INDEPENDENT NEWS

Budget 2020: What you need to know

Published: Fri 15 May 2020 01:58 PM
The government has unveiled a $50 billion recovery package as part of today's Budget. Here's a breakdown of where Budget 2020's money is going.Photo: Pool / STUFF / Monique Ford
Some $13.9bn of the fund has already been spent including on the wage subsidy scheme.
Another $15.9bn worth of initiatives was revealed by Finance Minister Grant Robertson today, on the immediate response to kickstart the economy and $20.2bn put aside for future investment.
Here's where the money is going.Covid-19 recovery packageBusiness supportAn eight week extension to the wage subsidy scheme for businesses who have suffered a 50 percent reduction in turnover the 30 days prior to their application compared to last year, costing up to $3.2bn$400m Tourism sector relief packageTargeted sector support totalling $41.4m is being spent across three years in construction, digital and agritech sectorsTrades training support$1.6bn Trades and Apprenticeships Training Package$400m in Ministry of Social Development Employment Support$121m for He Putama Rangatahi$19.3m to place 10,000 people in primary sector jobs$1.1 billion environmental jobs packageThe package is predicted to create almost 11,000 new jobs$900 million to support MāoriFunding includes a $200m Māori employment package$400m increase to Māori educationHousing$56m increase to the government's insulation and heating programme8000 new public and transitional homes, to be delivered by Kāinga Ora, community housing providers and transitional housing providersKāinga Ora is anticipated to borrow an additional $5bn to fund its proportion of the housesExtension of school lunch programme$220.6m to be spent on expanding the free school lunch programme.An additional 200,000 children will get a free lunch and is estimated to create an extra 2000 jobsOther measures in this year's BudgetAn extra $833m to go towards disability support servicesAn extra $3bn has been put aside to fund infrastructure projects, on top of the $12 billion dollars already announced$1bn is being invested to improve transport, including $667 million for rail infrastructure including tracks and new wagons and locomotive and $400 million to replace Interislander ferries$55.6m of aid spending for Pacific Island nations$1.77bn boost for Defence$280m for postal services, made up of $130m from the Budget and $150m from the Covid-Response and Recovery fund$6.3bn is being invested in healthNearly $1bn to support education services.
Read the full wrap on where the money is going here.
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