The budget today is a sad state of affairs and the country can now see the result of Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ wrong choices and the Government’s broken promises.

“For months, New Zealand families were promised $250 extra a week – in reality this is going to a tiny percentage of the population,” Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said.

“While the minimum wage worker gets their 30 cents an hour in tax cuts, their hopes of buying a home has been ripped away. Saving money has become harder with the loss of half price public transport, free prescriptions, and the first home grant.

“The funding allocated for Health barely keeps the lights on.

“This budget has delivered piddly capital investment in the important areas of health and education, meaning fewer new classrooms and hospital beds.

“In New Zealand we work together for the good of the many – not the few. This budget does not deliver in that spirit. This Government has not heard New Zealand’s needs.

“From frontline roles protecting our biosecurity, customs staff gone, and climate funding slashed. Child poverty is also predicted to rise.

“New Zealanders were promised cost of living help, tax cuts, less inflation, better healthcare and money to the frontlines of the workforce. Instead we see the return of smoking, more gambling, no new cancer drugs, and no new initiatives for Māori. This is a budget of broken promises.

“Today’s Budget is not worth the paper it’s printed on,” Chris Hipkins said.

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