Expectation of a big night down on the farm come Budget time is long gone, but the first budget from a Labour Party finance minister in a decade "will be interesting", according to Hawke's Bay farmer and former Federated Farmers national president Bruce Wills.
"What I look for is a responsible Budget," he said from Wellington yesterday. "I get worried when there are lolly scramble budgets."
But, with plenty of information already in circulation on budget measures, he's not expecting any surprises, but he is expecting a focus on the "bottom-line parameters" of interest rates, housing costs, health and education.
"What we need are competitive exchange rates...to allow us to remain competitive on the World stage," he said.
New Zealand still relies on its reputation, he said, and while at "the wrong end of the world" geographically but at "the right end" in terms of the reputation for clean air an environment.