Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have maintained the tradition of sharing cheese rolls on the morning of Budget day, this year with an added side of sausage rolls and “an innovation” cheese roll with a sausage in the middle.
“The ultimate balance,” Robertson said of the two choices of savoury dishes on offer for morning tea at the Beehive, during a livestream on Facebook alongside Hipkins this morning, ahead of the Budget lockup.
Story continues after live blog
Story continues
In the video, Hipkins described the cheese roll with a sausage in it as “an innovation” and Robertson said that innovation is what people should expect from this year’s Budget.
The Prime Minister also came up with a special touch to mark the first Robertson-Hipkins Budget – arranging for Robertson to be given one of the late Sir Michael Cullen’s ties for the occasion.
Cullen was a close friend and mentor of Robertson and served as both deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister in the Helen Clark government from 1999 to 2007. He died in 2021 from cancer.
Cullen’s wife Anne Collins has chosen the tie for Robertson.
Both Robertson and Hipkins were staff in the Beehive during the Clark-Cullen era, before entering politics themselves.
Robertson said it was an honour to wear Cullen’s tie today.
The gift is a twist on former PM Jacinda Ardern’s tradition of buying a new tie for Robertson each Budget Day.
The transfer to Hipkins gave Robertson some initial concern, given Hipkins is not renowned for his eye for fashion and had even joked about giving him a bow tie, saying he would look like Fozzie Bear.
The cheese rolls tradition was also started with Ardern and Hipkins has now introduced his own twist on it too, with the addition of the sausage rolls and the cheese rolls with added sausage.
It is understood that sparked a bit of a battle of the rolls this year after Hipkins instead suggested they switch to his preferred roll, the sausage roll. After some debate, which presumably included Robertson pointing out that the cheese rolls were far more appropriate for Hipkins’ bread and butter theme, they realised they could have both. So Robertson provided the cheese rolls, made by a Beehive staffer each year, and Hipkins brought the sausage rolls.
The NZ Herald will cover the Budget announcement live this afternoon, from 2pm.
Robertson has promised a “no frills” Budget that reflects the economic struggles the country is experiencing and the need to support communities ravaged by severe weather events.
The group could be seen armed with bits of metal and wood.