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The 2019 New Zealand Budget was delivered on Thursday 30 May.

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RELATED LINKS:
For the full text (when released) of the budget see...
TREASURY BUDGET 2019 WEBSITE
See also the BEEHIVE BUDGET PAGE

For previous budgets see...
BUDGET 2018 - [Labour's December 2017 Budget update - link] - BUDGET 2017 - BUDGET 2016 - BUDGET 2015 - BUDGET 2014 - BUDGET 2013 - BUDGET 2012 - BUDGET 2011 - BUDGET 2010 - BUDGET 2009 - BUDGET 2008 - BUDGET 2007 - BUDGET 2007 - BUDGET 2006 - BUDGET 2005 - BUDGET 2004 - BUDGET 2003 - BUDGET 2002 - BUDGET 2001 & BUDGET 2000

BUDGET 2019 - SCOOP COMMENTARY / REPORTS

Gordon Campbell: On The Morning After Feeling From The Wellbeing Budget
Allegedly, there are 628 different synonyms for “well-being” 654 Well-being Synonyms - Other Words for Well-being so there should be one that fits your own response to the Wellbeing Budget.

IMO, “in the pink” is the closest fit. Meaning: not socialist red, but a lighter shade of pink that’s been spread thinly across a slew of social and infrastructural spending initiatives that – with a couple of exceptions – are disappointing in their scale and scope.

It isn’t transformational. From mental health to the rail network to improving the state of the waterways, much of the spend will merely be playing catch up for the previous decade of neglect. More>>

Gordon Campbell: On The Fallacy Of Political Moderation
This ‘myth of the political centre’ is a shared belief among politicians and journalists alike. (It dovetails nicely with journalism’s ‘myth of objectivity’, which promotes a similarly ideal fiction of even-handed moderation in all things.) More>>

BusinessDesk: Economists Largely Positive But Sceptical About Parts
Economists were largely upbeat about the government's 2019 budget but say Treasury's forecasts may be too optimistic.

The Treasury lowered its growth forecasts but still sees gross domestic product growth of 3 percent in the 12 months to June 2020 and 2.8 percent the following year.

Ramped up government spending also saw it narrow the predicted surplus over the next few years, essentially narrowing the operating balance excluding gains and losses by $9.2 billion between now and June 2023. More>>

• MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares fall as fears on global growth
• NZ dollar firms after government's "wellbeing" budget
• Budget 2019: Economic growth boosted before fading
• $3B Provincial Growth Fund two-thirds committed
• Budget 2019: Capital demands see increased bond programme
• Govt sets aside funds for new cyber security strategy
• Govt cuts urban infrastructure fund in half
• Rail projects score $1.6B of new capital
• Govt raids Super Fund to boost venture capital funding
• NZ surpluses narrow as spending ramps up
• Govt optimistic it will meet initial child poverty targets
• New schools spearhead $41.1 billion capital programme
• Overseer to get revamp, farmers to benefit from budget

Newshub Nation interviews:

• Simon Shepherd interviews Finance Minister Grant Robertson
• Simon Shepherd interviews Health Minister David Clark
• Simon Shepherd interviews mental health experts

The Conversation: Support For A Lower-Emission Economy
Robert McLachlan: A decade ago, one of New Zealand’s leading scientists, the late Sir Paul Callaghan, put forth his vision for the country in his book Wool to Weta. He envisaged New Zealand emphasising green high-technology industries and reducing dependence on agriculture... More>>

• Murray Graham Patterson - The search for an alternative to GDP to measure progress
• Kate C. Prickett - Children had no say in NZ’s budget, and that matters
• David Hall - NZ has dethroned GDP as a measure of success - But is it transformational?
• Troy Baisden - How NZ’s well-being budget delivers for the environment

Links:

• The Spinoff - Wellbeing Budget 2019: The great Spinoff hot-take roundtable

Lyndon Hood: Better Analogies For National Pilfering Budget Data
After the Treasury Secretary's tragically doomed effort provide a metaphorical image for the budget data breach, and the rash of media attempts that followed, we never got an analogy that really covers all the bases. Until now. More>>

BUDGET 2019 - POST BUDGET DAY DEVELOPMENTS

14 August: Publication Of Background Documents For Budget 2019
Background documents for Budget 2019 are now available from on the Treasury website... More>>

"Clumsy Response To A Serious Issue": Treasury Head Was "Unreasonable" On Budget Breach
Outgoing Treasury secretary Gabriel Makhlouf was "clumsy", unreasonable and fell "well short" of expectations in his handling of the Budget data breach, a government report has found. More>>

