[2] During the 2023 New Zealand general election, the National Party and its coalition partner ACT had campaigned on a platform of tax cuts and reducing what they regarded as "wasteful" spending by the outgoing Sixth Labour Government.

Similarly Associate Finance Minister David Seymour told the public not to expect "big cuts" in the mini-budget, which would serve as a prelude to the Government's 2024 New Zealand budget in May 2024.

[4] Labour's finance spokesperson Robertson described the 2023 mini-budget as "a litany of distractions, delays and diversions which leave the country without any certainty or coherent economic plan".

[6][2] Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins also described the mini-budget as a "flop" and claimed that the half-year fiscal debate had little information about how the Government planned to achieve its spending commitments.

[6] Similarly, the Green Party's finance spokesperson James Shaw claimed that the 2023 mini-budget showed that the National Government would make life harder for people on low incomes and were "gaslighting" New Zealanders by increasing the cost of living.