Tolley Talk: Budget edition

Child Hardship Package

It has been an exciting time with the announcement of the Child Hardship Package in Budget 2015. This Government is committed to improving the lives of children who experience material hardship.
Budget 2015 invests $790 million in:

• Increasing benefits by $25 a week for those families with children
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• Increasing part-time work obligations to parents when their youngest child turns three
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• Increasing Working for Families tax credits for low income families
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• Increasing the childcare assistance rate from $4 an hour to $5 an hour
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This package is expected to benefit around half a million children, with the most support targeted at those in benefit and very low-income homes.

More support for vulnerable children

Budget 2015 also includes funding for a range of cross-government initiatives aimed at helping our most vulnerable children succeed.

This includes $23 million to strengthen Child, Youth and Family, $36 million to support the Children’s Action Plan, $8.2 million to help our most vulnerable students and $49.8 million to support Whānau Ora navigators.

Vulnerable children need to be at the heart of what we do and this is a budget which ensures they get the support they need to lead successful lives.

For the East Coast this means funding for Children’s Teams in Gisborne and Whakatane, to ensure at-risk children have individually tailored support plans and a single point of contact to work alongside them and their families.

These teams are already being established in our communities so that we can do better to protect and support our vulnerable children.

New schools for East Coast

The East Coast electorate is set to gain two new schools after a Budget 2015 announcement allocated $244 million to build seven new schools across the country.

In Gisborne, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Horouta Wānanga will have capacity for 110 children from years 1 to 13. In Whakatane, Te Orini ki Ngāti Awa will have capacity for 80 children across years 1 to 8. Both schools are expected to open in January 2017.

Earlier this year the Government also announced Tolaga Bay Area School will receive a $5.2 million classroom upgrade to replace four older buildings no longer fit for purpose.

This Government is committed to ensuring New Zealand students are able to learn in a modern environment that inspires them. This is fantastic news for our communities and I look forward to seeing the progress.

As always, feel free to contact me or my office if you have any questions or would like to share your views.

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