• BusinessDesk - Makhlouf failed to take responsibility for Budget leak: SSC - UPDATE: Makhlouf in denial, no resignation offer
• State Services Commission - Findings of investigation into Secretary to the Treasury
• The Treasury - Statement by outgoing Secretary to the Treasury
• NZ Govt - Government welcomes SSC Treasury report
• National - No accountability at Treasury over Budget “hack”
• NZ Taxpayers' Union - Findings on unrepentant Makhlouf are damning
• The Scoop Team - Budget 2019 - Scoop Full Coverage

New Budget Arts Funding: Fairer Wage For Grant Artists, Creatives In Schools

The vital contribution and huge value the creative sector brings to New Zealand is recognised in this year’s Budget with $11.157 million over four years for two new initiatives, the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern said today. More>>

• Creative NZ - Creative New Zealand welcomes Government’s new investment
• Fulbright NZ - Oscar Kightley recipient of 2019 Pacific Writers' Residency - Fulbright New Zealand announces 2019 grantee cohort

Budget Breach "Hack" Claim Response: Government Advice Timeline Revealed
The government has finally given some clarity around the timeline of who knew what, and when , regarding Treasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf's claim Treasury's website had been hacked. More>>

• RNZ - Treasury's Budget 'hack': timeline revealed - Five Eyes made information requests after Budget hack claim
• State Services Commission - Murray Jack to investigate Budget-sensitive material leak - Canapés and champagne but no confidence
• National - Robertson and Little need to come clean

Defence Capability Plan 2019 Released
The Defence Capability Plan sets out the Government’s indicative planned investments in the New Zealand Defence Force. More>>

• Gordon Campbell - Gordon Campbell on the military withdrawal from Iraq - On the war purposes of our massive defence spend-up
• RNZ - National supports troop withdrawal - if partners do same
• The Scoop Team - PM's Post-Cab 10/6/2019: Redeploy
• NZ Govt - Defence Capability Plan 2019 released - Super Hercules selected as preferred option - NZ confirms ongoing part in Operation Gallant Phoenix - New Zealand to withdraw from Iraq in June 2020 - New Zealand to refocus deployment to Afghanistan - Commissioning of HMNZS Manawanui
• Greens - Green Party warmly welcomes end of Iraq deployment in 2020
• Auckland Peace Action - End all support for US Wars, not just Iraq
• Inquiry into Operation Burnham - Minute No 16. - Possibility of testimony from villagers
• Image NZDF, via May 2019 RNZ - NZ to decide whether to continue Iraq deployment

10-Month Crown Accounts: Tax Revenue Above Forecasts (So Far)
Core Crown tax revenue of $71.1 billion was $2.3 billion (3.3%) above forecast. Within this, other individuals tax was $0.9 billion (24.1%) above forecast, corporate tax $0.6 billion (4.8%) and GST $0.5 billion (2.6%) above forecast. More>>

• BusinessDesk - Treasury, IRD investigating unexpectedly high April tax take
• NZ Govt - Crown accounts show careful fiscal management
• National - Slowing economy will reduce wellbeing
• NZ Treasury - Monthly Economic Indicators May 2019

Accommodation, Energy Use, Screen Industry, ISPs: Four Surveys To End
The surveys will cease because Stats NZ is under significant cost pressures and is no longer able to run them based on present funding. Some of these surveys were run in consultation, and with funding, from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. More>>

• BusinessDesk - Stats NZ cites lack of cash for cutting surveys
• RNZ - Stats NZ relying on insurance cash for surveys
• Tourism Industry Aotearoa - Tourism industry shocked by loss of key data source - TIA
• Regional Tourism NZ - Regional Tourism Shocked Over Loss of Valuable Tourism Data
• Holiday Parks NZ - Holiday parks devastated at insight cancellation
• Hospitality NZ - Government drops funding for Accommodation Survey
• Statistics NZ - New framework gives definition to housing quality - Local authority statistics: March 2019 quarter - Dairy export volumes advance to new record

Budget Breach: SSC Will Investigate Treasury Secretary's Response
State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes has today announced an investigation into recent questions raised concerning the Chief Executive and Secretary to the Treasury, Gabriel Makhlouf, and his actions and public statements about the causes of the unauthorised access to Budget material. More>>

• BusinessDesk - SSC to investigate Treasury Secretary Makhlouf
• Scoop Report - PM's Post-Cabinet Press Conference 4/6/19: Post Hoc
• RNZ - Jacinda Ardern speaks at post-Budget media conference - Finance Minister willing to hand communications to SSC
• Out-Link - The 2019 NZ Budget Leak: what actually happened – The Understatement
• Out-Link - Where you’re getting the Treasury budget data breach story all wrong | The Spinoff
• Lyndon Hood - Better Analogies for National Pilfering Budget Data

