PM and Finance Minister share home baking in pre-Budget tradition

Ahead of the Budget's release at 2pm, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis have enjoyed some fresh baking made by one of her children.

It continues a pre-Budget tradition of the Prime Minister and Finance Minister celebrating Budget Day before it is officially announced to the public.

On Facebook earlier today, Willis said the cookies were baked by her daughter.

Historically, each government has had their own take on the yearly tradition, and for Willis and Luxon, this marks the second year the occasion is being celebrated with biscuits.

Under the last National government led by Sir John Key and Sir Bill English, Budget Day was typically celebrated with pies.

During the last Labour government, Dame Jacinda Ardern would celebrate with a cheese roll with then Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

She would also gift a tie to Robertson ahead of the Budget announcement.

In 2023, Chris Hipkins marked the moment with Ardern's cheese roll, along with a sausage roll, a snack he was known to enjoy.

A tie was also gifted to Robertson by Hipkins, which belonged to the late ex-Labour finance minister Michael Cullen, who died in 2021.

This year, the Government has indicated a constrained fiscal environment, with only $1.3 billion to play with in terms of new operational funding.

Pre-Budget announcements have reached across education, health and other programmes that the Government wanted to be showcased before today.