With a 15-year-old son and a 16-month-old daughter at home, the Dunedin advertising sales consultant said he and his wife, who works part-time, "could not afford to go on without it".
"I was thinking doom and gloom [and] we are actually better off," he said of the Working for Families benefit which will increase from about $130 per week to about $140.
An increase in the tax credit by about $10 a week was a relief and he hoped most families would feel the same.
Mr Deaker was also pleased the Government was maintaining a majority stakeholding in state-owned energy companies and Air New Zealand, while selling shares, and could understand why KiwiSaver contributions were altered.
"It needs to stay ... but we can't be borrowing $33 million a week."
Because the Budget was such a "turnaround from what I was expecting" from a National government, he expected it would not have much impact on the forthcoming election.