Report & Video: PM's Post-Budget Post-Cab
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern opened her post-Budget post-cabinet press conference with a run down of her post-budget week plans, her assessment of the post-budget response from mental health, and a summary of the government's new investment in DHBs. ... More>>

BUDGET 2019 - THE PRESS KIT
(Note see also pre-budget announcements below)

The Budget Speech

• Robertson: Budget Speech - The Wellbeing Budget

Releases

• Robertson: New Zealand’s first Wellbeing Budget
• Ardern: Wellbeing Budget tackles New Zealand’s long-term challenges
• Investing in New Zealand
• Transforming the economy
• Improving child wellbeing
• Taking Mental Health Seriously
• Building a Productive Nation
• Te tautoko i ngā tūmanako Māori
• Supporting Māori and Pasifika aspirations

BUDGET 2019 - THE REACTION - FULL COVERAGE

From Parliament:

Government/Labour

• Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Wellbeing Budget speech
• Wellbeing Budget recognises the importance of Kōhanga Reo
• Funding for Growing Up in New Zealand study
• Budget boosts Pacific-led wellbeing focus for Aotearoa
• Wellbeing Budget funds more Judges
• Cameras on vessels to ensure sustainable fisheries
• Budget boost for primary sector

National

• Botched budget disappointment to New Zealanders - Botched budget sees economy continue to weaken - Broken promises and bad priorities
• Health budget littered with broken promises
• Botched Budget has motorists paying more for less
• More taxes hit hardworking NZers in Botched Budget
• Budget sees taxpayers picking up tab for deadbeat dads
• More perverse logic from Jones on capital gains tax
• Funding for Technology Valley in Hutt is good news
• National calls for Budget inquiry to be widened
• Govt reduces funding for people with disabilities
• Govt admits defeat on Social Housing in Botched Budget
• Predator Free funding freeze - ideology before environment
• Universities ‘dumbed down’ in Botched Budget
• Road safety funding cut in Botched Budget
• Labour’s report card shows broken promises
• Robertson and Little need to come clean
• Motorists have little to show for $1.7 billion tax grab

Greens

• Budget Speech - James Shaw
• Green Party welcomes first Wellbeing Budget
• Wellbeing Budget: We need to change how we see the economy

NZ First

• New Zealand First Proud of Difference Budget 2019 Will Make
• NZ First says wellbeing budget good for business
• An Important Budget Anouncement You May Have Missed

ACT

• Speech: ACT Leader's Reply to Budget 2019
• Budget 2019: Wellbeing Budget is stardust over substance
• Budget 2019: Tax, spend, and hope
• Budget 2019: Teachers deserve better from Government
• Lack of gun funding risks black market
• Police Minister completely out of touch on gun buyback
• Free Press, 4 June 2019

Non-Parliamentary Political Reaction:

• Auckland Council - Mayor Goff welcomes Government’s Wellbeing Budget
• NZ Taxpayers' Union - Wellbeing Budget is a thin veil for classic Labour spend-up - Welfare spending sky-rocketing - Taxpayer money will be spent unfairly via Whanau Ora - Mental health spending must not be a black hole - Dishonest fuel tax hikes nothing about “Wellbeing”
• Local Govt NZ - Wellbeing budget promises encourage local government
• Gwynn Compton - Boost for Wellington rail should go towards Ōtaki extension
• New Conservative - New Conservative Welcomes Focus on Mental Health
• Socialist Equality Group - Budget gives billions to military, starves public services
• Organise Aotearoa - Socialists hangs banner over Ellerslie bridge
• SH People's Politburo - Labour comes under fire from the left
• Maori Party - Money talks when addressing Māori mental wellbeing

SOEs, etc

• Department of Conservation - Budget 2019 – DOC funding increase
• KiwiRail - Budget investment builds a solid foundation for rail
• Te Papa - Increased funding for Te Papa in Budget 2019

Health Sector Reaction:

