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Barbara Edmonds rated credible by most surveyed business leaders, but Labour’s numbers face questions

A NZ Herald survey found 55% of business respondents considered Labour’s finance spokesperson a credible potential Finance Minister, while some questioned the party’s fiscal costings.

NewsJaws DeskEditorial desk

Published 22 Oct 2026, 05:08 BST2 min read

Barbara Edmonds sits with newly appointed Executive Council members at Government House. — Barbara Edmonds sits with newly appointed Executive Council members at Government House, Wellington, on 1 February 2023. File photograph. New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General, “Appointment of Executive Council members - 1 Feb 2023.jpg” (resized and converted to WebP). CC BY 4.0.Image source Image licence: CC BY 4.0

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Barbara Edmonds was rated a credible potential Finance Minister by 55% of business leaders in a New Zealand survey reported by the NZ Herald on October 22. The finding matters as Labour presents its fiscal plan: the newspaper also recorded business leaders’ questions about the plan’s costings and economic priorities.

The NZ Herald’s Mood of the Boardroom survey asked whether Edmonds, Labour’s finance and economy spokesperson and MP for Mana, had presented herself as a credible Minister of Finance. Thirty per cent answered no and 15% were unsure. The reported result describes the surveyed business leaders; the published excerpt does not establish a sample size or whether they represent New Zealand businesses generally.

The comparable survey last year found 53% said yes, 26% were unconvinced and 21% were undecided. The latest responses therefore show a modest rise in the share answering yes, alongside a rise in the share answering no. The newspaper reported that business leaders wanted more detail about Edmonds’ approach and plans.

Business leaders split over Labour’s fiscal costings

Chris Quin, chief executive of Foodstuffs North Island, described Edmonds as willing to engage and hear different economic views, according to the NZ Herald. He said confidence in her as a future Finance Minister would ultimately depend on voters’ confidence in Labour’s wider programme and its ability to support growth, investment and fiscal stability.

Anne Gaze, founder of the Gaze Foundation and CampusLink, challenged whether Labour’s numbers add up. In comments reported by the NZ Herald, she questioned how the party had costed its pay equity commitment, a three-year fuel tax freeze and three free GP visits. She also questioned the revenue Labour expects from its proposed capital gains tax.

What Labour’s economic plan proposes

Labour says it has released an economic plan focused on growth, jobs and small businesses. Its account of the plan is attributed to Edmonds. The NZ Herald reported that the party has also set out a fiscal strategy and tax policies, giving business leaders proposals to assess as well as Edmonds’ suitability for the finance role.

Among the measures described by the NZ Herald are a proposed Parliamentary Budget Office to independently analyse government books and parties’ spending commitments, and a 28% capital gains tax on profits from certain investment properties. Edmonds said the proposed tax would exclude the main home. These proposals help explain why respondents’ judgments about her credibility were tied to questions about Labour’s wider programme.