Cheaper regos, pay rises, and new medicines among Govt's July 1 changes

Electric car owners will have their registration fees cut by up to 85 per cent from tomorrow. Photo / Alan Gibson

Motorists, in particular electric car drivers, will pay lower registration fees as part of a raft of changes that come into force tomorrow.

July 1 is the implementation date for a range of Government policies, including ACC motor vehicle changes, new Pharmac funding, and other payments.

Most significantly, it marks the point at which 55,000 low-paid workers in women-dominated industries will get a pay rise.

Under a historic pay equity settlement in April, up to 55,000 people in the aged residential care, home support and disability service sectors will get up to $100 more a week.

The 20,000 workers on the minimum wage of $15.75 will have their income lifted to at least $19 an hour.

The cost of car registrations will fall from around $130 to $113 per vehicle from tomorrow, the third consecutive annual decrease.

The drop is much more significant for electric car registration, which will fall from around $100 to as low as $17 a year. Motorcycle registrations, on the other hand, will stay the same.

The new rates will apply for the next two years and motorists will save a total of around $113 million.

Military veterans with permanent injuries will get around $18 more a week, while childcare support for soldiers killed in conflict zones will also rise. There are understood to be about six families of dead soldiers who are eligible for this entitlement.

The drug-buying agency Pharmac's latest round of subsidised medicines and treatments will become available on July 1.

The latest drugs to be funded include melatonin, a drug which is given to children or teenagers whose neurodevelopmental disorders affect their sleep. There are also new treatments for people with hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and lung disease.

The Government increased Pharmac funding by $60m in this year's Budget, taking its total annual funding to $870m.

As announced earlier this week, Pharmac will also fund the chickenpox vaccine, making if free for children aged 15 months.

Around 60,000 children are born each year in New Zealand and all of them will be able to get the vaccine. It will also be extended to children turning 11 from July 1 who have never been immunised against, or infected by chickenpox.

New Zealanders living in Australia will get access to a new pathway to citizenship from tomorrow. It is available for expatriates who arrived in Australia between February 26, 2001, and February 19, 2016, and earned more than A$53,000 a year for five consecutive years.

As of tomorrow, the countdown will begin for earthquake-prone buildings to be assessed and upgraded, following law changes last year.

Wellington building owners have five years to get their buildings assessed, and 15 years to bring them up to code. Auckland buildings owners have between 15 years for assessment, and 35 years for upgrades.

JULY 1 CHANGES

• Pay rises of 15-50 per cent for care and support workers
• Car regos to fall by $130.26 to $113.94 on average
• Payments for injured veterans rises by $18/week
• Pathway to citizenship for expat New Zealanders in Australia becomes available
• Free chicken pox vaccine for children at 15 months or for children turning 11 who have not been immunised or previously infected
• Access to new funded drugs including treatment for hep C and B, lung disease, HIV and children with insomnia
• Deadline begins for earthquake-prone buildings to be upgraded - within 15 years for Wellington and within 35 years for Auckland
• Police Eagle helicopter available around the clock rather than limited to 1800 hours a year