• Alzheimers NZ - People with dementia obviously don’t count
• ProCare Health - ProCare welcomes Govt funding for mental health support
• NZ Private Surgical Hospitals Association - Budget could have done more to reduce surgical waiting lists
• Royal NZ College of General Practitioners - GPs welcome mental health funding announcement
• NZ Association of Counsellors - Govt just doesn’t get it!
• Association of Salaried Medical Specialists - Health budget barely maintains the status quo
• NZ Nurses Organisation - Wellbeing Budget initiatives will require nurses
• Mental Health Foundation - Wellbeing Budget 2019 a good start towards transformation
• NZ College Of Midwives - Midwives, Babies and Mothers Overlooked
• Australasian College for Emergency Medicine - Response to Government’s first "Wellbeing Budget"
• Lifeline Aotearoa - Lifeline Aotearoa says Wellbeing Budget could signal turn
• Northern Cochlear Implant Trust - The silent torture continues for cochlear implant patients
• Southern Cochlear Implant Programme - Budget delivers heartbreak for cochlear implant patients
• Lung Foundation NZ - Call for more investment in harm reduction
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians - Bold Budget Making Wellbeing the Norm: Doctors
• National Hauora Coalition - Much needed investment in Rheumatic fever shows commitment
• Centre of Research Excellence - Tobacco Control Expert Questions Budget Tobacco Tax Increase
• Federation of Primary Health - Federation welcomes the Government’s Focus on Wellbeing
• NZ Association of Counsellors - Mental health spending reinvents the wheel, say counsellors
• NZ Medical Association - NZMA Welcomes NZ's First Wellbeing Budget
• NZ Psychological Society - Budget: NZPsS delighted to see investment in mental health
• Te Tumu Waiora Collaborative - Government funding commitment for mental health
• Asthma Foundation - Budget brush-off won’t slow down Foundation
• Disability Support Network - Wellbeing Budget falls disappointingly short for disability
• Royal Australian and NZ College of Psychiatrists - Wellbeing Budget 2019 cautiously welcomed by psychiatrists
• Association of Salaried Medical Specialists - Acute demand driving deficits
• RANZCP - An opportunity to lift the wellbeing of all New Zealanders

Education Sector Reaction:

• PPTA - Budget 2019 fails to fix teacher shortages
• NZEI - Budget doesn't deliver the transformational change needed
• Universities NZ - Te Pokai Tara - Funding increase much-needed boost for universities
• Tertiary Education Union - Aspirations require a well-funded tertiary education sector
• Early Childhood NZ - No Wellbeing Budget for our youngest children
• NZ Kindergartens - New Zealand Kindergartens Statement re Budget 2019
• Ruahine Kindergartens - Disappointing budget for Kindergarten and Early Learning
• NZSTA - Real transformation takes time - Tomorrow’s Schools review v Budget 2019 - what needs fixing

Science and Tech Sector Reaction:

• Science Media Centre - Budget 2019 - Expert Reaction - Budget 2019: Mental Health - Expert Reaction

Union Reaction:

• CTU - CTU welcomes Wellbeing Budget as a good start
• Public Service Association - PSA welcomes Wellbeing Budget but more still to do - Response to mental health and addiction inquiry brings hope - More needed for Disability Support to address underfunding

Welfare/Poverty Sector Reaction

• Office of the Children's Commissioner - ‘Significant and powerful step forward’
• Community Housing Aotearoa - Affordable Housing good for wellbeing too!
• Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu - This is the moment for Whanau Ora /Wellbeing in Action
• Auckland Action Against Poverty - Wellbeing budget fails to deliver for beneficiaries - Not Enough Left in the Budget for low-income communities
• Salvation Army - Focus on vulnerable communities welcomed by Salvation Army
• IHC - Budget sets overdue pathway for intellectual disabilities
• UNICEF - Wellbeing Budget: A systemic approach to complex issues
• Wellington City Mission - Wellington City Mission is encouraged by Wellbeing Budget
• Habitat for Humanity - Housing Budget a balance between urgent and long-term needs
• Barnardos - An Aotearoa where every child shines bright
• SSPA - SSPA’s response to the Budget announcements
• NZCCSS - Budget 2019 - A Hopeful Start
• Child Poverty Action Group - Nothing transformational for children in poverty
• Caritas Aotearoa - Caritas Welcomes Stronger Focus on Vulnerable In Budget
• Aotearoa NZ Association of Social Workers - ANZASW response to the 2019 budget
• Greypower - Grey Power disappointed with the latest budget
• Economic and Social Research Aotearoa - New Report Declares Wellbeing Budget ‘Failure’
• NZ Council of Christian Social Services - Wellbeing Budget 2019: How transformative is it?

