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Finance Minister Nicola Willis during her appearance at the Finance and Expenditure Committee, where she announced May 28th as the Budget 2026 day, Parliament, Wellington, New Zealand, January 28, 2026. Herald photograph by Mark Mitchell

'Water off a duck's back': Nicola Willis addresses comments made by Barbara Edmonds

Author: Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date: Mon, 25 May 2026, 6:30pm

Some more leaked audio has gotten the Labour Party in trouble, with MP Barbara Edmonds apologising for off-colour comments directed at the Finance Minister.

The audio obtained by the Herald features a moderator asking various Labour MPs whether they'd rather fight "100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck."

Edmonds' answer apparently referenced Nicola Willis.

Willis says she's accepted Edmonds' apology - but this event says a lot about Labour's conduct this election year.

"Step one - demonize your opponent. Step two - waffle on about values. Well, how about just answering the question? I guess that would require some actual policies."

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