 | |
| Submitted by | Grant Robertson |
|---|---|
| Presented | 20 May 2021 |
| Parliament | 53rd |
| Party | Labour |
| Deficit |  $15.1 billion |
| Website | Budget 2021 |
‹ 2020 2022› | |
Budget 2021 is the New Zealand budget for fiscal year 2021/22, presented to the House of Representatives by Finance Minister Grant Robertson on 20 May 2021 as the fourth budget presented by the Sixth Labour Government. This budget occurs after a year of several lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand and focuses on economic recovery. [1]
The budget is for the fiscal year from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022. This is the fourth budget of the Sixth Labour Government and the first budget of Labour's second term in office, in which they have a parliamentary majority, making this the first budget where the Labour Party has been the sole party behind the creation of the budget. [2]
The impact of COVID-19 on the economy has led to an increase in government borrowing, with government debt expected to hit NZ$166.2 billion by the end of the 2020/21 fiscal year; before the pandemic it was at $57.7 billion. The 2020/21 fiscal year ends with a forecasted budget deficit of $21.6 billion. [3]
The operating allowance for this budget is $3.8 billion per year. [1]
A total of $1.4 billion will be allocated over four years to operational funding for schools and early learning centres. [1]
A total of $4.7 billion allocated to health: [1]
A total of $3.3 billion will be allocated over four years to boost benefit rates. [7]
The deficit is forecast to reach $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2024/25, with Net Core Crown debt forecast to go up by around $100 billion by that time, with a peak of 48% of national GDP in the 2022/23 fiscal year. [1]
Unemployment is forecast to reach around 5.2% in June 2021 before going down to around 4.2% in 2025. [1]
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stated that the budget sets New Zealand up to recover from COVID-19 and have the country "[be] stronger than when [it] entered the pandemic", a statement echoed by Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni. Grant Robertson stated that "this is the biggest lift in benefits in more than a generation", criticising the 1991 budget. [7]
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson praised the budget for increasing benefits. Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was "cautiously optimistic" about the budget, praising the government for "accept[ing] a need to take a targeted approach rather than a universal one". [8]
National Party and Opposition leader Judith Collins said that the Government "lacks the plan and ambition" in this budget and that it does not offer "any direction for getting the country back on track to prosperity" and that it is "setting New Zealand up to fail". ACT leader David Seymour criticised the budget, saying it "ignore[s] reality" and does not have anything for middle-class New Zealanders. [8]
Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft praised the budget for being a "very solid, continuing step on our journey of halving child poverty by 2028", but said there was still more to be done. [9] Director of poverty group Council for International Development Josie Pagani says that the budget "deal[s] with some of the inequality", forecasting that this budget will lift 75 thousand children out of poverty, but did not see the changes as drastic. [5] Economic commentator Brad Olsen stated that the budget was "underwhelming" and did not have provisions for economic growth. [5]
Michael King is a New Zealand mental health advocate, television personality, and former comedian.
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The Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 10 December 1999 to 19 November 2008. Labour Party leader Helen Clark negotiated a coalition with Jim Anderton, leader of the Alliance Party. While undertaking a number of substantial reforms, it was not particularly radical compared to previous Labour governments.
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The Sixth Labour Government governed New Zealand from 26 October 2017 to 27 November 2023. It was headed first by Jacinda Ardern and later by Chris Hipkins, as Labour Party leader and prime minister.
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The 53rd New Zealand Parliament was a meeting of the legislature in New Zealand. It opened on 25 November 2020 following the 17 October 2020 general election, and dissolved on 8 September 2023 to trigger the next election. It consisted of 120 members of Parliament (MPs) with five parties represented: the Labour and Green parties, in government, and the National, Māori and ACT parties, in opposition. The Sixth Labour Government held a majority in this Parliament. Jacinda Ardern continued as prime minister until her resignation on 25 January 2023; she was succeeded by Chris Hipkins.
Budget 2020, dubbed "Rebuilding Together", was the New Zealand budget for fiscal year 2020/21 worth NZ$50 billion, presented to the House of Representatives by Finance Minister Grant Robertson on 14 May 2020, the third budget presented by the coalition government of 2017–2020. This budget occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand and on the same day that the country exited the lockdown brought about by alert level 3.
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