The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Grant Robertson's Budget 2018: At a glance - what you need to know

Claire Trevett
By Claire Trevett
Political Editor, NZ Herald·NZ Herald·
17 May, 2018 02:00 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

New Zealand Political editor Audrey Young weighs in on the new 2018 budget.

Listen: Jacinda Ardern talks the 2018 Budget

THE POLICIES:

• Health: $3.2 billion injection over four years, including $2.2b more for DHBs and $126m for elective surgeries and other areas. $750m for hospital upgrades and rebuilds.

• Cheaper doctor visits for more than 500,000 people. Free GP visits extended to 13-year-olds (56,000 more children). About 540,000 people eligible for Community Services cards will get $20 to $30 cheaper GP visits. Cost $385 m.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

• Midwives: $112m more for community midwives, including 8.9 per cent fee increase to level them with DHB midwives.

• Housing: $3.8b to build 6400 more state houses by 2022 and $170m for emergency housing. Insulation subsidies for low-income families. HNZ to borrow $3b.

• Education: $395 million to build new schools and classrooms. Includes $62 million for Christchurch schools rebuild and $332m nationwide.

• Education: $650m for schools. Includes $204m more for a 1.6 per cent increase to schools' operational funding and to cover school roll growth.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

• $370m to fund 1500 new teacher places 2021 ($70m more than National funded).

• Early childhood education: $590m to fund more places and a 1.6 per cent funding increase for ECE centres from January 2019.

• Police: $300 mill for 920 more police officers and 240 support staff.

THE MONEY:

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

Live: Budget day secrets to be revealed

17 May 12:23 AM

Wilma's Whey: Cow condition, feed targets are key after dairy dry-off

16 May 04:00 PM
New Zealand

Interactive: Crunching the numbers - Budget 2018 in detail

17 May 02:15 AM
New Zealand|politics

Canterbury's rebuild gets $300m boost

17 May 01:59 AM

• Surplus of $3.1 billion forecast to rise to $7.3 billion by 2022.

• Operating allowance $2.8 billion, capital allowance $3.8 billion

• Debt: net core Crown debt forecast to peak at $67.6b in 2021, up from $59 billion. Will remain at between 20-21 per cent of GDP and drop to 19 per cent in 2022.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

Premium
The Country

On The Up: A royal new venture with King Bees Honey

22 Jun 05:00 PM
The Country

Vege tips: Winter, time for onions and strawberries

21 Jun 05:00 PM
The Country

The ABCs of wool in 1934

21 Jun 05:00 PM

Help for those helping hardest-hit

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Premium
On The Up: A royal new venture with King Bees Honey

On The Up: A royal new venture with King Bees Honey

22 Jun 05:00 PM

Cate and Mike King talk to Tom Raynel about their new business King Bees Honey.

Vege tips: Winter, time for onions and strawberries

Vege tips: Winter, time for onions and strawberries

21 Jun 05:00 PM
The ABCs of wool in 1934

The ABCs of wool in 1934

21 Jun 05:00 PM
Why NZ needs its own Clarkson's Farm

Why NZ needs its own Clarkson's Farm

21 Jun 05:00 PM
How a Timaru mum of three budding chefs stretched her grocery shop
sponsored

How a Timaru mum of three budding chefs stretched her grocery shop

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP