| From | Hon Nicola Grigg <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Budget 2025 Newsletter |
| Date | May 22, 2025 4:59 AM |
Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
I am very pleased to share with you the details of Budget 2025 – the Growth
Budget.
Dear John,
I am very pleased to share with you the details of Budget 2025 – the Growth
Budget.
The Government’s economic plan is working. By stopping wasteful spending,
inflation is down from 7.3 per cent to 2.5 per cent and mortgage interest rates
are falling.
Treasury’s latest forecasts show economic growth averaging 2.7 per cent per
year, 240,000 new jobs created, and wages growing faster than inflation every
year. This is on top of the real average wage growing nearly $1100 since the
election, and tax relief in Budget 2024.
But we cannot take an economic recovery for granted. It requires careful
management. That’s why Budget 2025 is firmly focused on growing the economy to
help Kiwis get ahead.
I’m excited to share with the people of Selwyn, some of the highlights that will
provide benefits for our communities:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tax Incentive to Lift Growth
Selwyn is home to a number of businesses, and they are set to benefit from this
year’s budget. Budget 2025 launches Investment Boost, a major new tax incentive
to encourage businesses to invest, grow the economy, and lift wages. Investment
Boost allows a business to immediately deduct 20 per cent of the cost of a new
asset, on top of depreciation, meaning a much lower tax bill in the year of
purchase.
Cashflows are better, making more potential investments stack up financially.
Investment Boost starts today and applies to new assets purchased in New Zealand
as well as new and used assets imported from overseas. It includes commercial
buildings but excludes land, residential buildings, and assets already in use in
New Zealand. There’s no cap on the value of eligible investments. All
businesses, regardless of size, can benefit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KiwiSaver changes to encourage savings
To lift savings and provide greater security for Kiwis, we’re raising the
default rate of employee and matching employer KiwiSaver contributions from 3 to
4 per cent of salary and wages, phased in over three years. People will have the
choice of remaining on the 3 per cent rate if they choose. To encourage
first-time employees to adopt the savings habit, we’re extending the Government
contribution, and employer matching, to 16 and 17-year-olds in the workforce.
We’re also making some changes to the Government contribution to ensure the
Scheme’s costs to the taxpayer remain sustainable.
The annual government contribution will be halved to 25 cents for each dollar a
member contributes each year, up to a maximum of $260.72. Members with an income
of more than $180,000 will no longer receive the Government contribution.
Putting these changes together, the KiwiSaver balances of employees contributing
at the new 4 per cent default rate will grow faster than they do at the current
3 per cent default rate, providing a larger balance at age 65 and a larger
deposit when people use KiwiSaver to buy their first home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Largest boost to Learning Support in a generation
I’m incredibly proud to share with parents and teachers across Selwyn, that more
help will be on the way for our kids. We all know giving kids a worldclass
education will set them up for a bright future, and students that require extra
support will now have the help they need.
The Government is delivering the most significant investment in learning support
in a generation to better support Kiwi kids to thrive at school. Key investments
include substantial annual increases to teacher aide hours, building up to over
2 million additional teacher aide hours per year, from 2028; Learning Support
Co-ordinators for all schools with Year 1-8 students; expanding early
intervention services from early learning through to end of year 1; and an
historic overhaul of the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding model to ensure
that demand for the service is met with guaranteed funding so all students with
high and complex needs who are verified for ORS receive the support they need.
The learning support funding package includes:
* $266 million to extend the Early Intervention Service (EIS) from early
childhood education through to the end of year 1 of primary school. This will
fund more than 560 additional FTE for EIS teachers and specialists. We are
investing in:
* expanding the service through to the end of Year 1 to support the effective
transition into school of around 4,000 children with additional needs.
* reducing existing waitlists in early intervention so that more than 3,000
children that need the support receive it sooner.
* increasing the amount of specialist support provided to the more than 7,100
children who are currently enrolled in EIS.
* building up annually to an additional 900,000 teacher aide hours per year,
from 2028, to support young learners in EIS.
* $122 million to meet increased demand for ORS (Ongoing Resourcing Scheme) for
students with high and complex needs. This includes a structural change to
the funding model so every child who is verified for ORS funding receives the
support they need. This investment will also increase the number of
specialists and teacher aide time to support the more than 1,700 additional
learners forecast to access ORS over the next four years.
