The government will welcome the unexpectedly large surplus, but it brings with it a heap of extra pressure from all sides, writes RNZ political editor Jane Patterson It’s the political curse of finance ministers past – deliver a bumper surplus and immediately come under pressure to spend up large. As Grant Robertson stood and delivered … Read more
Innovation Minister Megan Woods says the Government’s new R&D tax incentive is far from a startup killer. In fact, she says, it will open up R&D funding to more businesses than ever before. We want New Zealand to have a vibrant, innovation-led economy that will give us new solutions to old problems. Developing our innovation sector … Read more
Budget 2018 signalled significant changes to the government’s approach to R&D. Toby Littin, co-founder of parking and business parking app Parkable, asks Innovation Minister Megan Woods to reconsider her plan to push our knowledge economy into the sea – or worse, Australia. Imagine an escalator. You’ve got the greying fat cats at the top, lapping up … Read more
The compromises of the Labour-led government’s first budget was a sign of the consultation required in a coalition, says Grant Thornton’s Greg Thompson. MMP has bestowed a three-way coalition upon us and politics in New Zealand has now become a matter of consensus. This means that hard decisions are difficult to make and certain policies … Read more
A few hours before the budget is announced to the public, journalists and other interested parties get a preview in a secure room deep inside the Beehive. This year, Jess McAllen was among them. The night before the budget is released political journalists stock up on lollies. On the day, plates of lamingtons, in red, … Read more
The big picture of Budget 2018 is that the Labour-led government has missed its chance to help those in the worst poverty, writes Alan Johnson Pre-election budget releases often focus on small budgets and specific programmes which have some public appeal. This focus on small detail often means that we are distracted from the big … Read more
The new finance minister was eager to burnish his fiscal responsibility credentials on his first outing. He has done that. But in doing so he has conjured up something like a neoliberal triumph, writes Guyon Espiner for RNZ It turns out you can’t judge a book by its colour, either. Labour’s first budget in nearly a … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. Today we’ve got all the washing up from yesterday’s budget, plus news about councils, cows and creeps. The first budget of the Labour–led government has been delivered, with few surprises for those who’ve been avidly following developments over the last month. Finally, the exact spending plans the government intends to … Read more
Grant Robertson has completed his first big test as finance minister in publishing the 2018 budget. How did he fare? We asked experts from across a range of sectors to give us their verdict. Read analysis from our business editor, Rebecca Stevenson, here, and from Grant Thornton director Greg Thompson here. Healthcare back on track, … Read more
The Budget’s R&D spend looks less than futuristic, says Grant Thornton’s Greg Thompson. While a chunk of this year’s expenditure naturally focuses on the perennial portfolios of health, education, justice and housing, this Budget aims to adjust the direction of our economy to deliver not just now but in years to come. This has been … Read more
They’ve left wiggle room for some rainy day expenses, but the Labour-led government more than anything has sought to sell today’s funding announcements as an exercise in cleaning up National’s mess. Rebecca Stevenson reports from Wellington Grant Robertson hammered a few key messages in his budget address today: this is a budget that will lay … Read more
The Labour-led government has delivered a restrained and cautious Budget in its first year, keeping money in the kitty instead of a major spend up, writes Craig McCulloch in this summary via RNZ It is investing more money in health, education and housing while also forecasting a more than $3bn surplus this year. Finance Minister Grant … Read more
Chris Bramwell of RNZ sets the stage for Grant Robertson’s big day Finance Minister Grant Robertson is pitching today’s Budget as one that will set the foundations for the government’s plan to make the economy more sustainable. Robertson said the government can’t fix everything in one Budget, but health, education, and housing will finally get … Read more
The finance minister is about to find out just how difficult it is to keep both constituents and political allies happy, writes Massey University’s Grant Duncan. Global media have shown a great deal of interest in New Zealand’s third woman prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, and they eagerly anticipate the imminent arrival of her baby. Less … Read more
The state-owned broadcaster has long resisted public service. Yet with $38m on the table, and the government’s relationship with RNZ rocky, moving Q+A to primetime could be be seen as a deftly timed olive branch The press release, under the headline “TVNZ powers up primetime political coverage”, came out at 3:25pm yesterday afternoon – until … Read more
With Budget day fast approaching, how will it be sold to the public? And how will the opposition go about pinning a derisive name on it? Let’s look back at some of the best and worst attempts. Budgets are complicated, big hairy beasts of policy packages rolled out to the public in the space of … Read more
The health sector needs significant investment, but where is that money going to come from? In our series analysing Budget 2018, Grant Thornton’s Pam Newlove says the government needs to look to the private sector. How revolutionary do voters want the new government to be? It’s a question that must be considered, as the government … Read more
With the budget just weeks away we’ve created a helpful (mostly) alphabetic introduction to the mysteries of the annual government Budget. A Ambitious What every budget always is. B Books In budget-speak, this exclusively refers to accounts, often in relation to the balancing thereof, and disappointingly never to potboiler novels. C Chewing gum Michael Cullen’s … Read more
What might the 2018 Budget deliver on regional economic development, and how will it intersect with our largest city? In the first piece in a series analysing Budget 2018, Grant Thornton’s Murray Brewer casts his eye over the options and opportunities. The government’s moves on regional economic development are courageous and long-overdue, and will have … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: The government’s month of hell begins, BP under pressure over fuel price manipulation, and Amazon tax coming on online shopping. Government ministers and staffers are facing what could feel like the longest month of their lives. They’ve got four sitting weeks of Parliament to get through starting … Read more