Budget 2019, dubbed the Wellbeing Budget, was the name given to the New Zealand budget for fiscal year 2019/20 presented to the New Zealand House of Representatives by Finance MinisterGrant Robertson on 30 May 2019. This was the second budget presented by the Coalition Government. Its release was complicated by the accidental publication of budgetary documents on a test website two days prior to its official release on 30 May, attracting significant media and public attention.
History
In late May 2019, the Labour-led Coalition Government announced that the 2019 New Zealand budget would be the country's first "Wellbeing Budget", reflecting its focus on addressing mental-health issues, child well-being, supporting Māori and Pasifika aspirations, encouraging productivity, and transitioning to a sustainable economy. The "Wellbeing Budget" sought to address these issues by:
breaking down agency silos and working across government to assess, develop and implement policies that improve wellbeing;
focusing on outcomes that balance the needs of present generations with those of future generations;
tracking progress with broader measures of success including the health of the country's finances, natural resources, people and communities.
The release of the "Wellbeing Budget" was complicated by the accidental publication two days earlier of budgetary documents on a test website which the Treasury had not intended to be publicly available. The opposition National Party gained access to these documents and criticized security. This leak initially raised allegations of hacking - with the usual confusion over different definitions of "hacking" ensuing - and was referred to the New Zealand Police before a senior Treasury official confirmed that the leak had been accidental. Opposition LeaderSimon Bridges also criticized the Government's handling of the data leak and called for the resignations of Finance Minister Robertson and Treasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf.
Major announcements
The Coalition Government has allocated NZ$3.8 billion in operational funding and NZ$10.4 billion in capital funding for the Wellbeing Budget.
Mental health
Investing NZ$445 million into creating a new mental health frontline service.
The Opposition Leader Simon Bridges criticized the Wellbeing Budget, claiming that New Zealand First "held the purse strings, with funding for rail and forestry". Bridges also claimed that the economy was in decline and business confidence were at record lows. Similarly, ACT Party leader David Seymour claimed that the Wellbeing Budget failed to provide the fiscal policies needed for stronger economic growth. The Auckland Action Against Poverty Coordinator Ricardo Menendez March and left-wing blogger Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury criticized the Budget for lacking new initiatives to addressing rising poverty and inequality. Left-wing political commentator Chris Trotter opined that the Wellbeing Budget violated the principle of no taxation without representation.
