This year’s Budget has delivered benefit rises, money for Māori housing and an increase in Pharmac’s budget.
Here are the key Budget announcements.
Photo: Dom ThomasBenefit rises
Main benefit rates will be increased by between $32 and $55 per week by April 2022.
Benefits rise in two stages: $20 a week on 1 July this year and the rest on 1 April 2022.
Student allowance and student loan for living costs go up by $25 a week on 1 April 2022.
Sole parent support rises $36 to $434 a week. Supported living payment for a sole parent rises $36 to $485, for a couple with children it goes up $42 to $320, and a couple without children will be entitled to $305 a week. The payment for a single person 18 and over will rise to $359 a week.
Jobseeker support goes up $55 for a couple with children (to $283) and couples without children ($268). For a single person 25 and over the increase is $48 to $315.
Housing for Māori
$380m to be spent over four years on about 1000 new homes for Māori, including papakāinga housing, and repairs to 700 Māori-owned homes and expanding support services.
$350m is ringfenced from the $3.8b Housing Acceleration fund for housing for Māori.
Health
A $200m increase over four years for Pharmac to pay for medicines and other health treatments.
$2.7 billion extra over four years for district health boards.
$486m for scrapping all 20 District Health Boards and replacing them with a new Health NZ body – including $98.1m to establish the Māori Health Authority.
$126.8m towards Hauora Māori programmes run by the Māori Health Authority.
Education
$1.7 billion over four years on school and early childhood education and $470m on tertiary education.
Climate change
$300 million to the Green Investment Finance Ltd for investment in low-emissions technologies.
Employment and training
The Training Incentive Allowance extended to more courses from July.
Government begins work on a Social Unemployment Insurance that could provide those who lose their jobs with about 80 percent of their income.
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