Budget 2026

Securing New Zealand’s future says the Minister of Finance

The government's broader approach could therefore be characterised as a 'meat and veg now, dessert later' strategy to economic management.

With a net operating package of an average $2.146 billion pa ($8.272 billion over the next four years), the health sector is a major winner, followed by education (including tertiary), defence and intelligence, law and order, etc totaling new expenditure of $14.666 billion over the next four years.

On the other side of the coin, the Minister has anticipated savings of $6.394 billion over the next four years, making the net package of spending of $8.272 billion over the same period.

Health

• A $5.5 billion increase in funding for frontline health services
• Funding for three-day postnatal stays ($34 million) and $16 million allocated to specialist paediatric palliative care
• Pharmac has additional funding ($54 million) to buy more medicines
• $682 million for capital investment includes a new tower block for Whangārei Hospital, redevelopment at Palmerston North and Hawke’s Bay Regional Hospitals, and
• Funding to lower the eligibility age for free bowel screening from 58 years to
• 56 years; benefitting 200,000 Kiwis.

Education

The government’s aim is to lift student achievement in schools. The cancellation of the final year fees-free initiative will help fund preparing young people for trades and other vocational education. The main points are: 

• $131 million to help students meet standards for the three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic)
• Supporting the refreshed curriculum and new national qualifications implementation
• Continuing the Healthy School Lunches Programme
• Doubling the number of trades academy places providing free trades training for year 11-13 students, and
• Around 230 new classrooms will be built, and there is a funding increase for school property maintenance and daily operations.

Defence and foreign affairs

• Increased funding to retain current defence force staff levels, as well as increasing numbers in key areas
• $110 million for international development cooperation, with particular focus on the Pacific, and
• More funding to enable aircraft, ships (including keeping our two Anzac-class frigates ship-shape) and land forces to continue to operate.

Social housing and welfare

• Increasing the accommodation supplement for people in private rentals, and increasing income-related rents for people in social housing
• Funding for up to 2,250 additional social houses
• More case management help to support solo parents into work, and
• $45 million for extended community food support and children’s breakfast programmes.

Infrastructure

The government acknowledges that New Zealand’s current infrastructure must be not only be maintained, but also expanded through new investment. 

• The construction of the Cambridge to Piarere Expressway 
• Renewing and upgrading the rail network, particularly in Auckland and Wellington
• Financial incentives to councils to encourage housing growth
• Investment in hospitals, schools, courthouses, police stations and defence assets, and
• Funding to drive the reforms to the resource management system.

These investments are in addition to previously approved current and pipeline projects.

Law and order

The government’s focus is to reduce crime and keep New Zealanders safe. Proposals include:

• $503 million for frontline Corrections services
• More support ($50 million) for frontline policing
• Funding to reform the firearms safety system, and
• $21 million for Customs to combat drug smuggling and transnational crime.

Fuel response

New Zealand is currently facing unprecedented pressure on its energy supplies resulting from the hostilities in the Middle East. The government will introduce:

• A $50/week increase to the In-Work Tax Credit for up to a year to help working families with increased fuel costs
• Funding for additional strategic fuel reserves to firm-up the country’s fuel resilience, if required
• A temporary increase in mileage rates for support workers and people travelling for specialist treatment
• Additional funding for Fire and Emergency, Corrections, Policy, Customs and Education to maintain frontline activities during this period, as well as
• A $450 million contingency fund for future fuel-related costs.

 Energy security is now top-of-mind in this current uncertain fuel climate. The government proposes:

• Capital investment in Genesis Energy to accelerate the development of new generation and firming capacity, and
• A new loan guarantee scheme to support businesses to transition away from the use of gas.

Public service

The proposed cuts to the public service have already been announced, and the reception has been mixed. The government wants to see improved productivity and greater efficiency to reprioritise frontline services while reducing the public service headcount.

Other initiatives include:

• $200 million will be raised by a new tax on banks to help cover Reserve Bank costs
• Rules will be changed to tax loans made by companies to shareholders that remain outstanding six months after the company is removed from the Companies Register
• Stricter regulations for charities: a limit of $100,000 has been set for people claiming tax deductions for making charitable donations
• More funding to control the dratted wilding pines
• $184 million for Oranga Tamariki to protect and support children
• Fringe Benefit Tax rules for private motor vehicles will be simplified
• Making the SuperGold Card an official form of ID, and
• Funding for new technology to improve our emergency management system.

NZ Superannuation

A vexed topic for any political party. Although not covered in the Budget, with the ballooning costs of National Super (projected to be $31.2 billion in 2030), all recent governments have grappled with future funding. Raising the age of entitlement, albeit slowly, and means testing are only two of the many measures proposed to alleviate the pressures on government funds. It is clear that the funding of NZ Super is a major issue and will need to be strongly addressed in the near future. 

 Overall the government hopes the Budget funding will lead to an increased GDP and a healthier economic environment.

 To read the Budget in more detail, click here for the Minister’s Budget speech. The Treasury’s website, click here, is also very helpful.

 If you would like to discuss more about the government’s proposals, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Read the full issue here