After today's Budget announcement, Jimmy Ellingham looked at a variety of scenarios and how the announcements would affect them.
Retired
- No increase in pensions
- SuperGold cardholders get close to $41 million in extra funding over four years
- A national bowel cancer screening programme costing $39m over four years. The programme will screen more than 700,000 60 to 74-year-olds over the two years.
- Increased funding for DHBs ($1.6m over four years)
- Increased money for publically-funded drugs and ambulance services
Looking to buy a house
- No specific measures in the Budget for first-home buyers
- $100m to open more Crown land for housing in Auckland
Students
- Tertiary fee increases will be capped at 2 per cent next year and 2018
- $1.6m given to a programme to help the increasing number of engineering students transition into the workforce
- $86 million in tuition subsidies given to tertiary providers who offer science, agriculture, veterinary science and undergraduate medicine.
- An extra $36 million for sub-degree courses - those most commonly taught at polytechnics
- Extra funding for apprentices, free foundation courses, workplace literacy and numeracy
- No extra accommodation support for students
- No increase in the student allowance
Families
- Extra money to free doctor's visits to under-13s
- More than $40m on offer to support children at risk of not achieving
- $1.44 billion more in education, including $882.5m for 480 classrooms and nine new schools
- A freeze on schools' operational funding as $43m is instead targeted at 150,000 at-risk children
Frequent healthcare users
- An extra $2.2 billion will be pumped into health over four years to help cope with an ageing population and record immigration
- Increased funding for DHBs ($1.6m over four years)
- A national bowel cancer screening programme costing $39m over four years. The programme will screen more than 700,000 60 to 74-year-olds over the two years.
- $96 million to provide more elective (non-urgent) surgery
- $12 million to expand intensive alcohol and drug support for pregnant women.
- $12 million for mental health services.
- $124 million for Pharmac to provide access to new medicines. Pharmac will likely fund next generation melanoma drug Opdivo.
- An extra $169.2m over four years for disability support
Looking for a job
- $14.4m to fund 5500 more apprenticeships by 2020
- expanded workplace literacy and numeracy fund
Low-income
- Society's most vulnerable will receive a $650 million funding boost spanning health, welfare and education services
- $200m additional funding to keep rents income-related
- $36m for insulation of homes of low-income people
- $258m to provide at least 750 more social housing places in Auckland
- $42 million will support 3000 emergency housing places a year
