Finance Minister Nicola Willis has done it again, making an innuendo during Parliament’s Question Time similar to a prior lewd gaffe in which she questioned the then-minister about fiscal holes.
Willis said today: “What New Zealanders care about is the size of the sausage, not how it’s delivered.”
The House erupted in laughter.
Willis then chuckled, smirked, and put her hand to her face before turning to the Speaker and saying, “It’s been a year of bad quotes from me”.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters then rose with a point of order, trying to deflect the questioning to Labour’s finance spokesman Grant Robertson.
Robertson interjected: “Hang on, don’t talk about my sausage.”
Willis was talking about her Government’s tax plan, set to be announced next year.
During Question Time in August, Willis was grilling Robertson over the state of the books, accusing him of “spraying New Zealanders’ money around” and only now asking the public sector to “tighten its belt”, following reports of a meeting between Robertson and public service bosses and a larger-than-expected fiscal hole.
Robertson hit back, pointing to past and ongoing savings and arguing the real issue was that Willis now “couldn’t pay for the promises that had already been made”.
In what was until then a tense exchange Willis then began to respond, “How big is his hole...?”, before pausing over the last word as she appeared to realise the potential interpretation of what she was saying.
What began with a few chuckles as the faux pas caught on - the crucial word “fiscal” missing - built up to full-throttled laughter across the House.
Willis attempted to, briefly, carry on before giving in to the moment. Her colleague Joseph Mooney could be seen behind her barely containing himself.
“That is not in the public interest, I assure you,” the typically quick-witted Robertson responded, only leading to further howls of laughter from MPs of all stripes.
Willis sought to compose herself and respond but had to give up several times.
”How big is... the New Zealand Government’s financial hole?” she was finally able to ask.
Speaking to reporters after Question Time, Willis admitted she was a little “embarrassed” by the event.
Today’s gaffe comes after Willis unveiled $7.47 billion in cuts and savings in her mini-Budget, part of a drive to beat the books into shape as a gloomy economy weighs on the Government’s finances.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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