* $192 million to ensure that over three years, all Year 1-8 schools and kura
are funded for a Learning Support Coordinator to work with students, families
and educators to identify and respond to learner needs. This investment will
benefit 1250 schools and an additional 300,000 learners around New Zealand.
* $43 million for an extra 78.5 FTE speech language therapists, as well as
additional psychologists and supporting teacher aide hours to help meet the
growing demand of students with communication and behaviour needs. This will
provide specialist supports to around 2500 students over the next four years.
* $3 million of investment in our teacher aides with targeted professional
development for working with learners with social, emotional, wellbeing,
behavioural, and neurodiverse needs.
* $4 million to employ 25 intern educational psychologists each year to enable
a more sustainable pipeline of locally trained workforce.
* $90 million of capital for approximately 25 new learning support satellite
classrooms to provide around 225 new student places across the Ministry of
Education’s specialist school network, as well as provide learning support
property modifications so that schools are more accessible to learners with
additional needs.
Across all learning support services in Vote Education, we are building up to
more than 2 million additional teacher aide hours into the system every year
from 2028. The education sector has been calling for more support for a long
time, and this Government is delivering results. Selwyn kids deserve a
worldclass education so that they can get ahead.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Record investment in health delivery
Budget 2025 provides a $7 billion increase in Vote Health operating funding over
the forecast period. This includes the $1.37 billion per annum increase to
Health New Zealand’s baseline – bringing total health spending in 2025/26 to
$32.7 billion. Other new initiatives include $447 million to support increased
access to primary care. Budget 2025 also invests over $1 billion in new capital
to deliver modern, fit-for-purpose infrastructure that meets the health needs of
New Zealand’s growing and ageing population. We’re also making real progress on
our health targets. Emergency department wait times are coming down, cancer
patients are being seen faster, and childhood immunisation rates are improving.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Urgent care closer to home for rural and remote communities
Selwyn is home to some incredible rural communities. Ensuring Kiwis have access
to healthcare is a key priority for this Government. Through Budget 2025, Kiwis
living in rural and remote communities will benefit from a significant funding
boost to urgent and after-hours healthcare services. Through an investment of
$164 million over four years to strengthen urgent and after-hours care
nationwide, 98 per cent of Kiwis will be able to access these services within
one hour’s drive of their home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12-month prescriptions put money in patients’ pockets
Budget 2025 will support those in Selwyn who rely on prescriptions. New
Zealanders will soon be able to receive 12-month prescriptions for their
medicines, delivering savings to patients on long-term medications. Currently,
doctors and other prescribers can only prescribe most medicines for a maximum of
three months at a time. Patients must then pay their GP for a follow-up
appointment or to issue a repeat prescription every three months. From the first
quarter of 2026, prescribers will be able to issue prescriptions for up to 12
months if it is clinically appropriate and safe to do so. While patients will
still collect their medication from a pharmacy every three months, they will no
longer need to return to their doctor for a new prescription each time. This
change could save up to $105 a year in GP fees for patients who need to renew
their prescriptions four times annually. It’s a win-win for patients and the
health system – fewer avoidable hospitalisations, better health outcomes, and
reduced long term costs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rates relief for up to 66,000 more SuperGold cardholders
Selwyn is also home to a wonderful community of SuperGold cardholders, and I
have great news for you. Budget 2025 will help up to 66,000 more SuperGold
Cardholders with their rates payments. It’s a really tough time for many Kiwis
right now and this Government is working at pace to grow the economy so we can
take some of the financial pressure off households and ease the cost of living.
