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1News
25-05-2025
- Business
- 1News
Māori leaders give disappointed reaction to 'yeah-nah' Budget
Dubbed the 'yeah-nah Budget' for Māori by members of the Opposition, the Government's announcement yesterday has attracted strong criticism over the cuts made to Māori-focused initiatives and pay equity claims. While Māori education received a boost of $54 million in operational funding and an additional $50 million in capital funding to support Māori learner success, and $14 million has been allocated to Māori Wardens, Pasifika Wardens, and the Māori Women's Welfare League, there was little else to show. But Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka told TVNZ's Te Karere that the Budget reflects the Government's focus on growing the economy, and investing in health, education and law and order. When asked what targeted Māori spending existed in the Budget, he pointed to the Māori Wardens and Māori Women's Welfare League. 'Heoi anō ko te nuinga o ngā putea me te mātotorutanga o ngā putea ka whakapaua ki ngā mahi hauora, ki ngā mahi mātauranga, ērā momo āhuatanga. Mā tēnā hoki e taea ai te kī kua ora tātou ngā iwi Māori me ngā iwi katoa.' ("However, most of the money has gone to health and education, those kinds of things. In that way you can say Māori and non-Māori benefit.") Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday fielded a question on funding for Māori initiatives and rejected the characterisation by a reporter that $750 million was stripped from Māori initiatives to put into the general pool of funds. "This is a Budget that is good for Māori because this is a Gudget that has seen job creation, income growth, more opportunities for Māori," Willis said. "What you see in this budget are specific initiatives that will specifically benefit Māori including more than $700 million for Māori health services; including a major education package targeted at Māori learners; including funding for the Māori Women's Welfare League, for Māori Wardens; and including funding for the Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust." Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust will receive $4.1 million over four years to help with ICT costs, administration and develop data capability. Willis said funding that was previously ring-fenced for Māori housing will now go into a "flexible housing fund" which she expects will lead to Māori-led housing development to deliver for whānau Māori. Labour Party's Māori development spokesperson Willie Jackson said the Government has slashed funding to more Māori programmes in this year's Budget. 'In Budget 2024 more than $300 million was cut from Māori-specific initiatives – Te Arawhiti, The Māori Health Authority, and Māori TV. Budget 2025 cuts even deeper with around $750 million cut from Māori housing, Māori economic funds, Māori education and programmes like Māori trades training.' He said the Government has turned its back on the Māori-Crown relationship. Speaking ahead of the Budget announcement, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said Māori should not be surprised to see the Budget match what "we've already seen" from the Government. 'There's going to be nothing that is going to recognise Te Tiriti, that is going to uphold the rights and interests of us as tangata whenua, that is going to address the inequities that are created because of the breaches of Te Tiriti.' Green MP Teanau Tuiono slammed the Government for taking money from pay equity claims to fund tax cuts. 'Me kaha ki te tiro ki te katoa o te horopaki o tēnei kāwanatanga, rātou e kaha te hoatu ngā pūtea ki wiwi ki wawa engari wareware katoa rātou ki ngā ringa raupā, ngā ringawera, ngā kaimahi.' ("You need to take everything into account when it comes to this Government, they are quick to divvy out funds all over the place but completely forget about the hardworking frontline workers.") Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp questioned why more money was going into Defence when there was a cost-of-living crisis where whānau can't afford basic necessities. "This to us is a 'budget Budget', a 'yeah-nah Budget', there's nothing in it for us as Māori," she said. The Māori Development Minister defended the Budget against critics, saying they were delivering on their election promises. The national body for kura kaupapa Māori, Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa, said it was concerned and disappointed with the Government's Budget announcement saying it ignores the longstanding and well-documented underfunding of kura kaupapa Māori. Rāwiri Wright, co-chair of Te Rūnanga Nui, said the $50 million in capital funding tagged to upgrade buildings was not a genuine solution. "It's yet another example of the Crown's ongoing failure to prioritise kura kaupapa Māori.' The group said there were close to 40 kura kaupapa Māori that remain on the Minister of Education's property backlog list, and dividing the "limited funding" across all Māori-medium settings, which included Māori immersion units in mainstream schools, will leave kura with "next to nothing". 'We are being kept in the dark," said Wright. "There is no clear breakdown of how this funding will be allocated, no equity in the process, and certainly no commitment to a genuine Treaty-based partnership. Meanwhile, our whānau continue to send their tamariki to kura that are falling apart." Te Rūnanga Nui are calling for an investment plan of $1.25 billion over five years dedicated to property development.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
'Budget Sidelines Women's Economic Contribution' – BPW NZ President Janet Gibb
Press Release – BPW NZ 'This isn't fiscal responsibility-it's economic negligence,' says Gibb. 'Closing the gender pay gap would inject billions into the economy for the families that desperately need it.' Budget 2025 has some support for businesses and additional funding for Māori Wardens, Māori Women's Welfare League and Rural Women New Zealand however, it does not empower women, says the New Zealand Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW NZ). 'Our assessment of Budget 2025 is that this government does not listen to, nor care to address, the systemic barriers and challenges women face,' says President Janet Gibb 'There is no evidence that women's experiences, needs or realities have been considered in the budget. The gender pay gap costs the New Zealand economy an estimated $7.6 billion per year, or 5% of total wages and salaries. Despite this, the government has moved to devastate the pay equity process, resulting in the cancellation of 33 active claims-including women-dominated sectors like education, health, and social services. 'This isn't fiscal responsibility-it's economic negligence,' says Gibb. 'Closing the gender pay gap would inject billions into the economy for the families that desperately need it.' Women also lose out under the KiwiSaver changes because it leads to more reliance on individual retirement savings which compounds the systemic disadvantage women face leading to much lower KiwiSaver funds at retirement. In stark contrast, Australia's 2025 Women's Budget Statement outlines concrete actions to address gender-based violence, unpaid and paid care, economic security, women's health, and leadership. 'It is unacceptable in 2025 that no thought is given to the impact of this budget on New Zealand women not even a look through a gender lens.' The establishment of a new $190 million Social Investment Fund further demonstrates the gap in thinking. 'The Cabinet paper notes the fund is for 'vulnerable New Zealanders with highly complex social issues'-yet completely ignores the gender dimension of vulnerability.' 'This Budget is a missed opportunity to advance gender equality – it is blind to the real and growing challenges women face. New Zealand women deserve better.'
