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NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
The Listener's June viewing guide: Robyn Malcolm's new Netflix show, David Attenborough goes to sea, and more
Walking with Dinosaurs Period dramas Screening: TVNZ 1, 7pm, Mondays from June 2 Streaming: TVNZ+. New episodes weekly A long-awaited second series of the 1999 juggernaut BBC natural history series about prehistoric animals, which did for television what Jurassic Park did for the movies. Read.
1News
24-05-2025
- Health
- 1News
Budget 2025: Kiwis to get 12-month medicine prescriptions
Kiwis will soon be able to get 12-month prescriptions for medicines, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health Minister David Seymour revealed as part of today's Budget. Currently, doctors and prescribers can write scripts for most medicines only for a maximum of three months, meaning patients must pay their GP for a follow-up appointment or to issue a repeat. 'This creates unnecessary barriers for patients on stable, long-term medications like asthma inhalers, insulin for diabetes, and blood pressure tablets. It means added costs for patients and more paperwork for health professionals, taking time away from patients with more urgent or complex needs,' Brown said. Follow live coverage of the Budget on and TVNZ1's Q+A Special from 2pm. 'From the first quarter of 2026, prescribers will be able to issue prescriptions for up to 12 months if it is clinically appropriate and safe to do so. 'While patients will still collect their medication from a pharmacy every three months, they will no longer need to return to their doctor for a new prescription each time.' It could potentially save patients up to $105 a year in GP fees, Brown said. Budget 2025 has allocated $91 million over four years to support the change – covering the cost of the extra medicine that is expected to be dispensed. Seymour said the change was 'just common sense'. 'I'm pleased to see the Government's responsiveness to the voices of patients and their families by expanding access to more medicines for more groups. This decision reflects our commitment to a more adaptable and patient-centred approach.'
1News
22-05-2025
- Business
- 1News
PM and Finance Minister share home baking in pre-Budget tradition
Ahead of the Budget's release at 2pm, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis have enjoyed some fresh baking made by one of her children. It continues a pre-Budget tradition of the Prime Minister and Finance Minister celebrating Budget Day before it is officially announced to the public. On Facebook earlier today, Willis said the cookies were baked by her daughter. Follow live coverage of the Budget on and TVNZ1's Q+A Special from 2pm. Historically, each government has had their own take on the yearly tradition, and for Willis and Luxon, this marks the second year the occasion is being celebrated with biscuits. Under the last National government led by Sir John Key and Sir Bill English, Budget Day was typically celebrated with pies. During the last Labour government, Dame Jacinda Ardern would celebrate with a cheese roll with then Finance Minister Grant Robertson. She would also gift a tie to Robertson ahead of the Budget announcement. In 2023, Chris Hipkins marked the moment with Ardern's cheese roll, along with a sausage roll, a snack he was known to enjoy. A tie was also gifted to Robertson by Hipkins, which belonged to the late ex-Labour finance minister Michael Cullen, who died in 2021. This year, the Government has indicated a constrained fiscal environment, with only $1.3 billion to play with in terms of new operational funding. Pre-Budget announcements have reached across education, health and other programmes that the Government wanted to be showcased before today.
