benefits.

Cutting that would save $1 billion in a little over five years.

She still hasn’t cut or income tested the Winter Energy Payment, which is going to people who are still in the workforce and being set aside for nice trips to Fiji.

Cutting that would save $1 billion in less than two years. Trimming it would save less, but it would save something.

She has cut 2000 public servants when Grant and Jacinda added 14,000.

Be in no doubt - money is tight.

But there is still a lot of waste that could be cut if Nicola Willis was brave enough.

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The son of Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner is being held on suspicion of the murder of his parents.

Police say 32-year-old Nick Reiner's been booked for murder after Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead in their Los Angeles home.

They say he's a suspect in the case and is being held on a US$4 million bail.

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Heather du Plessis-Allan that Reiner and his wife had apparently taken their son to a holiday party, where he had apparently been disruptive, the day before their bodies were found.

He says it allegedly led to a shouting match between the father and son.

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Today Heather du Plessis-Allan was joined by Labour’s Ginny Andersen and National’s Mark Mitchell to recap the highs and lows of 2025 on the final Politics Wednesday for the year.

They also discussed the retail crime numbers, the state of the Government’s books, the need for a social media ban, and the situation with Nicola Willis and Ruth Richardson.

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A momentous day for New Zealand motorsport.

The Sir Colin Giltrap Raceway, a world-class karting facility in Auckland, is officially opening.

The track builds on the country’s heritage and pathway to the world stage.

It will be opened by Indycar champion Scott Dixon, who told Heather du Plessis-Allan it’s going to be huge, especially for the young talent in this country.

He says that we pack a big punch for such a small country, so it’s really great to see that everyone’s pulled this off.

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A possible win for the General Practice Owners Association, as they take on the so-called healthcare duopoly and cost pressures.

Their proposal for a breakaway Primary Health Organisation is gaining traction, with 116 GP practices, covering 833,000 enrolled patients, showing interest.

If approved by Health New Zealand, it would become the country’s largest PHO, representing around 16% of total enrolments.

General Practice Owners Association Chair Dr Angus Chambers told Heather du Plessis-Allan that there’s widespread dissatisfaction within the GP community.

He says some of it’s because PHOs have gone off their path and are doing things that aren’t best for GPs, but they’ve also had years of underfunding and woeful workforce planning.

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Questions over whether the postal voting system is working after a South Auckland local body election was overturned.

Judge Richard McIlraith ruled irregularities altered the outcome of the Papatoetoe vote for the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board.

The case involved stolen voting papers and fraudulent use, and a new election must be held by April 9.

Former Deputy Chair Vi Hausia told Heather du Plessis-Allan this was discovered when names of people who didn't cast a vote, showed in the system.

He says groups of people also went to cast a special vote after not receiving their paper but found they supposedly had already voted.

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The Government insists it has a plan to turn the economy around.

Treasury's Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows the country is first forecast to be in the black by 2029-2030.

The Finance Minister has admitted the country is borrowing money to pay the interest bill on the debt.

Nicola Willis told Heather du Plessis Allan that bill is about $9 billion a year.

She says around 80% of borrowing over the next few years will be for capital assets like hospitals, schools, and roads.

There may also be more cuts to the public service as they aim to get back down to surplus.

Economic growth is expected to be just 1.7% next year, and Willis says there's still room for efficiency in the public service.

She will be sending letters out to her cabinet colleagues to give them ideas on where they can make some savings.

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