Finance, Tax & Analysis:

• Deloitte - Budget an important first step for meaningful change - Wellbeing Budget largely delivers on wellbeing promise - Tax barely gets a mention in the Wellbeing Budget
• Financial Services Council - Long-term focus of Wellbeing Budget welcomed
• XE Money Transfer - NZ 'wellbeing' Budget Release - NZD unchanged
• Kiwibank - Our Take
• Baker Tilly Staples Roadway - “Responsible” Budget a pleasant surprise
• NZ Private Capital - Venture capital industry ready to accelerate growth
• Financial Advice NZ - Financial Confidence And Capacity Essential to Wellbeing
• Commission for Financial Capability - CFFC welcomes Budget funding to improve home ownership
• Booster - Booster Welcomes New Venture Capital Fund

Business Reaction

• Business Central - Employers welcome mental health services boost
• Chartered Accountants Australia and NZ - Business is not totally left out of the Wellbeing Budget
• Canterbury Employers' Chamber Of Commerce - Budget overlooks business wellbeing
• Federated Farmers - Wellbeing Budget should have worked with farmers - Feds applauds Budget’s farming investments
• EMA - Wellbeing Budget 2019 delivers, but not for business - Good news for manufacturers in Wellbeing Budget 2019
• Business NZ - Focused spending for business and the economy
• Industry Training Federation of NZ - Budget 2019 investments must deliver workforce skills
• Green Building Council - Budget response
• REINZ - REINZ disappointed housing supply not addressed in Budget 19
• DairyNZ - Ambitious targets will require govt support - Rural communities need mental health focus
• Auckland Chamber of Commerce - Wellbeing Budget impacts Aucklanders stuck in traffic…

Environment

• Fish and Game NZ - Fish & Game welcome Budget announcements
• Recreation Aotearoa - Recreation Aotearoa applauds $10M increase spending
• Forest And Bird - Funding for conservation a step in the right direction
• Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre - Budget 2019 - “Rail funding gets the full support of CEAC.”
• Green Building Council - Budget response
• Our Seas Our Future - Wellbeing Budget under delivers on Environmental Wellbeing
• Biochar Network NZ - BNNZ Government budget response

Other Reaction

• AUT University - Making policy sense of New Zealand’s First Wellbeing Budget
• Te Mangai Paho - Te Māngai Pāho welcomes Wellbeing Budget 2019
• Recreation Aotearoa - Recreation Aotearoa welcomes increased budget for Sport NZ - Recreation Aotearoa applauds Budget initiative
• Peace Movement Aotearoa - Wellbeing Budget: Shocking rise in military spending
• Pacific Health Plus - Budget: Less than 1% for so-called pacific priority
• Oxfam NZ - Minister Peters encouraged to keep turning the dial on aid
• Maori Language Commission - A strategic revitalisation budget for te reo Māori
• ExerciseNZ - The Wellbeing Budget lacked wellness – exercise expert says
• University of Auckland - Unfair superannuation partner rule finally dropped

BUDGET 2018 PREVIEWS & REACTION

Government Pre-Budget Announcements:

• Finance Minister Grant Robertson on statement from Treasury
• Work begins to drop public transport fares
• Ardern: Pre-Budget speech to Business New Zealand
• Delivering for Māori and the whenua
• Pre-Budget speech to the Craigs Investors Conference
• Targets set to help break the cycle of child poverty
• Wellbeing Budget to boost support for ethnic communities
• Securing the future of ambulance services
• New digital platform for SuperGold Card
• Breaking the cycle of family and sexual violence
• Wellbeing Budget supports new rheumatic fever initiative
• Betting Levy to be repealed
• Creating a sustainable forestry sector
• Pre-Budget speech to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce
• Supporting working women with pay equity: next steps
• Removal of fees and a stronger NCEA
• More than 1,000 homeless to be housed through Budget 2019
• A whānau-centred pathway to break the cycle
• Infrastructure Pipeline launched
• Government invests in clean energy centre
• Supporting people into work and income security
• Thousands more teachers for schools
• Government maintains surplus in Crown accounts
• Stats Minister confirms funding for Census fix
• Boost for services to veterans and their families
• Govt accounts in position to weather global uncertainty

BusinessDesk Pre-Budget Coverage:

• Robertson blasts Treasury over hasty police action
• 'The most contemptible moment in NZ politics’
• Budget leak: no Treasury hack, say police
• Budget leaks suggest Gov centralising mental health spending
• Bridges claims huge Budget details leak
• Reaction to Budget relaxation shows balance 'about right'
• BUDGET 2019: NZ debt target to be more flexible from 2022
• Govt redirects $197M underspend to vocational reform
• Jones defiant, apologetic over Provincial Growth Fund
• Treasury warns growth might be weaker than December forecast
• Govt's capital programme $1.4 billion below expectations
• UPDATE: Govt pledges $16M for census improvements
• Annual census possible as govt data replacing formfilling
• Govt signs off its first ‘well-being’ Budget

From RNZ:

