Finance Minister Grant Robertson will need to be on top of his game to land one of the most difficult Budget balancing acts New Zealand has seen for years. Join us live from 2pm for the delivery of Budget 2023 with expert analysis and commentary. Video / NZ Herald
Rotorua kaumātua have welcomed the Te Matatini kapa haka festival’s big win in Budget 2023, with a funding boost to $34 million over two years announced.
It comes as the Budget allocated just over $825m to Māori-focused initiatives.
Ngāti Whakaue and Te Arawa kaumātua Monty Morrison said it was a “tremendous boost” for Te Matatini and Māori performing arts.
Morrison, a longtime advocate for Māori cultural performing arts, said at first he misread the number as $3.4m and when he saw it was $34m, “I couldn’t believe my eyes”.
He said while the details were yet to come, it was a “massive boost” for those who had been advocating for an increase in government support for Te Matatini, and the retention of it.
“It is bigger than Matatini too. It has clearly signalled what Te Matatini has achieved over the years. It is recognition of where it has come from and the importance of how we value our culture and the legacies it creates for the future.
“I am really excited for the future of Te Matatini.”
Te Arawa rohe committee chairman and kapa haka veteran Trevor Maxwell said he was “thrilled” and “excited” at the announcement.
“I’m really chuffed about what that $34m could mean,” Maxwell said.
Te Mātarae I Ōrehu gives its Te Matatini performance at Rotorua's Village Green. Photo / Andrew Warner
“We just celebrated 50 years of Te Matatini and it all started here in Rotorua.”
Maxwell said many teams hoping to perform at the festival began their fundraising two years in advance.
“Things like this come at a huge cost. There’s venue hire, costumes and all that kind of thing. Nobody gets paid for tutoring, for rehearsing.
“We do it for the love of our culture and we will continue in that way but this is going to make life easier and better.”
Maxwell said while he was looking forward to reading more details about the funding he thought the boost would mean “people can devote time to making the festival happen”.
“I think it means more people will be able to participate.”
What two business-owning parents think
Local families and representatives of the tourism, business and health sectors were less optimistic about whether the Budget could deliver meaningful change.
Rotorua mum Sineaid Smith said Budget 2023 was a "good start". Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua flower farm owner and mum-of-five Sineaid Smith said any support was “a great start” but she wasn’t sure the announcements made would be enough to help families struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
“Scrapping the $5 prescription co-payments and extending the 20 early childhood education hours are awesome pieces of news,” Smith said.
“But 500 extra nurses doesn’t sound like it’s going to do much. Divide that number by how many hospitals there are around the country. Where are those nurses going?”
Renato Sicat (left) and his wife Ana Marie operate a food truck in Rotorua.
Rotorua business owner and dad Renato Sicat was grateful for cheaper bus fares and the abolition of the $5 prescription co-payments.
“That’s a big help for us.”
But Sicat, who together with his wife Ana Marie and their three children run the food truck Khim’s Snack and Juices, said he had hoped for some support for business and for saving towards his first home.
“This business is not just a source of income but it is also a training ground for my kids in entrepreneurship,” Sicat said.
“I’d be grateful if they would help me to grow our business.”
Sicat said the biggest drains on his family’s income were rent, food and the power bill. These costs made it difficult to save for a home of their own.
Sector leaders and experts react
Ruatahi Medical Centre practice director Mark Wills.
Ruatahi Medical Centre practice director Mark Wills believed the funds allocated towards primary care amounted to “next to nothing when it comes to the total cost of operating the primary care system”.
“Right now we’ve got a crisis of access to healthcare where 55 per cent of general practices are not taking new patients and that is because our workforce is not sufficient to be able to meet the demands.
“As a practice owner and operator we know that adding staff on if we could get them is not affordable. So I don’t have a lot of optimism or faith in what they’ve announced.”
Wills said he acknowledged every sector “wanted more” and that was a challenge for the Government, but he found the Budget “frustrating”.
RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson. Photo / NZME
RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson said he was disappointed but not surprised over the Budget’s lack of direct benefits for tourism.
“Tourism is vital to Rotorua’s economy and central to lessening the impacts of the previous pandemic,” Wilson said.
Increased subsidies for childcare, however, were positives for working parents in a tight labour market.
“Any additional investment in infrastructure, recognising its importance for economic growth, is positive. We are encouraged by the investment in research hubs in Wellington and look forward to further investments in research and development capabilities in regional New Zealand, including Rotorua.”
Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Bryce Heard. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Bryce Heard said Budget 2023 was “bland”.
“We’ve got so many issues confronting the country at the moment,” Heard said.
“It’s good to see at least one of them, the storm damages, get some funding allocated to it because that is critically important. There’s a lot of people suffering from that.”
Heard said while the Budget put some money towards roading and communication, he didn’t think infrastructure and climate change were “accorded the amount of attention needed”.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly called Renato Sicat’s business Clean Snacks and Juices. Its correct name is Khim’s Snack and Juices.
