The Government increased the benefit by $25 a week last year. From July 1, it will increase by $20 a week, and a second increase will occur again next year, bringing it in line with WEAG s advice. Families and whanau with children will also receive a further $15 per adult per week.
It means in total, weekly main benefit rates will increase by between $32 and $55 per adult by April 2022. The Government expects that 109,000 families and whanau with children will be, on average, $175 a week better off as a result of changes to income support, since 2017.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was about reversing cuts to benefits made in 1991 under National Party Finance Minister Ruth Richardson - a Budget nicknamed the Mother of all Budgets.
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Māori housing is one of the big winners in the Budget, with the Government allocating with $380 million of the $1 billion-plus spending for Māori on building 1000 new warm, dry homes. Recognising that Māori “were far less likely to own their own home,” Finance Minister Grant Robertson said on Thursday it was the government s responsibility to address this “inequity”. The housing spend was in addition to $350m ring-fenced for Māori from the government s Housing Acceleration Fund, aimed at supporting Māori and iwi providers to build homes for whānau.
The Government is also setting aside $350 million from the Housing Acceleration Fund to be targeted towards investment in infrastructure to support MÄori and iwi providers build homes. This ring-fencing of the Housing Acceleration Fund will ensure opportunities to build housing for MÄori can get underway faster, says Housing Minister Megan Woods.
Budget 2021âs MÄori package, which is in excess of $1 billion, also includes $98.1 million for the establishment of the MÄori Health Authority announced by the Government earlier this year.
Thereâs also $17.8 million to support iwi/MÄori partnership boards and $126.8 million for Hauora MÄori programmes run by the MÄori Health Authority.
Main points:• The big-ticket item was $3.3 billion for boosting benefits by up to $55 per week by April 2022• Health budget delivered $200m more for Pharma
Budget 2021: Māori to receive over $1 billion covering housing, health, reo initiatives
(Photo / NZ Herald)
Key points:
$380 million delivering about 1000 new homes for Māori including papakāinga housing, repairs to about 700 Māori-owned homes and expanding support services.
• $242.8m for Māori health initiatives, including setting up the new Māori Health Authority.
• $150m in Māori Education to support Māori boarding schools and lift kōhanga reo teachers pay.
• $42m to build a sustainable Māori media sector and invest in programme content.
• $15m for Māori tourism.
• $14.8m for the implementation of the Māori language strategy.