Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has shared the traditional pre-Budget breakfast with the Finance Minister - though socially distanced - and revealed she had lost her sense of taste.
Jacinda Ardern has shared the traditional pre-Budget breakfast with the Finance Minister via Instagram. Photo: Screenshot / Instagram
Each year on Budget morning the prime minister gifts Grant Robertson a tie and the pair have a cheese roll breakfast before the day kicks off.
This time it was via Instagram as Ardern continues in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 on Saturday
"I wasn't going to let Covid get in the way of this tradition," she said on Instagram.
Cheese rolls had been delivered to her house, but Ardern said she had forgotten they were in the oven and they were "a little on the beige side".
"They're going to taste just as good - but do you know what - I'm not going to know, because I've lost all my taste."
"Enjoy your cheese roll, think about the texture rather than the taste on this occasion," Robertson said.
On the business of the day, the finance minister said the Budget he would deliver at 2pm had "a good balance".
"Every Budget has got it's own challenges and the way the world is has made this really hard to put together but getting that balance right between what we can do for people right now and what we need to do to make sure that we get the right health system and addresss climate change ... it's got a good balance in it, I'm feeling good about that."
This year's tie was revealed as sporting large red red dots on a blue background.
Ardern will be required to isolate until the morning of Saturday 21 May.
Her upcoming travel to the United States, scheduled for late May, will go ahead as planned at this stage. She is scheduled to give the commencement speech at Harvard University on 26 May.