100 things we’ve delivered this year
Over the past year, we’ve worked hard to deliver for Kiwis. As we’ve continued to secure our economy, we’ve also made good progress across long term challenges like climate change, housing, and health.
While there is more to do, we’ve achieved a lot over the past year.
Here are just 100 of the things we’ve delivered since November 2021:
Rolled out the targeted Cost of Living Payment to support New Zealanders through the worst of global inflation.
Delivered on our commitment to make Matariki a public holiday, and celebrated it for the first time.
Signed our historic free trade deal with the UK, backing Kiwi exporters.
Banned harmful conversion practices to protect the rights of our Rainbow whānau.
Helped more Kiwis into work, hitting a record low 3.2% unemployment.
Boosted Superannuation, helping older Kiwis with the cost of living.
Ensured public service contractors like cleaners and security guards are paid the living wage.
Helped feed hungry schoolkids through our free lunches in schools programme, with one million healthy meals now delivered each week.
Increased the minimum wage to $21.20 per hour.
Boosted Working for Families support, seeing 346,000 families better off.
Hit 500,000 free mental health sessions delivered through our Access and Choice programme.
Delivered the lowest Māori unemployment rate on record.
Lifted more children out of poverty, and delivered improvements across all nine child poverty measures.
Launched Te Aka Whai Ora - Māori Health Authority.
Delivered the biggest ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget, ensuring more Kiwis can get the treatments they need.
Launched Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand, the new and united nationwide health system.
Secured an ambitious free trade deal with the EU.
Supported even more people into free trades training and apprenticeships.
Boosted the Foster Care Allowance and the Orphans and Unsupported Child Benefits, helping our most vulnerable tamariki and the people who care for them.
Expanded Mana Ake, our mental wellbeing programme, so more children can get support.
Backed more businesses to take on apprentices, with more than 50,000 apprentices now supported through Apprenticeship Boost.
Passed the Fair Pay Agreements Act to improve wages and working conditions.
Increased the Best Start Tax Credit to help parents with the costs of a new baby.
Welcomed back the world and fully re-opened New Zealand’s borders to international visitors.
Repealed the ineffective and unjust Three Strikes legislation.
Provided heating, warm bedding, and curtains to thousands of Kiwi families through the Healthy Homes Initiative.
Launched Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People.
Introduced new legislation to give more tools to Police to tackle gangs and criminal activity.
Launched Te Aorerekura - the National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence.
Supported even more people into jobs through Mana in Mahi – with more than 5,000 jobseekers helped into work since we expanded the programme in 2019.
Made changes to court processes to better support victims of sexual violence.
Took the next steps towards a smokefree New Zealand, introducing legislation to limit the sale of tobacco and nicotine products.
Stopped major supermarkets from blocking competitors, to give shoppers more choices and fairer prices at the checkout.
Took further action to keep supermarkets honest, by announcing a mandatory code of conduct, compulsory unit pricing and a new grocery commissioner.
Made sure supermarkets will set fair wholesale prices, so Kiwis get a better deal.
Eased the pressure at the pump with a 25c/l cut to fuel tax and road user charges.
Expanded programmes that help drive down youth crime, by supporting at-risk young people into employment and training.
Made getting around cheaper with half price public transport fares.
Made it cheaper for Kiwis to switch to greener cars, with a wider range of hybrid and electric vehicles eligible for our Clean Car Discount Scheme.
Opened Transmission Gully motorway, the largest Government investment in New Zealand’s infrastructure in a generation.
Re-established public housing in Wairarapa and Tararua - the first time in 20 years the Government has invested in housing in these communities.
Took further steps to reduce gun harm by passing the Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Act.
Ensured more families have a place to live, passing the milestone of 10,000 public homes added since we came into Government.
Helped ease the pressure on students, with a $25 a week boost to Student Allowance.
Kickstarted housing developments across Auckland by funding critical infrastructure like pipes and roads needed to get houses built faster.
Released New Zealand’s first ever Emissions Reduction Plan, ensuring the country is on track to meet our climate goals.
Made it easier for overseas nurses, doctors and health workers to move to New Zealand, and for Kiwi nurses to return to the workforce.
Banned single use plastics including cotton buds, drink stirrers, and most plastic meat trays.
Passed a new law to stop live exports by sea.
Ensured more Kiwi growers and farmers can get the workers they need to get the job done, with the largest increase in over a decade to the RSE scheme.
