Families, education big winners
South Canterbury families and schools are set to receive a boost to their bank balances, but those in the early childhood, conservation, and health sectors say they have been left wanting following Thursday’s Budget announcement.
Finance Minister Steven Joyce revealed his first Budget in Wellington on Thursday afternoon.
Families were the big winners, with Joyce announcing two income tax thresholds will rise.
The $14,000 threshold rises to $22,000, the $48,000 threshold rises to $52,000. Cautious optimism Schools are also set to see an increase in funding, but those in the early childhood sector remain frustrated.
South Canterbury Primary Principals Association president Jane Culhane was cautiously optimistic about the funding boost for the education sector.
The Budget includes a $456.5 million investment in school property. That consists of $392.4 million of capital and $64.1 million of operating funding over the next four years.
Primary and secondary schools will receive $458.9 million of additional operating funding over the next four years to meet increasing student numbers.
$60.5 million will boost schools’ Operational Grant Funding by 1.3 per cent, schools with high numbers of at-risk students will receive an increase of 2.67 per cent in their Targeted At Risk Funding.
The property funding was to be expected, given current issues with overcrowding, she said.
‘‘It won’t immediately address it but it will alleviate it in the future.’’
‘‘We’re absolutely thrilled that there’s been an increase in operational grants, however it’s probably not enough given the freeze last year.’’
As with all budgets, it would come down to the ‘‘devil in the details’’, she said.
There would be $63.3 million in operating funding over the next four years to support students with additional learning needs.
‘‘We’re pleased to hear that there has been some funding for supporting students with learning needs and expanding specialist behaviour services, that is an area that is increasingly of concern for both primary and secondary, especially some of what we are hearing out there for students at a young age,’’ Culhane said.
Aoraki Secondary Principals’ Association chairwoman Tracy Walker was pleased with the funding, but said the Government was playing catch up.
‘‘A 1.3 per cent increase in the ops grant isn’t going to go very far. Early childhood education providers will receive an additional $386 million in operating funding over the next four years. The money will provide for a further 31,000 learning places. South Canterbury Kindergarten Association general manager Dave Hawkey said the money would not go towards children already existing in ECE care, but additional students. ‘‘It’s very frustrating.’’ The Government needed to better engage with ECE staff to get a more realistic view of funding required, he said. ‘‘Shocking’’ for Conservation Forest and Bird Advocacy Manager Kevin Hackwell said the Budget was ‘‘really shocking’’ in terms of funding for the Department of Conservation (DOC).
An $86 million boost for DOC tourism infrastructure around New Zealand was announced in a pre-Budget announcement last week.
Hackwell said the Budget did not allow the organisation to fund its ‘‘core values’’ such as biodiversity for places such as Aoraki/Mt Cook.
He said places like the Mackenzie Basin were under pressure from the intensification of tourism and agriculture. Species such as the black stilts and a ‘‘whole pile of fish’’ were unique to the district and ‘‘unfortunately there is not enough’’ being done to protect that, he said. Tekapo military boost Tekapo’s military training area will receive a funding boost, with Defence Minister Mark Mitchell announcing an investment of $2.3 million.
‘‘The Tekapo Military Training Area is an important site for the Defence Force to carry out initial field training, battle handling exercises and preparation for deployment to operations,’’ he said in a statement.
‘‘A range of improvements to public and military safety, communications, accommodation, administrative support and messing facilities is planned over time.’’ No big boon for business Aoraki Development chief executive Nigel Davenport said it was an ‘‘election year budget’’ with not much provision made specifically for businesses, but he was interested in the $373 million provided for innovation.
‘‘It’s great to see the freeze on education spending coming off,’’ Davenport said.
However, he would have liked detailed initiatives to promote the importance of obtaining qualifications, and to promote local career pathways for secondary school students.
It was particularly important for South Canterbury as a provincial region, Davenport said.
South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce chief executive Wendy Smith said the Government appeared to have a focus on families and infrastructure The Budget was also a mixed bag for the health sector. Temuka-based New Zealand Rural General Practice Network chairwoman Sharon Hansen praised investment in mental health, which had been ‘‘long neglected’’. An extra $224 million over four years was announced for mental health services, including $124 million for new approaches. However, South Canterbury had a high rate of GPs set to retire in the next five to 10 years, and Hansen was disappointed that did not appear to have been addressed in the Budget. ‘‘That’s really important for us and how we deliver our primary care.’’ The Budget had not delivered much-needed funding to primary care in rural areas at a time when ‘‘pressure is growing across a number of fronts for the sector’’, she said. ‘‘So primary care in rural New Zealand remains on the waiting list. It is well recognised through the Government’s own health strategy that primary care and a preventative approach to population health is the way forward in the face of an ageing population and the high cost of secondary and tertiary health care in yet lip service has again been paid to adequately funding primary care.’’ this year, applauded.
‘‘Our commentary would be that we are really pleased with the $373 million increase on spending for science and innovation.’’
She was impressed the Government was trying to assist diversity in the economy, and to create more jobs and higher wages. which was to be