13 highlights of Budget 2022

With global inflation affecting prices here at home, we’re providing extra support for New Zealanders with our cost of living package. This includes a short term payment for the 2.1 million people earning less than $70,000 who don’t already receive the Winter Energy Payment. You can check out everything in the package here.

As part of our cost of living package, we’re extending the fuel tax cut and reduced road user charges for a further two months, helping to ease the pressure at the pump.

We’re making it cheaper for Kiwis to get around using public transport. We’re permanently halving public transport fares for people with Community Services Cards, and extending our current half prices fares for everyone until 31 August.

This year’s Budget includes the largest ever investment in the health system and Pharmac, which will fund more medicines and treatments for New Zealanders. This is on top of our previous record investments in Pharmac to provide more lifesaving drugs for Kiwis.

Driver licences are needed for up to 70% of jobs, yet a lot of people have trouble accessing lessons or tests because of cost barriers - especially sole parents and those in our rural communities. Through Budget 2022, we’re providing support to help more Kiwis get on the road and get into work.

We’re helping even more Kiwis into homes. We’re lifting price caps for First Home Grants, and removing price caps entirely from the First Home Loan. We’ve also launched a new Affordable Housing Fund, which will deliver new affordable rentals to support families in areas facing the biggest housing challenges.

We’re making sure New Zealanders can get emergency healthcare when they need it, with funding for more paramedics, new ambulances and new emergency choppers around the country.

We’re launching a new Clean Vehicle Upgrade programme, which will make it cheaper for low and middle income families to buy an electric vehicle when they get rid of their old one. It’s just one of the ways we’re investing in climate through Budget 2022 – we’re also helping more businesses transition to greener energy, backing farmers with new technology to cut agricultural emissions and more.

We’ve worked hard to make sure all Kiwi kids get a great education, and with Budget 2022, we’re taking the next steps. We’re building hundreds of new classrooms and ensuring schools have the teachers and equipment they need with a boost in operating funding. We’re also scrapping the outdated decile system, to make school funding fairer.

We were the first Government to take mental health seriously. Already, we’ve made the biggest ever investment to build a solid foundation for a whole new mental health and addiction system - and with Budget 2022, we’re boosting support for intensive mental health services and rolling our more mental wellbeing support for children.

We’re making it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to access finance so they can expand, with a new Business Growth Fund. We’re also upgrading rural broadband around the country to help regional businesses stay connected, and providing support for even more businesses switch to greener energy.

To support even more New Zealanders into jobs and training, we’re extending Apprenticeship Boost to support another 38,000 apprentices. Mana in Mahi is also receiving a boost to support another 1,600 young people into work and training, and there’s extra funding for Māori Trades Training.

Our strong economic management means we can invest in critical services and provide support for Kiwis through a tough time, while keeping a lid of debt. Thanks to our careful management of New Zealand’s economy, we’re expected to return to surplus quicker than National did after the global financial crisis.