Took the next steps to support communities with the impacts of climate change with New Zealand’s first ever climate adaptation plan.
Set up the new Green List pathway to attract skilled migrants to New Zealand.
Boosted the number of nurses, doctors and radiographers being trained to grow our health workforce.
Appointed New Zealand’s first Aged Care Commissioner.
Set New Zealand’s first emissions budgets, to ensure we reach our net-zero emissions goal.
Launched the Green Bonds programme, to encourage investment in climate friendly projects.
Took action to prevent and minimise the harm caused by gambling.
Passed legislation making it easier for transgender, non-binary, takatāpui and intersex people to change the sex on their birth certificate.
Made sure all childbirth injuries are covered by ACC.
Provided extensive humanitarian, economic, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine, following Russia’s unprovoked attack.
Cut red tape to help more houses get built where they’re needed most, with changes to the RMA.
Doubled the Working Holiday Scheme cap for 2022-2023, enabling an extra 12,000 workers to enter New Zealand.
Delivered the largest Police workforce ever – and we’ve committed to further increasing Police numbers to match population growth.
Made sure more people can access legal aid, with much-needed changes to income thresholds.
Announced changes to strengthen electoral law and ensure greater transparency around political donations.
Made sure more people can access antiviral medicines to help treat COVID-19.
Ramped up access to free flu vaccines and COVID-19 boosters to vulnerable groups.
Invested in community transport projects across New Zealand to help people get around safely and more sustainably.
Invested in vital infrastructure to get more homes built faster in Rotorua, Ōmokoroa, Kaikōura, Napier, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Lower Hutt, Nelson, Rangiora, Ngāruawāhia, Hastings, Moteuka, Whanganui, and Lake Hāwea.
Supported even more businesses to switch to cleaner energy through our GIDI fund.
Supported more Kiwis to buy a house by increasing the price caps for the First Home Grant.
Sped up important infrastructure builds, approving the fiftieth project under our fast-track consenting process this year.
Ensured our most productive land is available for growing food, with new protections against inappropriate subdivision and development.
Backed small businesses with new measures announced to help ensure they get paid on time.
Funded more ambulances, emergency helicopters and paramedics.
Ensured more Kiwis could buy their own home by removing First Home Loan price caps.
Cut costs for Kiwi businesses by reducing the fees charged on contactless payments.
Backed Kiwi bus drivers, with a new deal that will improve working conditions and standardise wages across the industry.
Started installing solar panels on public houses, meaning families who need it most save on their power bills.
Created a special visa for family members of Ukrainian Kiwis, enabling them to escape the conflict and come to New Zealand.
Backed a new one-stop ticketing solution for public transport, making it easier and more convenient for Kiwis to use public transport anywhere in the country.
Started fixing alcohol legislation, to ensure local communities can set their own rules to reduce alcohol harm.
Promoted New Zealand trade, tourism and businesses with Government trade delegations to Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States.
Boosted our Working Holiday Scheme with Spain, enabling more people to come and work in New Zealand.
Opened up new opportunities for vital research and innovation by signing a cooperation deal on climate change with California.
Supported around one million people with their heating bills through the colder months with the Winter Energy Payment.
Rolled out extra support and tutoring for students whose learning has been disrupted by COVID-19.
Introduced new measures to attract more teachers, including more scholarships for people in other careers to move into teaching.
Invested in new classrooms, new schools, and new classroom furniture so our kids have great spaces to learn in.
Opened the world-class Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre, one of the shovel-ready projects we invested in.
Provided support so more people can access driver training and testing – which will help more Kiwis get on the road and into work.
Connected more rural communities and businesses to the internet, with the 350th rural broadband tower installed.
Helped more schools switch to cleaner energy, as part of our commitment to removing all dirty coal boilers from schools.
Backed more businesses to switch to cleaner transport – including New Zealand’s first electric milk tanker! – through our Low Emission Transport Fund.
Set out strong new protections for native Hector’s dolphins.
Launched a new service that allows women in their first 10 weeks of pregnancy to access medication for an early medical abortion over the phone.
Permanently made public transport half price for Community Service Card holders.
Launched a new affordable Housing Fund, to deliver new affordable rentals and support families in areas facing the biggest housing challenges.
Supported over 4,000 people into training through the Training Incentive Allowance.
Made the largest ever investment into kura property, to ensure our ākonga have great places to learn.