Budget 2019: How Whanganui's leaders reacted

Grant Robertson delivered the first Wellbeing Budget.

Thursday's Budget revealed new money for mental health, the scrapping of school donations, a move to index benefits to the average wage rise and a $300m fund for start ups.

We spoke to Whanganui's leaders about what they liked and what they thought was missing.

Whanganui Chamber of Commerce chief executive Marianne Archibald said while it was important to take care of people and mental health was a particular concern, the Budget was "pretty disappointing" in terms of the economy and environmental sustainability.

"There's not much in it for business that I've seen at first look," Archibald said.

"There's some funding for infrastructure and rail. Certainly, in the regions we've been very lucky with the Provincial Growth Fund. Looking at infrastructure, putting some funding in is crucial."

Archibald was concerned that there did not appear to be anything to support sustainability for businesses and how they could do things differently to reduce their impact on the environment.

"We need strong plans for sustainability so the economy doesn't buckle. We should be preparing for it."

Whanganui Chamber of Commerce chief executive Marianne Archibald

Whanganui District Health Board chairwoman Dot McKinnon said the Budget funding "is definitely going to help" the under-pressure health system.

"The workforce is severely stretched," McKinnon said.

"Building capacity and training for mental health staff in the frontline is really important."
The funding for mental health facilities was crucial and, while the Whanganui DHB was "quite well off" for infrastructure at present, the funding for infrastructure across DHBs was welcome.

McKinnon was pleased that DHBs would get assistance with their deficits.

Whanganui District Health Board chairwoman Dot McKinnon

Support for services such as Whanau Ora and suicide prevention was essential for community health and wellbeing and would mean fewer people would have to present to emergency departments and hospitals.

"Bring it on - we want more and more of it," McKinnon said.

Ruapehu/Whanganui rural support trust chairman Brian Doughty said it was a socially driven budget rather than being industry based.

"I expect that most industries, including agriculture, probably will not see much out of it," he said.

"I haven't heard anything specific about agriculture, and I don't expect there to be anything specific.

Ruapehu/Whanganui rural support trust chairman Brian Doughty

With extra money for mental health, Doughty said Government needed more than cash - it needed a plan.

"It will get worse before it gets better, because of the pressures and stresses coming on farmers - financial, environmental, mental."

Carlton School principal Gaye O'Connor said she is pleased to hear Government will fund schools to scrap donations from families.

"Our donations from parents have been lower than what the government is offering so we are pleased," she said.

"When the Labour Party indicated scrapping school donations I figured we would be better off but it won't be good news for schools that were charging their families more."

O'Connor said the news about funding for school buildings was not so welcomed because she believed school buildings and maintenance should be carried out my the Ministry of Education.

"Our board of trustees had to spend our entire five-year property budget on reroofing the school," she said.

"To my mind, the Ministry of Education should pay for property maintenance costs so the school can use their budget on the people inside the buildings."

Whanganui and Partners chief executive Mark Ward likes the budget focus on wellbeing and said our greatest economic asset was our people.

He also liked the education funding because it would make for a better prepared workforce.

Funding for early childhood education was welcomed because it meant parents could spend more time studying or working, he said.

Health and education funding should also have a growth effect for Whanganui District, because it makes up 17.5 per cent of our economy.

Whanganui and Partners chief executive Mark Ward

On the KiwiRail funding, Ward could not say anything for sure, but would be watching how it could relate to Whanganui's port and manufacturing.

And he was optimistic agribusiness in the district would benefit from Government's emphasis on innovation and technology.

"We want to grow the value and shrink the environmental impact," he said.

Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall liked the increased spend on mental health and addiction services.

"It will be great for Whanganui, because we have such a tragically high suicide rate," he said.

*Whanganui MP Harete Hipango has been approached for comment.