1News
21-05-2025
- Business
- 1News
What might get a cut or a boost in today's Budget
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will unveil her high-stakes 2025 Budget today amid fever-pitch speculation over spending cuts as the coalition navigates the tightest operating allowance in a decade. The Government will only have $1.3 billion to play with in terms of new operational funding, which includes accounting for inflation and other cost increases. In a constrained fiscal environment, Willis has been prepping the public for more "reprioritisations" – coalition-speak for cutting existing initiatives to fund other priorities. The Finance Minister has been blunt about the approach, saying the Government has freed up "billions of dollars" through cuts to previously committed spending that "can no longer be justified in light of challenging circumstances". "This reprioritisation exercise has required careful consideration and some tough, but necessary, choices," she said. "This has involved a line-by-line review of previous funding commitments, including money put aside in contingency." Follow live coverage of the Budget on and TVNZ1's Q+A Special from 2pm. Most of these cuts, Willis has indicated, will come from programmes begun under the previous Labour government, though some longer-standing initiatives are also on the chopping block. There would also likely be more public service job losses down the line. The Government has already revealed it will save more than $1 billion over the next four years after it reduced the number of people living in emergency housing faster than expected. This represents just one of the budgetary "reprioritisations" expected. One of the most widely speculated-about cuts involves changes to KiwiSaver, which currently costs the Government about $1 billion annually. At present, residents aged 18 and over can receive up to $521 a year in government contributions to their KiwiSaver if they contribute at least $1040 per year themselves. Willis has repeatedly declined to rule out means-testing this benefit when questioned, saying only that people would need to "wait and see" what savings the Budget delivers. If changed, means-testing could see the government benefit removed entirely or reduced for higher-income earners, potentially using a $180,000 threshold. Alongside speculated changes to the subsidy, Willis has previously signalled her desire to increase KiwiSaver contribution rates from the current 3% minimum for employers. In a recent speech, she emphasised wanting "to see KiwiSaver balances continue to grow" and said "our Budget will contain steps to support that mission". Willis had signalled she would provide "modest measures to support business growth" in the Budget. These measures are likely to involve accelerated depreciation on certain "productivity-boosting" assets, BusinessDesk reports. In translation, this speculated change could effectively lower a business's taxable income in the short term by increasing the amount they can claim as depreciation expenses. Though the Finance Minister was at pains to temper expectations about a large scheme, when asked on Monday, saying some speculation out there had been wrong. PM Christopher Luxon said this week changing capital depreciation rules was "not an unattractive idea" given the need for businesses to invest more in technology and equipment. The Government has already announced a $75 million tax break for foreign investors and tech workers, including changes to thin capitalisation rules and employee share schemes. Willis has also promised "some carefully targeted cost-of-living relief" in the Budget, though details remain scarce as to what this may be. The Finance Minister has drawn a clear line, saying there will be "no lolly scramble" given current economic constraints. New spending would be "strictly limited to the most important priorities," with focus on "health, education, law and order, defence, and a small number of critical social investments". Some of these have already been announced. Among pre-Budget announcements were a $140 million package to improve student attendance, $100 million for maths education, and $275 million for social investment. Beyond KiwiSaver, Willis has not ruled out means-testing for other programmes, particularly the Best Start payment for new parents, which was introduced by Jacinda Ardern in 2017. The programme gives families a $73 weekly payment for children under one. While she has confirmed there will be no changes to the Winter Energy Payment, which costs $555 million annually, other government transfers remain vulnerable. In December, Treasury Secretary Iain Rennie suggested better targeting payments that go to everyone, including those who don't need support, as a way to improve the books. He gave the examples of free off-peak public transport for over-65s and the Government covering some tertiary students' fees as examples where better targeting may be possible. Education Minister Erica Stanford has teased that today's announcement will be a "learning support Budget", signalling investment in the system that supports students with disabilities and learning needs. The Budget boost is expected to come partly from discontinuing the $118 million Kāhui Ako programme, RNZ reports. Last year, Stanford told 1News she'd heard from the sector that the existing model was not "delivering the right service, to the right child, at the right time". A work programme had been delivered to Cabinet to improve learning support "so the education system could meet the needs of learners and their families". Other potential Budget changes speculated about in the media include adjustments to the foreign buyer ban, cuts to RNZ's annual funding, and cuts to other initiatives. The full extent of Nicola Willis' "tough but necessary choices" and new initiatives will become clear when Willis delivers her Budget at 2pm today.
NZ Herald
11-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Lotto: Eighteen players win more than $19k each – where tickets were sold
In the South Island, one ticket was sold to a player from the West Coast, two from Christchurch, and two from Otago. Two players won $500,000 each in last night's First Division draw. The winning tickets were sold on MyLotto to players from Auckland and Wellington. The $10 million First Division Powerball jackpot was not struck and will now roll over to $12m. On Wednesday, two winners also split the First Division spoils, snagging $500,000 each. The winning tickets on Wednesday were sold at Quickstop Taihape in Taihape and on MyLotto to a player from Otago. Last Saturday night, three players shared the $1m jackpot. What to do if you win Ticket holders can see immediately if they have won if they bought a ticket through MyLotto. Prizes of $1000 or less are automatically credited to their account. For prizes of more than $1000, winners have to fill in an online prize form. Results are available immediately after the live draws on TVNZ 1 on Wednesday and Saturday nights. They can also be found through the MyLotto app, online at at Lotto NZ retailers and on Winners with a physical ticket must still visit a Lotto retailer to claim their prize.
