How to fix budget holes for good w/ the Green Party's Ricardo Menéndez March: 17th June, 2026

While the election is still over four months away, parties are already deploying what has become an election period staple, the budget hole. The idea that a party vying for government may have bungled the numbers is quite the attack, but without every kiwi trying to break down the numbers themselves, we often have to be taking at least someone at their word. The Green party is among a number of voices proposing a fix to this - a parliamentary budget office that would vet the costs of party policies and be able to answer that age old question, how big is their hole.

And ahead of the release of their own tax policy the Greens have highlighted that The richest 150 New Zealand individuals and family dynasties now own as much as half of the country between them. These numbers, from the National Business Review, show that this small group of kiwis grew their collective wealth from  $102b to $129b last year, that’s a 26% increase in just one year. As the current government gives tax breaks to landlords, and cuts to social services, the Green party says they should be looking at this growth instead, but how do they propose we claw that wealth back?

For our weekly catch-up with the Green Party, Host Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the call for an independent parliamentary budgetary office, the growing wealth disparity, and gig workers rights.