Signs of a brighter economy in the year to come. 
 
ASB's forecasting annual growth of more than two-and a half percent in 2026.
 
It points to an accelerated housing market, more resilient exports, and a renewed willingness to spend.
 
Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Heather du Plessis-Allan we can expect inflation to soften further,  with the Reserve Bank seeing more stimulus in the pipeline. 
 
He says it's in wait and see mode - but seems fairly confident it won't have to cut interest rates any further. 

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Signs of a brighter economy in the year to come.&nbsp; &nbsp; ASB's forecasting annual growth of more than two-and a half percent in 2026. &nbsp; It points to an accelerated housing market, more resilient exports, and a renewed willingness to spend. &nbsp; Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Heather du Plessis-Allan we can expect inflation to soften further, &nbsp;with the Reserve Bank seeing more stimulus in the pipeline.&nbsp; &nbsp; He says it's in wait and see mode - but seems fairly confident it won't have to cut interest rates any further.&nbsp;
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Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show.

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Nick Tuffley: ASB Chief Economist on a brighter outlook for the economy in 2026

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/23b4e6a8-275c-4c8b-afdd-b3ac01338e83/transcript

So, to the Nicola Willis v Ruth Richardson debate. 

Here’s a challenge to Nicola Willis: do it this year. Do it next week. 

I’m hearing that having challenged Ruth Richardson to the debate, Willis’ office would prefer to do it next year. 

I can understand why. By next year the momentum will be gone and we’ll all have moved on to other things and it, probably, won't get as big of an audience. 

Next week though is a big week. 

The Government is opening its books. It sounds like Nicola might be pushing out surplus, again, for the second time in two years. 

Then we’ve got the GDP number and that’s coming off the back of the Taxpayer’s Union campaign calling her out for her big spending, which kicks off today. 

So next week there’s much more energy around a debate. If it’s pushed out to next year, I would read it as the first sign of losing courage. 

And if I was cynical, it's the first sign of them hoping this will fizzle and die because frankly, it was a political mistake to challenge Ruth Richardson to a debate. 

Regardless of what you think of her, Ruth can article all the problems with Nicola's big spending budgets and debt gathering in a way that most members of the media can’t, which is to say she will mount a case that Nicola is spending too much and taking us down exactly the same path of economic trouble that Grant started us on. 

And I suspect that will convince a lot of voters that we have a problem here. 

And we do. We have a problem when we have a government that promised to cut spending and yet spends more than Grant and will, by mid next year, have taken on $45 billion more in debt, which will by then account for almost a quarter of our total debt. 

This is an important debate, because what is more important for a government to do well than run the country’s books? 

So, next week? How about it? 

So, to the Nicola Willis v Ruth Richardson debate.&nbsp;
Here’s a challenge to Nicola Willis: do it this year. Do it next week.&nbsp;
I’m hearing that having challenged Ruth Richardson to the debate, Willis’ office would prefer to do it next year.&nbsp;
I can understand why. By next year the momentum will be gone and we’ll all have moved on to other things and it, probably, won't get as big of an audience.&nbsp;
Next week though is a big week.&nbsp;
The Government is opening its books. It sounds like Nicola might be pushing out surplus, again, for the second time in two years.&nbsp;
Then we’ve got the GDP number and that’s coming off the back of the Taxpayer’s Union campaign calling her out for her big spending, which kicks off today.&nbsp;
So next week there’s much more energy around a debate. If it’s pushed out to next year, I would read it as the first sign of losing courage.&nbsp;
And if I was cynical, it's the first sign of them hoping this will fizzle and die because frankly, it was a political mistake to challenge Ruth Richardson to a debate.&nbsp;
Regardless of what you think of her, Ruth can article all the problems with Nicola's big spending budgets and debt gathering in a way that most members of the media can’t, which is to say she will mount a case that Nicola is spending too much and taking us down exactly the same path of economic trouble that Grant started us on.&nbsp;
And I suspect that will convince a lot of voters that we have a problem here.&nbsp;
And we do. We have a problem when we have a government that promised to cut spending and yet spends more than Grant and will, by mid next year, have taken on $45 billion more in debt, which will by then account for almost a quarter of our total debt.&nbsp;
This is an important debate, because what is more important for a government to do well than run the country’s books?&nbsp;
So, next week? How about it?&nbsp;

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Nicola v Ruth - bring it on

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/cad42db6-dd79-426b-9a25-b3af015657b4/transcript

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Thursday 11th of December, as Australia bans social media for under 16s, what does our interim report say we should do?  