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
"Budget Sidelines Women's Economic Contribution" - BPW NZ President Janet Gibb
Budget 2025 has some support for businesses and additional funding for Māori Wardens, Māori Women's Welfare League and Rural Women New Zealand however, it does not empower women, says the New Zealand Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW NZ). "Our assessment of Budget 2025 is that this government does not listen to, nor care to address, the systemic barriers and challenges women face," says President Janet Gibb "There is no evidence that women's experiences, needs or realities have been considered in the budget. The gender pay gap costs the New Zealand economy an estimated $7.6 billion per year, or 5% of total wages and salaries. Despite this, the government has moved to devastate the pay equity process, resulting in the cancellation of 33 active claims-including women-dominated sectors like education, health, and social services. "This isn't fiscal responsibility-it's economic negligence," says Gibb. "Closing the gender pay gap would inject billions into the economy for the families that desperately need it." Women also lose out under the KiwiSaver changes because it leads to more reliance on individual retirement savings which compounds the systemic disadvantage women face leading to much lower KiwiSaver funds at retirement. In stark contrast, Australia's 2025 Women's Budget Statement outlines concrete actions to address gender-based violence, unpaid and paid care, economic security, women's health, and leadership. "It is unacceptable in 2025 that no thought is given to the impact of this budget on New Zealand women not even a look through a gender lens." The establishment of a new $190 million Social Investment Fund further demonstrates the gap in thinking. "The Cabinet paper notes the fund is for 'vulnerable New Zealanders with highly complex social issues'-yet completely ignores the gender dimension of vulnerability." "This Budget is a missed opportunity to advance gender equality - it is blind to the real and growing challenges women face. New Zealand women deserve better."
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Budget 2025: Māori education gets boost, targeted funding remains tight
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the wider investment in education is the most significant investment in learning support in a generation. Photo: 123RF Māori education has seen a boost with Budget 2025 , while other new targeted funding for Māori initiatives remains tight. Operational funding of $54 million and another $50 million in capital funding has been allocated to increase Māori learner success by investing in curriculum support and teacher development. The initiatives include: The disestablishment of the Wharekura Expert Teachers programme, disestablishing Resource Teachers and shifting unallocated funds from the Maori Language Funding to Support Provision and Growth initiative and reprioritising under-spent funding from Kaupapa Māori and Māori Medium Education will save the government around $72 million over four years. Education Minister Erica Stanford said the wider investment in education is the most significant investment in learning support in a generation. "Backed by a social investment lens, this is a seismic shift in how we support learning needs in New Zealand. We're deliberately prioritising early intervention, investing in what works and directly tackling long-standing inequities in the system." The Māori Women's Welfare League will get a funding boost and follows the announcement the Māori Wardens would also see an increase of around $1.5 million per year. Together, they will receive an increased operating budget of just over $13 million over four years. Māori housing initiatives administered by Te Puni Kokiri, including the Whai Kainga Whai Oranga, have been cut back and the money has been given to the government's new Flexible Housing fund, which looks to build more social housing and subsidise affordable rentals. Te Puni Kokiri will retain $17.5 million per annum housing funding while other Māori housing supports will be delivered by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. The government is also ending discretionary payments associated with Treaty Settlements, however this will not affect existing contractual commitments. It will save just under $3 million over four years. The Climate Resilience for Māori fund has been cut by 33 percent, down to an average of $2.6 million operating per annum remaining in this fund. The now scrapped Aotearoa Reorua (Bilingual Towns and Cities) Programme will see $1.6 million returned, however existing contracts will not be affected. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
1News
19-05-2025
- Business
- 1News
Live stream: PM Luxon gives post-Cabinet briefing ahead of Budget
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is holding a media briefing from the Beehive in Wellington after the weekly meeting of Cabinet ministers. It is the start of Budget week with Finance Minister Nicola Willis set to give details on Thursday of the Government's spending plans for the year ahead. Ministers have continued to make pre-Budget announcements over the weekend - allocating an extra $1.5 million to Māori Wardens and $164 million over the next four years to expand urgent and after-hours healthcare services. Meanwhile, the Greens alternative budget last week proposed extending free GP visits, dental care, childcare and introducing an income guarantee — funded by $88 billion in new taxes and billions in additional debt. Full coverage of the Budget on and on TVNZ1's Q+A Special from 2pm on Thursday. New ZealandPoliticsNational PartyChristopher Luxon
