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