After weeks of hints and speculation it's finally here. The 2016 Budget has been released by Finance Minister Bill English. As one might expect, it's a naturally conservative budget with health and education being two of the big winners.

Here are some of the highlights of the 2016 Budget;

• $2.2 billion more in health including;
  • $1.6 billion for district health boards over 4 years
  • $39 million to roll out a national bowel screening programme
  • $96m for elective surgeries, increasing by 4,000 a year
  • $73m for primary healthcare
• $1.44 billion more in education, including $882.5m for classrooms and new schools and $397 million for early childhood education.
• $652 million for social investment including;
  • $200 million for system wide reform of services for vulnerable children
  • $50 million to reduce barriers to employment
  • $40 million for Whanua Ora to support around 2500 families
  • $20 million to support offenders when they leave prison
• $258 million to boost social housing including;
  • $200m for more social housing places in Auckland
  • $41.1m for emergency housing and new Special Needs Grant
  • $7.5m  in funding to manage social housing transfers to community housing providers
  • $3.7m for the Ministry of Social Development's housing unit and the Auckland social housing team
• $100 million to free up more Crown land in Auckland for housing.
• Tobacco tax to increase by 10 per cent a year every year - a packet of cigarettes will rise from $20 to $30 by 2020. Forecast to raise $425m over 4 years.
• An "Innovative New Zealand" package, intended to encourage entrepreneurship, skills and economic growth, has received $761m over four years

For full details and a host of great info graphics and interactive graphics visit the official budget website