That’s why we’re making changes to the rates rebate scheme for SuperGold
cardholders. The Government will introduce a new income abatement threshold to
assist SuperGold Cardholders from July 1. The income abatement threshold to be
eligible for the maximum rebate for SuperGold Cardholders and their households
will be lifted from $31,510 to $45,000 – about the rate for a couple receiving
superannuation. The maximum rebate for the scheme will also increase from $790
to $805. This is the first time we are introducing a separate income abatement
threshold to the Rates Rebate Scheme. It will mean that every SuperGold
Cardholder earning only NZ Superannuation, with rates higher than $2000, will be
eligible for the full rebate. SuperGold Cardholders earning more than $45,000
may also be entitled to a smaller rebate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Helping older people get the right care
I know that acquiring residential care for loved ones has been a big concern for
many people who live in the district. In Budget 2025, new funding will give
older people greater access to aged residential care and longer care outside of
hospitals. This investment of $24 million over four years will help people, who
don’t need continued hospital treatment, to move to other care places in the
community, including aged residential care.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Improving care for disabled New Zealanders
I’m very proud to share that more than 7,000 disabled New Zealanders will
receive improved residential care, thanks to a $240 million four-year funding
boost in today’s Budget. This is on top of more than $1 billion already funded
annually for Disability Support Services. It means 89 residential providers
across the country, and the people they care for, are better supported. As part
of Budget 2025, the Government will increase Disability Support Services (DSS)
funding for residential care by $60 million each year over the next four years,
starting from 1 July 2025. DSS provides essential services and supports to more
than 52,000 disabled people, including about 7,200 people in residential care
facilities. Previously, funding for carers was unpredictable, subject to change
or interruption, and varied across regions. The new funding will remove that
uncertainty.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Budget 2025 is about growing New Zealand’s economy, meaning more jobs, better
healthcare and education. Just like Kiwi households, we’ve had to make tough
choices about what we spend money on. We are confident we have put Kiwis
hard-earned taxes where they will have the most impact.
To the people of Selwyn, know that our government is doing everything it can to
support a bright future for all New Zealanders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here to help
As always, my team and I are here and available to help.
You can get in touch with us by emailing [email protected]
[email protected], phone 03 344 2800, or pop into the office in
Rolleston Square between Monday and Fridays, 10:00am - 4:00pm.
Kind regards,
Hon Nicola Grigg
[link removed] [link removed]
[link removed]
www.national.org.nz [link removed]
41 Pipitea Street
Thorndon, Wellington 6011
New Zealand
Authorised by Nicola Grigg, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
This email was sent to [email protected]
Click here to unsubscribe or manage your preferences.
[link removed]
Budget.
Dear John,
I am very pleased to share with you the details of Budget 2025 – the Growth
Budget.
The Government’s economic plan is working. By stopping wasteful spending,
inflation is down from 7.3 per cent to 2.5 per cent and mortgage interest rates
are falling.
Treasury’s latest forecasts show economic growth averaging 2.7 per cent per
year, 240,000 new jobs created, and wages growing faster than inflation every
year. This is on top of the real average wage growing nearly $1100 since the
election, and tax relief in Budget 2024.
But we cannot take an economic recovery for granted. It requires careful
management. That’s why Budget 2025 is firmly focused on growing the economy to
help Kiwis get ahead.
I’m excited to share with the people of Selwyn, some of the highlights that will
provide benefits for our communities:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tax Incentive to Lift Growth
Selwyn is home to a number of businesses, and they are set to benefit from this
year’s budget. Budget 2025 launches Investment Boost, a major new tax incentive
to encourage businesses to invest, grow the economy, and lift wages. Investment
Boost allows a business to immediately deduct 20 per cent of the cost of a new
asset, on top of depreciation, meaning a much lower tax bill in the year of
purchase.
Cashflows are better, making more potential investments stack up financially.
Investment Boost starts today and applies to new assets purchased in New Zealand
as well as new and used assets imported from overseas. It includes commercial
buildings but excludes land, residential buildings, and assets already in use in
New Zealand. There’s no cap on the value of eligible investments. All
businesses, regardless of size, can benefit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KiwiSaver changes to encourage savings
To lift savings and provide greater security for Kiwis, we’re raising the
default rate of employee and matching employer KiwiSaver contributions from 3 to
4 per cent of salary and wages, phased in over three years. People will have the
choice of remaining on the 3 per cent rate if they choose. To encourage
first-time employees to adopt the savings habit, we’re extending the Government
contribution, and employer matching, to 16 and 17-year-olds in the workforce.
We’re also making some changes to the Government contribution to ensure the
Scheme’s costs to the taxpayer remain sustainable.
