Finance Minister Bill English will this afternoon release a tough Budget aimed at battling rising debt.
But it is also expected to include a soft centre aimed at easing some of the worries for low and middle-income earners.
As earlier announced, the main changes will be to KiwiSaver, Working for Families and student loans.
Mr English is faced with the toughest financial circumstances of his long career in Parliament and will need all of his skills to sell some of the more unpalatable options on offer.
None of the changes will come in until after the November 26 election, however. By then, National is gambling that most voters will have forgotten about them, remain preoccupied with a possible Rugby World Cup victory, or a visit by the newly wed Prince William.
A record deficit of $17 billion means a lot to credit rating agencies but not much to people who are struggling to heat their homes and feed their families.
Even the Government borrowing $380 million a week does not mean much to most - barring economists.
But if Mr English can show he is cutting government spending, he will be aligning the Government with the majority of New Zealand households, which are reducing debt and increasing savings.
KiwiSaver changes will place more responsibility on employers and workers to contribute to retirement savings and will be introduced gradually.
The cuts in Working for Families will come for those at the top end of income earned and the savings will be redirected to people on much lower incomes.
Those changes will be hard for Labour and the Greens to counter and the most virulent criticism will come from new Act New Zealand leader Don Brash.
Any change to student loan eligibility could affect the ability of some to study. People aged 55 and over can expect some changes to the way they receive the loan and how quickly they need to pay it back.
