• Source: Future changes and historic payroll mistakes are among the targets of more than $2 billion in new education spending in today's government Budget. The biggest areas of new spending also included new school property and catch-up funding for polytechnic courses. Source: istock.com By John Gerritsen of rnz.co.nz The four-year total included $1.7b on school and early childhood education and $470 million on tertiary education. The biggest areas of new spending also included new school property and catch-up funding for polytechnic courses. The Budget provided a 1.6 percent increase to school operations grant next year and a 1.2 percent increase to early childhood and tertiary education subsidies.