The annual government contribution will be halved to 25 cents for each dollar a
member contributes each year, up to a maximum of $260.72. Members with an income
of more than $180,000 will no longer receive the Government contribution.
Putting these changes together, the KiwiSaver balances of employees contributing
at the new 4 per cent default rate will grow faster than they do at the current
3 per cent default rate, providing a larger balance at age 65 and a larger
deposit when people use KiwiSaver to buy their first home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Largest boost to Learning Support in a generation
I’m incredibly proud to share with parents and teachers across Selwyn, that more
help will be on the way for our kids. We all know giving kids a worldclass
education will set them up for a bright future, and students that require extra
support will now have the help they need.
The Government is delivering the most significant investment in learning support
in a generation to better support Kiwi kids to thrive at school. Key investments
include substantial annual increases to teacher aide hours, building up to over
2 million additional teacher aide hours per year, from 2028; Learning Support
Co-ordinators for all schools with Year 1-8 students; expanding early
intervention services from early learning through to end of year 1; and an
historic overhaul of the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding model to ensure
that demand for the service is met with guaranteed funding so all students with
high and complex needs who are verified for ORS receive the support they need.
The learning support funding package includes:
* $266 million to extend the Early Intervention Service (EIS) from early
childhood education through to the end of year 1 of primary school. This will
fund more than 560 additional FTE for EIS teachers and specialists. We are
investing in:
* expanding the service through to the end of Year 1 to support the effective
transition into school of around 4,000 children with additional needs.
* reducing existing waitlists in early intervention so that more than 3,000
children that need the support receive it sooner.
* increasing the amount of specialist support provided to the more than 7,100
children who are currently enrolled in EIS.
* building up annually to an additional 900,000 teacher aide hours per year,
from 2028, to support young learners in EIS.
* $122 million to meet increased demand for ORS (Ongoing Resourcing Scheme) for
students with high and complex needs. This includes a structural change to
the funding model so every child who is verified for ORS funding receives the
support they need. This investment will also increase the number of
specialists and teacher aide time to support the more than 1,700 additional
learners forecast to access ORS over the next four years.
* $192 million to ensure that over three years, all Year 1-8 schools and kura
are funded for a Learning Support Coordinator to work with students, families
and educators to identify and respond to learner needs. This investment will
benefit 1250 schools and an additional 300,000 learners around New Zealand.
* $43 million for an extra 78.5 FTE speech language therapists, as well as
additional psychologists and supporting teacher aide hours to help meet the
growing demand of students with communication and behaviour needs. This will
provide specialist supports to around 2500 students over the next four years.
* $3 million of investment in our teacher aides with targeted professional
development for working with learners with social, emotional, wellbeing,
behavioural, and neurodiverse needs.
* $4 million to employ 25 intern educational psychologists each year to enable
a more sustainable pipeline of locally trained workforce.
* $90 million of capital for approximately 25 new learning support satellite
classrooms to provide around 225 new student places across the Ministry of
Education’s specialist school network, as well as provide learning support
property modifications so that schools are more accessible to learners with
additional needs.
