Simon Bridges: Auckland Business Chamber CEO ahead of Budget 2025

The country's soon going to see if the Government will stay true to its proclaimed 'year of growth'. 

Finance Minister Nicola Willis is hours away from unveiling her second budget and is promising no frills or excess.  

It's been slowly teasing figures, with a vast majority of initiatives being funded through cost-savings and cuts. 

Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges told Ryan Bridge it'll need a sufficient response to where the country is at. 

He says businesses will be looking for strong, clear evidence of the "going for growth" agenda. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Budget day, it's no BS debate time. We are going
to go to Craig when any councilor trade Union's director
of Policy Economists also on Labour's Policy Council and Simon Bridges,
former Associate Finance Minister or Business Chamber of CEO. Good morning, gentlemen,
good morning. Good to have you on.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Have we got Craig.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Oh we haven't got Craig. He's where he slept in.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well that makes it, That makes it really easy.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Right, Yeah, it's a pretty one sided argument. Hey, let's
talk super First of all, do you think we need
to increase the age? Do we need to means test?
It sounds like Nichola Willis is going to at least
lay out a path maybe today.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yeah, I think I think those changes are good. I
mean I think you know what you're seeing is Nichola
Willison who colleagues being very focused on the long term.
I mean what I would say though, that that's all
they do. You know, infect at one level and a
short term you know, you're sucking more money depending on
how they structure it out of the economy when actually
we need to see things that are that getting the
growth going right now. But look, if that's done. I mean,

(00:56):
I think most of you would say, yes, these are
sensible long term changes.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Is do you think she's doing this and having this
conversation now because we'll won the elections next year, but
because there is so there is going to be so
little in the budget that this could be a better
talking point.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Yeah, I think you know you'd say at a high level,
what we're seeing from from here is a couple of things,
which which you are both right. Yeah. I mean, one
is this a significant fiscal restraint push after you know
we overdid it right, and so that is a that
is a good That is a good thing. I think
the other one is some focus on the long term
infrastructure and so on. I mean, I would just simply say, though, look,
it's really tough out there. The Smith and Kobe's story

(01:34):
of the last day, it could be replicated many times.
Business is holding on for years. So I agree with
all of that. But if that's alone what they're doing,
that's not an adequate that's not a sufficient response to
where New Zealand's at. It's simply by itself going to
prolong the cycle we're in. I think what you know,
I'll be looking for actually possibly, Craig Rennie, I think
what business will be looking for is really strong, clear

(01:57):
evidence of the going for growth agenda that provides light
at the end of the time. Now, if it's the
accelerated depreciation stuff we've heard the rumors of, actually that
could be if it was done well, a really big
tick for this business at this budget. If it's just
obscurity and not not so much, yeah, I.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Just want to get on the record. I was the
first to raise that accelerated appreciation with the minister and
the key we Saver changes too.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
But it'd be because this budget could be because of
you rong, it's actually the Bridge budget.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
If it doesn't happen, of course, then just forget I
to say that.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
It could have been the Bridge's budget. But things change anyway.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Hey, what about the key we Saver staff. If it
is true that they're going to increase the contribution for employee,
can employees afford an extra one to two percent?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Well, I suppose that's my point. It's a short term,
long term game, you know, the short term. My worry
would be, you know, actually right now, they've got to
find things that are if you like counter cyclicle, that
are getting things going. You know, there's a lot of
talk about the long term, but the short term really
matters too. You wrote I thought a cracker of a
column in the weekend. I'm not just saying that to

(03:03):
make you feel good. We've got some of the highest
immigration we've ever seen in lowest immigration, right, that's a
key indicator of out economic health. What can we do
now that turns sentiment around, that gets confidence, and that
keeps these people in New Zealand. So now I say
it again, I go along with the superannuation stuff as
far as it goes. But in the short term exture

(03:26):
cooker could cause issues if they brought it in straight away.
I personally doubt that. Over the long term though, Look,
excepting our saving rates need to go up, and there's
been quite a bit of chatter about that.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, appreciate your time, Simon. No sign of Craig Simon
Bridges all Fen Business Chamber CEOs.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live
to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.