Not Tiddlywinks

THIS YEAR, for once, the dull certainties of Budget week were overturned.

Usually, the Government holds all the cards, drip-feeding select details for weeks ahead of the big reveal, then indulging in jolly-hockey-sticks photo opportunities as the hallowed document rolls off the presses a couple of days out, and “traditional” snacks are consumed on Budget Day morning.

But the cheese rolls favoured by Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern must have stuck in the craw this year, the aroma of toasted cheese and onion no match for the gigantic stink unleashed by Treasury’s inability to keep the Budget secret from National’s prying eyes.

First, Opposition Leader Simon Bridges stole the Government’s thunder by releasing early details of what was to be announced. Treasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf called in