Focused on the cost of living

Here is a quick overview of our first steps:

Putting the cost of living front and centre

To make sure that we can do more to support families in the here and now, we’ve announced we’re cancelling or delaying a suite of programmes to free up funding and resources for where they’re needed most right now.

These include cancelling the TVNZ/RNZ public media entity and biofuels mandate, and delaying the social insurance scheme. Our Government is also considering the Three Waters programme - although, as we’ve seen in Auckland recently, it’s simply not an option to stick with the status quo. You can learn more about policy refocus here.

Cutting transport costs

Households across New Zealand are thinking hard about their budgets, and as a Government, we’re focused on what we can do to help. That’s why we moved quickly to extend our fuel tax cut, our reduction on road user charges as well as half price public transport until the end of June 2023.

Transport is one of the biggest expenses for many families and this extension will help to ease some pressure, by cutting the cost of filling up a 60 litre tank of petrol by around $17.25 and helping to reduce fuel costs that are driving up food prices. You can read more about this here.

Lifting wages

We’re further increasing the minimum wage, lifting it in line with inflation from 1 April. In tough times, it’s critical to support those who struggle most to make ends meet, and right now, low income families in our community need this support more than ever.

These actions show the new direction our Government is taking, as we deliver on our commitment to focus on the issues that matter most to New Zealanders.

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