• Wellbeing Budget: 'Joining the dots' for a bold vision
• Wellbeing Budget: Tamaki residents don't have time to wait
• 'Entirely appropriate behaviour' from National - Bridges
• Budget info under 'multiple and persistent attack'
• Budget leak: Embarrassing error or conspiracy?
• Diaries reveal how government ministers spend their days
• Wellington transport announcement against Treasury advice
• Wellington's public transport system to get $6.4b overhaul
• Dole sanction delay 'prolonging something harmful'
• Coalition faces 'student backlash' if no-fee policy revised
• NCEA shake-up: Mixed feelings over external assessments

Pre-budget statements and wishlists:

• National - Government playing petty politics with Budget Day process - Minister should apologise twice to independent midwives - Budget must live up to its own hype - Amy Adams Speech: Prepared for Northern Regional Conference
• ACT - Free Press, 27 May 2019 - The Last of the Stardust
• A Better Start National Science Challenge - A Better Start National Science Challenge endorses Budget
• Maori Council - Government has failed Maori across the board
• Public Transport Users Association - Public Transport Funding Needs a Boost in Budget Today
• Habitat for Humanity - High Hopes for Home Ownership Assistance in Budget
• Kiwibuy - Community Housing Providers hope for home ownership support
• Hapai Te Hauora - Budget should demonstrate commitment to Māori
• Auckland Peace Action - Well-Being' budget ensures health of weapons dealers
• Jane Stevens - What we want from the Government’s ‘Wellbeing Budget”
• NZ Nurses Organisation - Budget a chance to address ethnic pay inequities
• Child Poverty Action Group - Will Budget 2019 be transformational for children?
• Baker Tilly Staples Roadway - Business concerns on wellbeing agenda lead to mixed messages
• University of Canterbury - Dawn of the Wellbeing Budget – revolution or facade?
• Social Credit - National’s Debt Comments A Losing Strategy
• Auckland Business Chamber - Debt level shift creates opportunity for accelerated action
• National Heart Foundation - Heart Foundation Welcomes Rheumatic Fever Fund Announcement
• Massey University - Massey University launches Shared Prosperity Index
• Association of Salaried Medical Specialists - Health $3.2 billion under-funded since 2009/10
• CTU - Vote Health needs an extra $1.3 billion just to stand still
• Social Service Providers Aotearoa - Budget needs to close the community social worker pay gap
• Asthma Foundation - Wellbeing Budget Could Be a Breath of Fresh Air
• FIRST Union - Wellbeing budget delivers for Ambo wages, St John moving

Selected coverage of pre-Budget announcements and drama:

No Crime: Search Engine Flaw Allowed Previews Of Budget Docs
Following Tuesday's referral, the Police have advised the Treasury that, on the available information, an unknown person or persons appear to have exploited a feature in the website search tool but that this does not appear to be unlawful...
- ...a specifically-worded search would be able to surface small amounts of content from the 2019/20 Estimates documents.
- A large number (approx. 2,000) of search terms were placed into the search bar looking for specific information on the 2019 Budget...
- This would return a few sentences - that included the headlines for each Vote paper - but the search would not return the whole document. More>>

• BusinessDesk - Robertson blasts Treasury over hasty police action - 'The most contemptible moment in NZ politics’ - Budget leak: no Treasury hack, say police
• RNZ - Simon Bridges press conference on Budget breach
• NZ Govt - Comment from Grant Robertson
• State Services Commission - Inquiry into unauthorised access to Budget material
• Out-Link - National's Budget leaks go against security agency's advice and Treasury breach was unlawful, lawyers say | Stuff.co.nz
• Out-Link - Treasury hacking: The time I hacked WINZ - Keith Ng - NZ Herald

Two Recommendations Not Accepted: Govt Responds To Mental Health Report
Mental health Foundation: “We’re very pleased to see a renewed investment in mental health services, especially at the community level,” MHF chief executive Shaun Robinson says. “Demand for services has increased by 75% over the last 10 years and funding hasn’t kept pace with this demand. This demand must be met and we’re glad to see the Government recognises this and is investing in this area.” More>>

• Science Media Centre - Government’s response to He Ara Oranga – Expert Reaction
• BusinessDesk - Budget leaks suggest Gov centralising mental health spending
• NZ Govt - Response details: Taking mental health and addiction seriously
• National - Government must stop delays on mental health
• Greens - Mental health a top priority for wellbeing
• NZ First - NZ First Commitment on Mental Health Commission Delivered
• Jami-Lee Ross - No suicide reduction target concerning
• Health and Disability Commissioner - Commissioner welcomes Government response to He Ara Oranga
• NZ Association of Counsellors - Resources placement crucial to transforming mental health
• DAPAANZ - Good And Bad News In ‘Wellness Budget’ Announcement
• Association of Salaried Medical Specialists - Government’s mental health response a positive step forward
• NZ Union of Students Associations - Gov response to mental health inquiry report celebrated
• Barnardos - Barnardos welcomes Gov response to mental health inquiry
• Social Credit Party - Politicians Urged to Stop Point Scoring Politics

