Business of Government: Budgets: Past, present and future

The memories of past Finance Ministers and the colours of their Budgets linger on. (Image: NZME)

Wed, 28 May 2025

Raiding the piggy banks A notable feature of last week’s Budget that has not made major headlines yet is the number of funds that have been wound back or wound up.The Government spends approximately $5 billion annually on grants and funds; on average, $175 million is allocated for administration. These range from minnows set up to scratch political itches that people have long forgotten to major policy levers that no longer fit the Government’s priorities.As part of Budget 2025, the Government reviewed this spending to increase...

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