David Seymour responds to the findings of the investigation into the mouldy lunches at a Christchurch school.  

US billionaire Mark Cuban talks the All Blacks, being an NBA owner, the state of US politics, and AI. 

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

LISTEN ABOVE  

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast with Heather du Plessis-Allan Full Show Podcast for Thursday 11th of December, as Australia bans social media for under 16s, <a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/carl-bates-education-and-workforce-committee-acting-chair-on-the-call-for-nz-to-follow-australias-social-media-ban/">what does our interim report say we should do?</a> &nbsp;
<a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/david-seymour-associate-education-minister-on-food-safety-nz-clearing-the-school-lunch-provider-over-mouldy-lunches/">David Seymour</a> responds to the findings of the investigation into the mouldy lunches at a Christchurch school. &nbsp;
US billionaire Mark Cuban talks the All Blacks, being an NBA owner, the state of US politics, and AI.&nbsp;
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Full Show Podcast: 11 December 2025 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/1706c795-f714-464c-b44a-b3af014c89ab/transcript

Mark Cuban has his hands in all sorts of pies. 

The US billionaire businessman is involved with tech, media, health insurance, the NBA, and more recently, politics. 

He got his first major start with the media company Broadcast.com, which he sold to Yahoo in 1999 for US$5.7 billion worth of stock.  

The next year he got into the NBA, buying the Dallas Mavericks for US$280 million, selling a majority stake of the team in late 2023 for $3.5 billion.  

Cuban has become something of an authority on sports, and while he’s not familiar with the economics of rugby in New Zealand, he does have a few ideas on it could be saved. 

“You’ve got to make it more fun,” he told Heather du Plessis-Allan. 

“Not so much on the pitch, right, but in the stands." 

There’s a difference, Cuban explained, between the quality of the sport being played on the field or court, and the experience people attending the game have. 

“When I got to the Mavs, the people that were at the NBA thought it was all about basketball ... but I was like, you don’t even remember the score of the last game you went to.” 

Instead, he says, what you remember is the people you went to the game with – the first date or the buddy that got drunk.  

“And I think rugby is fun, but it’s not, it’s not as much a spectacle." 

“You’ve got to make it different, otherwise you just get the purists that have been going for 50 years that don’t want to see it changed.”  

LISTEN ABOVE  

Mark Cuban has his hands in all sorts of pies.&nbsp;
The US billionaire businessman is involved with tech, media, health insurance, the NBA, and more recently, politics.&nbsp;
He got his first major start with the media company Broadcast.com, which he sold to Yahoo in 1999 for US$5.7 billion worth of stock. &nbsp;
The next year he got into the NBA, buying the Dallas Mavericks for US$280 million, selling a majority stake of the team in late 2023 for $3.5 billion. &nbsp;
Cuban has become something of an authority on sports, and while he’s not familiar with the economics of rugby in New Zealand, he does have a few ideas on it could be saved.&nbsp;
“You’ve got to make it more fun,” he told Heather du Plessis-Allan.&nbsp;
“Not so much on the pitch, right, but in the stands."&nbsp;
There’s a difference, Cuban explained, between the quality of the sport being played on the field or court, and the experience people attending the game have.&nbsp;
“When I got to the Mavs, the people that were at the NBA thought it was all about basketball ... but I was like, you don’t even remember the score of the last game you went to.”&nbsp;
Instead, he says, what you remember is the people you went to the game with – the first date or the buddy that got drunk. &nbsp;
“And I think rugby is fun, but it’s not, it’s not as much a spectacle."&nbsp;
“You’ve got to make it different, otherwise you just get the purists that have been going for 50 years that don’t want to see it changed.” &nbsp;

LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Mark Cuban: US Billionaire Businessman on the state of NZ rugby, NBA, US politics, AI

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/5e0c50a7-c4c1-4039-8f98-b3af0153bbbd/transcript

Nick Tuffley: ASB Chief Economist on a brighter outlook for the economy in 2026

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