Gordon Campbell: On The Budget Leak
No doubt the Police will carry out their investigation of the Treasury Budget hack with more courtesy and nuance than they showed when pursuing the source of those Dirty Politics emails... More>>

National Releases Budget Info: 'Systematic Hack' Referred To Police
Treasury has gathered sufficient evidence to indicate that its systems have been deliberately and systematically hacked. The Treasury has referred the matter to the Police on the advice of the National Cyber Security Centre. More>>

• RNZ - 'Entirely appropriate behaviour' from National: Bridges - Budget info under 'multiple and persistent attack' - Budget leak: Embarrassing error or conspiracy?
• BusinessDesk - Budget Leak: Most cyber-leaks come from internal sources - Budget leaks suggest Gov centralising mental health spending - Bridges claims huge Budget details leak
• NZ Govt - Finance Minister Grant Robertson on statement from Treasury
• National - Mental Health Commission confirmed in Budget - Mental Health Commission confirmed in Budget - National reveals even more Budget details - National reveals Budget details
• ACT - Public deserves clarity on leak - Budget details show Labour, National almost identical
• The Treasury - Treasury evaluating reports; Budget to proceed as planned
• NZ Taxpayers' Union - Treasury referred to MBIE for leaky building syndrome
• Out-Link - Only option for clarity on Budget breach is to wait | RNZ News
• Darkscope - Treasury “hack” - not likely at all
• Out-Link - Budget leak: Nats’ behaviour “entirely appropriate”? | Media Law Journal

RNZ Live Blog: Education 'Mega Strike'
Members of the two teachers' unions - NZEI and the Post Primary Teachers' Association - are striking after refusing to settle for three pay rises of 3 percent each. Talks with the Education Ministry have been deadlocked for months and the government has insisted it will not increase the total value of its offers... More>>

• TVNZ - Jack Tame interviews Education Figures
• Don Franks - Teachers Obstacles
• National - Government misleading on teachers’ offers - Budget must live up to its own hype
• Greens - Green Party supports teachers and principals
• I Back The Teachers - NZ Parents stand strong in support of teachers’ strike
• Social Credit - There is more money for teachers
• Socialist Equality Group - Break from Labour and the unions! Unite the working class
• Sarah McGuinness - Upcoming teachers strike: Tips for parents and workplaces
• Employsure - Advice for Today’s Teacher Strikes
• NZEI - NZEI Te Riu Roa supports student action on climate change

LVRs Remain For Now: RBNZ's Orr Sees 'Resilient' Financial System
Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr is less concerned about housing loans but is still fretting about a third of dairy debt and is also flagging the rapid growth in lending to the horticulture sector. More>>

• BusinessDesk - RBNZ says ANZ has to hold more capital against lending - RBNZ appoints three independent experts
• Reserve Bank - Work required to achieve financial resilience

27/5/19 - PM And FinMin's Post-Cab: Mental Health Inquiry And Budget Responsibility
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was joined by Minister of Finance Grant Robertson for the last post-cabinet press conference before Thursday's budget. The Government will also announce its delayed response to the mental health inquiry this week. More>>

26/5/19: New Service For Young People Leaving Care
The Wellbeing Budget contains funding to build a new nation-wide Transition Support Service which is expected to help around 3,000 young people over the next four years after it starts on July 1. More>>

• Barnardos - Barnardos praises Budget 2019 youth investment
• Public Service Association - The PSA welcomes transition support package

23/5/19 - Robertson Speech: Budget Sees Wider Debt Target
"New Zealand is well positioned to face this instability and uncertainty, but we are not immune from its impacts. Growth rates are set to be lower than we have seen in recent years..." More>>

• NZ Govt - Ardern: Pre-Budget speech to Business New Zealand
• BusinessDesk - BUDGET 2019: NZ debt target to be more flexible from 2022
• National - Robertson concedes defeat on budget rules
• CTU - Relaxing of borrowing constraint welcome, but more needed

Budget Announcements: Family And Sexual Violence Response
The family and sexual violence package, which sits across eight portfolios, is the result of the first ever joint Budget bid from multiple government departments. More>>

