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Government

Shrinking the public service

1

  • Public service cuts: $2.4 billion in forecast savings from public service cuts over three years – a 14% reduction meaning roughly 8,700 job losses by mid-2029

Health

$5.5 billion boost for frontline services

7

  • Whangārei hospital: Capital investment of $682 million for new ward

  • Boost for Otago Lakes: $180 million targeted at healthcare in the Otago Central Lakes area

  • More ambulance crews: $35 million over four years for Auckland road ambulance services

  • More medicines: additional $54 million for Pharmac to purchase medicines

  • After birth: $34 million for three-day postnatal stays

  • Palliative care for children: $15.5 million over four years to establish a national paediatric palliative care service

  • Bowel cancer: $33 million to extend eligibility for the National Bowel Screening Programme to age 56

Fuel crisis response

Fuel relief for emergency services

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  • Support for emergency service: Additional funding for Fire and Emergency, Corrections, Police, Customs and Education to maintain frontline operational activities as the price of fuel continues to rise

  • Fuel resilience: $150 million for additional strategic fuel reserves

  • Mileage rates: $24 million in temporary increase in mileage rates to support workers and people travelling for specialist treatment

  • Temporary relief: $450 million set aside for additional temporary fuel-related measures, if required

Education

End of fees-free university year, more support for trades

7

  • Teaching the basics: $131 million on reading, writing and maths initiatives in primary and intermediate schools

  • School lunches: $212 million to extend the Healthy School Lunches program for another year

  • Curriculum refresh: $74 million to support the implementation of a refreshed curriculum and new national qualifications

  • More classrooms: $470 million in capital investment to redevelop up to ten schools, deliver additional classrooms and buy land for new schools

  • Fees-free tertiary year scrapped: End of the fees-free tertiary year scheme to save up to $350 million per year

  • Youth learning: $87 million for 1,000 more Youth Guarantee places for young people with no or low qualifications

  • Support for trades: $69 million to double Trades Academy places to 20,000, providing free trades training to year 11 to 13 students

Defence and foreign affairs

Boost to maritime security

4

  • Maritime security boost: $1.58 billion on maritime security (drone systems, maintenance and replacement of naval fleet)

  • Defence capability: $700 million towards the Defence Capability Plan, over and above an additional $880 million of operating funding over four years

  • Pacific cooperation: $110 million for international development cooperation focused on the Pacific

  • International dipolomacy: $145 million to ensure resilient, safe and secure offshore diplomatic and trade network

Infrastructure

New roads and rail upgrade

5

  • Road of National Significance: $1.8 billion in capital investment to build Waikato Expressway

  • Rail network: $705 million capital and $477 million operating funding to renew and upgrade New Zealand’s rail network

  • Resource management reform: $294 million to drive forward reforms to resource management system

  • State highways: $400 million capital investment for state highway resilience upgrades

  • Housing growth: $400 million in new financial incentives for councils to encourage more housing

Social investment and welfare

Social housing shakeup

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  • More housing but less rent support: $69 million for up to 2,250 additional social houses, but minimum income-related rent will rise from 25% to 30% of income, adding $30 to rents for about 80,000 families

  • Accommodation support: Increases to the Accommodation Supplement from 2027 will raise weekly support for 110,000 families by almost $15

  • Child protection: $184 million for child protection agency Oranga Tamariki

  • Working families: A $50 per week increase to In-Work Tax Credit for up to a year to help working families with increased fuel costs ($373 million)

  • Cuts to temporary support: Lower maximum payments of Temporary Additional Support are expected to save $196 million

  • Gold card: $36 million to make the SuperGold card an official form of identification

Law and order

Managing growing prison population

4

  • Prisons: $503 million for frontline corrections services, including resources to manage rising number of prisoners

  • New courts and police stations: capital investment of $215 million for new court facilities in Rotorua and police stations in Whanganui and Greymouth

  • Frontline policing: $50 million additional funding for frontline policing

  • Smuggling: $70 million for three remotely controlled underwater vehicles to combat maritime smuggling

Environment

Shift to alternative energy sources

2

  • Alternative energy incentives: $48 million to provide loan guarantees for businesses switching to alternative energy sources

  • Wilding Conifers: $79 million for the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme over the next three years (taking total spend to $109 million)

Arts and culture

Cuts across the arts sector

1

  • Baseline reduction: While funding for the domestic screen production rebate continues, the Broadcasting Standards Authority is disestablished and a baseline reduction for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage means cuts to all parts of the arts sector, including the symphony orchestra, RNZ and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa