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How is it that we are having a conversation today about whether Nicola Willis needs to quit her portfolio because of yesterday's shock GDP number?

This is crazy. What happened yesterday is not Nicola Willis's fault. It is the Reserve Bank's fault. It is not a matter of opinion. It is a fact.

The Reserve Bank ratcheted up the official cash rate to slow down the economy and engineer a recession, to quote Adrian Orr. It's what he wanted to do. It is what he has actually done successfully.

We now have had an enormous recession, and we are struggling to come out of that. That is not Nicola Willis's fault.

Now, sure, I can lay some blame at Nicola Willis's feet. I can blame Nicola Willis for not doing enough to fix the state of the government's books.Probably not doing enough to get rundown places like Auckland Central going again, but that GDP number, that is fair and square, largely the Reserve Bank's problem, so she should not quit over what happened yesterday.

However, I am prepared to admit that the fact that this discussion is even happening does speak to the enormous political pressure that she is under at the moment, because it is enormous. She is under a lot of political pressure. She is very much playing at a political disadvantage because a lot has gone wrong for her this year. Buttergate was all Nicola Willis pulling in Miles Hurrell for a chat, Gavin the cameras run after him. She created that.

She has only just managed to save herself from being accused of being all talk and no action over the supermarkets, redeemed with a Hail Mary at the last minute.

And for all the criticism that she lobbed Grant Robertson for spending too much, she spends more than him every single budget, and here we are two years into this administration, still waiting for their big plan as to how we turn this economy around.

That is as finance minister and economic growth minister, her job, but she doesn't need to quit over what happened yesterday.

Look, the bar for any minister to quit is very high, but for a finance minister, even more so.

Just have a look at how badly Rachel Reeves in the UK is stuffing things up and crying in public.

She is still in her job.

Nicola Willis is nowhere near that, mainly because the GDP figure out yesterday is not her fault.

And the fact that this is actually a discussion is somewhat mind-blowing.

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China's economy continues to slow down after months of decline, and retail sales and industrial production are at their lowest levels of the year.

Falling property prices are also to blame, with house prices in Beijing down 19% from last year.

Asia business correspondent Peter Lewis says that despite this downturn and the trade war with the US, China's exports have kept at a steady level.

He said that Xi Jinping's focus on expanding markets independent of the US is helping keep the economy moving.

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Canada is the last obstacle between the Black Ferns and the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham.

The teams will clash tomorrow morning for the third time in the past 16 months.

Former Black Fern Steph Te Ohaere-Fox told Heather duPlessis-Allan that she believes the Black Ferns' record will help the team prevail.

'We've got the mental edge, because we've made it through the finals and won the finals heaps of times.'

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Tonight on the Huddle: Sports commentator Andrew Gordon and One News sports reporter Kate Wells join Heather duPlessis-Allan to discuss the latest sports news.

The Black Ferns have made it to the semi finals of the Rugby World Cup, can they go all the way? Big congratulations are in order for Geordie Beamish who takes steeplechase gold, and what's happening with the Silver Ferns' rotating captains?

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Concern over predatory parking companies after a man got a ticket for being in a park for eight seconds.

Christchurch man Bailey Smith won his case in the Disputes Tribunal, for the 95 dollar parking ticket.

Smith says he pulled into the Kauri Street car park and then reversed out again within eight seconds, when he realised it was private.

NZ Parking Association Chairman Mike Kelly told Heather du Plessis-Allan operators should be transparent with their rules.

He says as soon as you enter a private car park you enter a contract, but it has to be fair and reasonable.

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The rising number of people on electronically-monitored bail is being used to explain a surge in absconders.

Figures released to Newstalk ZB through the Official Information Act show cases of a breach rose from 64 in 2015, to 832 last year.

Corrections Chief Probation Officer Toni Stewart told Heather du Plessis-Allan over the last 10 years the courts have granted more electronically monitored bail.

She says they report signs of breaches to police, and is assuring the public they have a zero tolerance for non-compliance.

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Ruth Richardson does not want to see Nicola Willis resign.

But the Former Finance Minister is calling on the current Minister to take a chainsaw to certain areas of spending.

Recent GDP numbers have shown a worse-than expected economic picture - with a 0.9 percent dip in the June quarter.

Ex Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas is calling for the Minister's resignation.

But Richardson says Superannuation's unsustainable and a bloated public service.

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