Hi John, 

It’s a Saturday, so I’ll keep this short – I just wanted to make sure that you’d heard about the extra cost of living support that kicks in today. 

These measures will lift the incomes of around 1.4 million New Zealanders, including seniors, parents, students, workers and those on main benefits.

You can get all of the details here, but I wanted to give you a quick overview of the key changes: 

• Extra support for low and middle income families, with increases to the Best Start Payment and the Family Tax Credit, as well as making childcare more affordable.
  
  
• People on Superannuation will see their incomes lift, with a couple who are both aged over 65 receiving $102.84 more in total a fortnight and a single person living alone receiving an extra $66.86 each payment.
  
  
• The minimum wage will increase to $22.70 per hour, meaning fulltime minimum wage workers will earn an extra $60 per week.
  
  
• People receiving main benefits will see their payments increase, with a family on a benefit with children receiving an extra $40.86 a week and a sole parent receiving an extra $31.83 a week. 

The rising cost of living is a global challenge, but it’s making things tough for many here at home. While these measures alone won’t fix everything, they will make a difference – and right now, I know every bit counts when making ends meet.  

They build on the steps we’ve already taken to help smaller budgets stretch further, including extending the fuel tax cut and public transport subsidies so it’s cheaper to get around, as well as the work we’ve done since 2017 to lift incomes and make everyday life more affordable. 

There’s still more work to do, but today’s cost of living package will help to ease the pressure on more than a million New Zealanders. Find out what these changes mean for you and your family here. 

Thanks,
Chris