budget 2001
Investing in people

Education
- $30 million over four years for an early childhood education equity funding initiatives and $18 million to improve adult literacy.

- $27.4 million over four years to develop school principals' leadership and skills. A variety of other initiatives to improve teacher quality and school administration.

- Increase in school operation funding.

Health
- $330 million increase in Vote: Health.

- $84 million a year built into permanent baselines to maintain gains in reducing waiting times for elective services and an additional $7.4 million above the $50 million increase in last year's budget for mental health.

- $3.9 million to improve the cervical screening programme.

Social Services
- $184.4 million over the next four years for the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services to implement Mick Brown's report: Care and Protection is about Adult Behaviour.

- A $44.7 million package to assist beneficiaries make the transition from welfare to work.

- $31.1 million to support "for community, by community" programmes.

Housing
- Funding to build 125 new community houses and to extend rent relief to cash-strapped community housing tenants.

- Commitment to build an additional 300 new state houses this year and to upgrade further 9000.

- More money into the rural home loans scheme.

Maori Affairs
- Overview from Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia on policies to strengthen Maori communities and advance Maori economically.

- $10 million a year for Maori television.

- $15 million over three years to directly resource local Maori initiatives.

Pacific Peoples
- $500,000 increase to the Pacific Business Trust.

- $2.8 million for Pacific health providers [contained in the health statements.]

Sports and Culture
- $100 million over the next five years to implement the recommendations of the Sport, Fitness and Leisure review.

- Funding package to support regional museums and galleries

Immigration
- Near doubling of the budget for refugee resettlement services.

Mediation
- Additional money to support the new Mediation Service.

Electoral Issues
- Improvements to electoral services, and to speed up vote counting on election night.

ENDS

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