Focus Live: NZ Herald brings you the key points and what you need to know from Budget 2020.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says any transtasman travel agreement will not happen quickly and is more than "weeks" away.
Ardern said she could not put a timeframe on when travel to Australia might resume - but warned "it won't be weeks" - it would be longer.
She said she didnot want travel to and from Australia to endanger the very low rates of the virus in New Zealand.
However, Flight Centre founder and CEO Graham Turner, said on Friday morning international travel between Australia and New Zealand could be July.
"I think there's no doubt that we will be back flying internationally probably July, August to places like New Zealand and I think it will come back bilaterally, you know, for example, Vietnam or maybe Taiwan," Turner said.
Asked about today's new confirmed Covid-19 case, linked to the Marist cluster, she said officials were still learning about the virus: "That tells us once again how tricky this virus is."
The Prime Minister also addressed concerns about the new powers given to police to enforce the level 2 rules - including entering people's homes without a warrant.
Those powers would be removed as soon as level 2 was over. It was necessary because it would allow police to investigate and enforce breaches - that included cases where other members of the public had reported activities they were concerned about, such as big parties.
Ardern also hit back at National's description of the Budget's $20 billion pool of Covid-19 response funding which was unallocated as a "slush fund" - saying it was clearly intended for the Covid-19 response and would be used for that.
Yesterday, the Government announced it was spending $1.6 billion in the Budget to make tertiary courses free in building and construction, agriculture and manufacturing to help people who have lost their jobs retrain.
Ardern spoke to media about the package today after visiting the Wellington Regional School of Construction in Petone, Wellington.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is talking about the $1.1 billion trades training programme announced yesterday.
As part of yesterday's Budget package vocational courses in "critical industries" will be made free over the next two years for everyone - not just for those eligible for the fees-free scheme.
Which industries are critical are yet to be defined, but Education Minister Chris Hipkins said: "It will include courses linked to industry skills needs, in building and construction, agriculture, and manufacturing, and also vocational courses like community health, counselling and care work. The fund will be available from July 1, 2020."
It's estimated just over 108,00 students and apprentices could be eligible for the free training.
The money is coming from the $50 billion Covid response fund that is the centrepiece of the Budget and will push the Government books into the red for the foreseeable future.
The facility has six building sites where NZ Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Level 3 Carpentry) students (approximately 120 each year) construct six houses per year to provide social housing through Kāinga Ora.
