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Budget 2012
Budget 2012 headlines with summaries.
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$6m Pacific health fund welcomed
28 May 2012The country's biggest Pacific-led primary health organisation says a $6 million fund announced in the Budget will help to address the social problems that underpin the poor health of Pacific…
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Patent savings enable $30m drug budget cut
25 May 2012The Government says it will reduce medicines funding by $30 million in the coming year but this will not restrict public access to drugs.
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Greens fear home insulation scheme may end
26 May 2012The Green Party says the future of a Government scheme to help homeowners insulate their properties is in doubt.
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More elderly to pay for residential care
26 May 2012Legislation has passed in Parliament under urgency which changes the asset testing regime for elderly people in residential care.
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Legislation on Budget tax changes passed
25 May 2012Legislation putting into effect tax changes set out in the Budget has been passed in Parliament on Friday, with most debate focusing on the scrapping of a children's tax credit.
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KiwiSaver competes with other needs - English
25 May 2012Finance Minister Bill English says one-off enrolment of all workers not already in KiwiSaver will be competing with a number of other spending areas for money from the Government's planned surpluses.
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Intermediate schools angry at technology staff cuts
26 May 2012There is growing anger among intermediate schools and others with children in Years 7 and 8 over big cuts to staffing for technology teachers.
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Budget lays ground for 'sustainable growth'
25 May 2012Finance Minister Bill English says the Budget will lay the foundations for a return to long-term economic health, rejecting criticism that Treasury economic forecasts are overly optimistic. Audio
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Oxfam NZ 'shocked' at cuts to overseas aid
25 May 2012The head of Oxfam New Zealand says the Budget cuts to overseas aid are shocking and deeply disappointing.
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Arrests at venue of PM's post-Budget speech
25 May 2012Two protesters have been arrested outside the central Auckland venue where Prime Minister John Key has been delivering a post-Budget speech.
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Thumbs up for tobacco tax, other measures fail to impress
25 May 2012Radio New Zealand reporter Ruth Hill has been gauging reaction around the country to National's second zero Budget.
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Opposition labels Budget trivial
25 May 2012Opposition parties are arguing the Budget should have been bolder in its attempts to grow the economy. Audio
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Budget pleases Fed Farmers, but not HortNZ
25 May 2012Federated Farmers is supporting the general thrust of the Government's economic measures as set out in the Budget on Thursday but the horticulture industry feels let down by the lack of funding to…
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Changes to taxation modest - consultant
25 May 2012A leading tax consultant says changes to taxation in the 2012 Budget were modest, and the Government could have gone a lot further.
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Government should be spending - CTU
25 May 2012An economist from the Council of Trade Unions says the Government needs to needs to maintain a level of spending rather than continue with cuts.
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Government 'on track' to get books back in black
24 May 2012Smokers, families with young children and holiday home owners have been hit in the pocket under Budget changes the Government says will enable a return to surplus by the 2014-15 financial year. Audio
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Parties denounce 'zero growth, zero hope' Budget
24 May 2012Opposition parties have labelled the National Government's 'zero Budget' as 'zero growth and zero hope'.
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What the Budget means for Maori
24 May 2012Young Maori in education will benefit from this year's Budget, but smokers will have to pay more for cigarettes or tobacco.
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$40m boost to prepare for 'tsunami' of dementia
24 May 2012The Minister of Health says extra funding for dementia will help services prepare for growing demand in future as the population ages.
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Is Bill's Budget sensible - or just drab?
26 May 2012ANALYSIS: Radio New Zealand's political editor Brent Edwards analyses the 2012 Budget.
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Government forecasts on track to 2014/15 surplus
24 May 2012Thursday's Budget confirms that the Government intends to return its books to surplus by the 2014/15 financial year.
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Biggest boost for health sector
24 May 2012The health sector will receive the largest increase in Government spending in the 2012 Budget, with an extra $1.5 billion over the next four years.
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Tobacco taxes to increase 10% for next four years
24 May 2012Tobacco excise taxes are to rise by 10% a year for the next four years.
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$6m fund to improve Pacific people's health
24 May 2012A new $6 million Pacific Innovation Fund has been announced in the Budget to improve the health of Pasifika people.
