Nicola Willis

Nicola Valentine Willis (born 7 March 1981) is a New Zealand politician who has been deputy leader of the National Party since 2021. She is also the Minister of Finance, the Minister for Social Investment, the Minister for Economic Growth, and was also the Minister for the Public Services in the Sixth National Government.

Willis describes her childhood as "privileged". After a secondary education as a boarder at Auckland private school King's College, Willis went on to seek a first-class honours degree in English literature from Victoria University of Wellington and a post-graduate diploma in journalism from the University of Canterbury. She entered the New Zealand House of Representatives on the National Party list in 2018 after a career as a political advisor and corporate lobbyist. She became her party's deputy leader in 2021, following the election of Christopher Luxon as party leader.

In 2023 Willis was appointed Minister of Finance and shortly after that, Minister for Economic Growth. In her first two years in these roles, among other decisions, the coalition government implemented massive cuts in government spending. Radio New Zealand estimated over 9,500 public servants lost their jobs. 16,000 people in the construction sector were put out of work. In early 2025, national unemployment rose to about 5.1%. When the June quarterly figures for 2025 showed a drop of 0.9% in GDP, there were calls for Willis' resignation. She has also received two letters co-signed by 15 to 20 prominent economists expressing their concerns about the impact of her policies. Willis responded to these criticisms simply saying she didn't agree.

In a ‘Mood of the CFO’ survey in September 2025, the business community, particularly chief financial officers (CFOs) expressed significant concerns about the government's economic policy under Nicola Willis. They perceive the government as lacking a clear and coherent economic strategy, focusing too much on cost-cutting and appeasing minor coalition partners rather than on long-term growth and reform. Provided by Wikipedia