The Government will bolster Pharmac's budget by an extra $160 million to ensure NZ has access to more medicines and vaccines.
The roll-on effects from Covid-19 will be a wake-up call for many to the extent schools have been relying on additional funding to provide a first-rate education to New Zealand children.
Budget 2020 will be delivered on Thursdayand many suspect the main focus will be on economic recovery post-Covid-19.
Butinvestment in other sectors, like education, is still hoped for.
While Gordon said he understood the sector would not be a top priority in this year's Budget, there was an area of need he identified which would be severely affecting many schools' financial position.
"I am absolutely mindful of the impact this pandemic is having on communities so it is not the time to be saying 'we need this and that' but an area of need that should be considered is international students.
"For many schools, the revenue that comes from international students subsidises a lot of necessary activities and spending. For us, the majority of that revenue went to employing additional staff, including teacher aides, which then allowed us to reduce class sizes.
"It's not about money but rather ideas on what can be done to progress relationships with international students in countries where it is safe to do so."
Pillans Point School principal Matt Simeon. Photo / File
Pillans Point School principal and Education Tauranga chairman Matt Simeon said he hoped the Budget 2019 school donation scheme would be extended to all schools.
The initiative allowed Decile 1 to 7 state and state-integrated Boards of Trustees to choose to receive a $150 per student, per year payment instead of seeking donations from parents.
"As a Decile 8 school we were not eligible but all our opportunities for donations and sponsorship by businesses that have been so supportive in the past have been lost this year due to Covid-19.
"The Ministry and Budget should be considering the hundreds of thousands of dollars that will no longer be there for schools and reflect that in our operations grants.
"Covid-19 will have some major roll-on effects for schools and if anything, has given a wake-up call that schools shouldn't be relying on additional funding, like the revenue from international students.
"This situation has shown the things schools do to get that extra funding."
NZEI president Liam Rutherford (right). Photo / File
NZEI Te Riu Roa president Liam Rutherford said the Budget was likely to be focused on the immediate Covid-19 response and cushioning the blow.
"In education, that means we need to see funding that keeps the entire sector afloat and keeps people in jobs.
"That means maintaining pre-Covid-19 funding for all early childhood education services regardless of attendance until at least the end of the year so that they can have the financial security to stay open, pay staff and meet the needs of children and families.
"It also means continued funding for all school staff, particularly teacher aides, relievers and other support staff who are not paid centrally like teachers."
Post Primary Teachers' Association president Jack Boyle. Photo / File
PPTA president Jack Boyle said the union's focus was to advocate for teachers and support students through a strong and equitable public education system.
"We're hoping the Government continues the good work it has been doing putting money where it's needed most – helping families and communities weather the Covid-19 crisis.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on the inequities that exist in education and, more generally, in our society, so we support investment in policies that make life better for children inside and outside of the classroom, so they can reach their potential when they are at school."
