'Nothing in it for Middle NZ'

Mary Beale, pictured with her daughter Chantelle (year 13) and son Daniel (4) says there is nothing for middle-income families in this year's Budget. Photo / Warren Buckland

Mary Beale says middle-income families have been shafted by this year's Budget.

"There's nothing in there for people in my situation," said Ms Beale, who lives in Flaxmere with her husband and three children.

She described the spending plan, unveiled by Finance Minister Bill English yesterday, as a "major disappointment".

There were no grocery or healthcare subsidies, which she had earlier told Hawke's Bay Today would be well received in her household. The Government's wiping of the $1000 KiwiSaver kickstart was also an unpleasant surprise.

"The KiwiSaver is a bit of a blow because I hadn't had a chance to start my son's KiwiSaver. It came out of the blue. There was no hint that it was going to happen."

Beneficiary families and low-income working families will get a boost of up to $25 a week as part of a child hardship package, which is the centre-piece of Mr English's seventh Budget.

But Ms Beale said she did not agree with non-working beneficiaries receiving childcare subsidies. "If you're working and if you're training, absolutely, I don't begrudge anyone getting those subsidies, but I don't see why someone who's on a benefit needs to have higher childcare subsidies. If you're not working, you should be looking after your kids."

She also questioned small cuts to Working for Families for households earning more than $88,000 a year.

Ms Beale hoped the Budget's forecast for an increase in the average wage by $7000 to $63,000 a year by mid 2019 was accurate.

However, she was taking the prediction with a grain of salt.

"If that happened it would be brilliant, but they have said that before and it hasn't happened," she said.