Across all learning support services in Vote Education, we are building up to
more than 2 million additional teacher aide hours into the system every year
from 2028. The education sector has been calling for more support for a long
time, and this Government is delivering results. Selwyn kids deserve a
worldclass education so that they can get ahead.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Record investment in health delivery
Budget 2025 provides a $7 billion increase in Vote Health operating funding over
the forecast period. This includes the $1.37 billion per annum increase to
Health New Zealand’s baseline – bringing total health spending in 2025/26 to
$32.7 billion. Other new initiatives include $447 million to support increased
access to primary care. Budget 2025 also invests over $1 billion in new capital
to deliver modern, fit-for-purpose infrastructure that meets the health needs of
New Zealand’s growing and ageing population. We’re also making real progress on
our health targets. Emergency department wait times are coming down, cancer
patients are being seen faster, and childhood immunisation rates are improving.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Urgent care closer to home for rural and remote communities
Selwyn is home to some incredible rural communities. Ensuring Kiwis have access
to healthcare is a key priority for this Government. Through Budget 2025, Kiwis
living in rural and remote communities will benefit from a significant funding
boost to urgent and after-hours healthcare services. Through an investment of
$164 million over four years to strengthen urgent and after-hours care
nationwide, 98 per cent of Kiwis will be able to access these services within
one hour’s drive of their home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12-month prescriptions put money in patients’ pockets
Budget 2025 will support those in Selwyn who rely on prescriptions. New
Zealanders will soon be able to receive 12-month prescriptions for their
medicines, delivering savings to patients on long-term medications. Currently,
doctors and other prescribers can only prescribe most medicines for a maximum of
three months at a time. Patients must then pay their GP for a follow-up
appointment or to issue a repeat prescription every three months. From the first
quarter of 2026, prescribers will be able to issue prescriptions for up to 12
months if it is clinically appropriate and safe to do so. While patients will
still collect their medication from a pharmacy every three months, they will no
longer need to return to their doctor for a new prescription each time. This
change could save up to $105 a year in GP fees for patients who need to renew
their prescriptions four times annually. It’s a win-win for patients and the
health system – fewer avoidable hospitalisations, better health outcomes, and
reduced long term costs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rates relief for up to 66,000 more SuperGold cardholders
Selwyn is also home to a wonderful community of SuperGold cardholders, and I
have great news for you. Budget 2025 will help up to 66,000 more SuperGold
Cardholders with their rates payments. It’s a really tough time for many Kiwis
right now and this Government is working at pace to grow the economy so we can
take some of the financial pressure off households and ease the cost of living.
That’s why we’re making changes to the rates rebate scheme for SuperGold
cardholders. The Government will introduce a new income abatement threshold to
assist SuperGold Cardholders from July 1. The income abatement threshold to be
eligible for the maximum rebate for SuperGold Cardholders and their households
will be lifted from $31,510 to $45,000 – about the rate for a couple receiving
superannuation. The maximum rebate for the scheme will also increase from $790
to $805. This is the first time we are introducing a separate income abatement
threshold to the Rates Rebate Scheme. It will mean that every SuperGold
Cardholder earning only NZ Superannuation, with rates higher than $2000, will be
eligible for the full rebate. SuperGold Cardholders earning more than $45,000
may also be entitled to a smaller rebate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Helping older people get the right care
I know that acquiring residential care for loved ones has been a big concern for
many people who live in the district. In Budget 2025, new funding will give
older people greater access to aged residential care and longer care outside of
hospitals. This investment of $24 million over four years will help people, who
don’t need continued hospital treatment, to move to other care places in the
community, including aged residential care.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Improving care for disabled New Zealanders
I’m very proud to share that more than 7,000 disabled New Zealanders will
receive improved residential care, thanks to a $240 million four-year funding
boost in today’s Budget. This is on top of more than $1 billion already funded
annually for Disability Support Services. It means 89 residential providers
across the country, and the people they care for, are better supported. As part
of Budget 2025, the Government will increase Disability Support Services (DSS)
funding for residential care by $60 million each year over the next four years,
starting from 1 July 2025. DSS provides essential services and supports to more
than 52,000 disabled people, including about 7,200 people in residential care
facilities. Previously, funding for carers was unpredictable, subject to change
or interruption, and varied across regions. The new funding will remove that
uncertainty.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Budget 2025 is about growing New Zealand’s economy, meaning more jobs, better
healthcare and education. Just like Kiwi households, we’ve had to make tough
choices about what we spend money on. We are confident we have put Kiwis
hard-earned taxes where they will have the most impact.
To the people of Selwyn, know that our government is doing everything it can to
support a bright future for all New Zealanders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here to help
As always, my team and I are here and available to help.
You can get in touch with us by emailing [email protected]
[email protected], phone 03 344 2800, or pop into the office in
Rolleston Square between Monday and Fridays, 10:00am - 4:00pm.
Kind regards,
Hon Nicola Grigg
[link removed] [link removed]
[link removed]
www.national.org.nz [link removed]
41 Pipitea Street
Thorndon, Wellington 6011
New Zealand
Authorised by Nicola Grigg, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
This email was sent to [email protected]
Click here to unsubscribe or manage your preferences.
[link removed]
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