• National - Government must fund family violence programme
• National Network of Stopping Violence Services - Budget focus on family violence prevention a big step
• TOAH-NNEST - Sexual Violence Initiative Welcomed
• Womens Refuge - NZ's first shelter for pets affected by family violence
• ANZASW - ANZASW on funding to tackle family and sexual violence
• Barnardos - Barnardos welcomes new gov family and sexual violence budget

'Wellbeing Budget': Grant Robertson Pre-Budget Speech
There has been a fair amount of attention in the media here and internationally on this year’s budget – our country’s first Wellbeing Budget. Enough for me to be invited to the recent Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, to talk about our approach... More>>

• Recent budget announcements NZ Govt - Supporting working women with pay equity: next steps - Removal of fees and a stronger NCEA - More than 1,000 homeless to be housed through Budget 2019 - Government invests in clean energy centre
• National - Wellbeing changes all talk

Budget 2019: "More Than 1,000 Homeless To Be Housed"
Jacinda Ardern said Budget 2019 is breaking the cycle for long-term homeless people by giving them a permanent, warm and safe home, and support services to help address the causes of homelessness. More>>

• Greens - Government action on homelessness an encouraging step
• Coalition to End Homelessness - Significant investment towards ending homelessness

Welfare Report Release: Government Announces Three Changes
Despite there being over 40 recommendations, the Government has only committed to three changes in this year’s budget, which include an end to sanctions on sole parents, changes to the abatement rate, and additional frontline staff. More>>

• Gordon Campbell - On the government’s timidity on welfare
• The Nation - Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni
• The Scoop Team - PM's Post-Cabinet Press Conference 6/5/19: Weed Tomorrow
• NZ Govt - Supporting people into work and income security
• National - Government stalls on welfare reform
• Greens - Milestone in Green Party campaign to overhaul welfare system
• ACT - Labour lets fathers off the hook
• Child Poverty Action Group - CPAG welcomes WEAG recommendations to ensure dignity for all - New data on benefit sanctions show fairer treatment
• NZCCSS - Dignity and Mana through Lifting Incomes
• Salvation Army - The Salvation Army welcomes the release of the WEAG report - Government needs to listen to WEAG on Housing
• Barnardos - Barnardos says Welfare recs have transformative potential
• Auckland Action Against Poverty - AAAP celebrates end to sanctions on sole parents
• Community Networks Aoteroa - Need for action urgent – many can’t wait another year
• Northland Urban Rural Mission - Call to transform a broken system has been left unanswered
• FinCap - FinCap welcomes the recommendations in Welfare report
• CTU - Welfare report offers hope - CTU
• Public Service Association - PSA on Welfare Expert Advisory Group Report
• NZ Taxpayers' Union - Welfare for deadbeat dads is a betrayal of taxpayers
• Family First - Government Should Not Sideline Fathers
• REINZ - REINZ welcomes Welfare Advisory Group Report
• Closing The Gap - Inequality is Making Kids Sick

Budget: More For Teacher Training
The Government is pumping more resources into addressing the long term challenge of teacher shortages in our schools by training or supporting 3280 additional teachers over the next four years… More>>

• National - Government’s teacher package a mixed bag
• NZEI Te Riu Roa - Investment in training welcomed, underlying issues remain

Budget: $16M For Census Fix, Improvements
The government is committing an extra $10.36 million to fund Statistics New Zealand's preparations for the 2023 national census after lower than anticipated participation and completion marred the results of the 2018 census. More>>

• The Scoop Team - PM's Post-Cab 29/4/19: Delays, Mental Health, And Statistics
• BusinessDesk - Annual census possible as govt data replacing formfilling
• NZ Govt - Stats Minister confirms funding for Census fix
• National - Report into Census debacle released - Census delays are the only thing adding up
• Statistics NZ - 2018 Census – real data about real people
• Te Mana Raraunga - Te Mana Raraunga Statement on 2018 New Zealand Census

PM's Post-Cab Video & Report: Delays, Mental Health, And Statistics
Prime Minister Ardern said that the Government's response to the mental health and addiction inquiry would be delayed until closer to the budget... Ardern and James Shaw announced a budget funding increase for the census. More>>

• Out-Link - Māori voices 'missing' from Mental Health and Addictions Inquiry | Stuff.co.nz
• Jami-Lee Ross - MP's mental health podcast launches
• NZ Council for Educational Research - Secondary schools need more support for student wellbeing

No Comment: PM's Post-Cab 15/4/19
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed cabinet signoff on the year's "wellbeing" budget. She described some of its goals but declined to comment on any specifics... She also discussed the case of a New Zealand nurse believed to have been abducted by ISIS while working with the Red Cross in Syria in 2013. More>>

• BusinessDesk - Govt signs off its first ‘well-being’ Budget

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