Suze: The Wellbeing Budget That Wasn’t

Don’t let the abject failure of the infamous Jacinda Ardern’s Wellbeing Budgets deter you from pursuing your personal wellbeing goals, but don’t expect the government to help unless your goals line up favourably with te tiriti.

Even as previous Finance Minister Grant Robertson was being hustled out the back door he waxed lyrical about the Labour Government’s ‘groundbreaking’ wellbeing budgets, despite the fact that more children were in material hardship and young people still couldn’t access mental health services following the introduction of the Wellness budget in 2019. Beware the politicians who refuse to depart from pet ideology even with the facts staring them down.

Kate Hawkesby: Four years on from the Wellbeing Budget, how are our wellbeing stats still so woeful?

As if a cost of living crisis and a crime crisis were not enough, we also have a mental health crisis in this country, and it’s heart-breaking.

It was reported the other day that, on average, 54 tradies take their own life each year, as well as 23 farm workers. They're predominantly men. So what services are available here?

Well as we know, time and time again, because it’s constantly reported on, very few.

NZCPR Weekly: The 2019 'Wellbeing' Budget

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we examine the 2019 Wellbeing Budget and highlight how Labour is increasingly allocating funding on the basis of race instead of need, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Frank Newman shares his analysis of the Budget and raises concerns about the direction in which the Government is taking the country, and our poll asks whether you believe the Budget will improve New Zealand’s prosperity.

*To read the newsletter click HERE.
*To register for the NZCPR Weekly mailing list, click HERE.  

Mike Hosking: Government has brought rock star economy to a grinding halt

It's not the news the Government wants in budget week. The Warehouse is laying off up to 150 people, and there are potentially more to come as they restructure their operations looking for efficiencies.

Vodafone has been in the news for the same thing. Air New Zealand has announced a profit guidance reduction, and a pay freeze at the top. They won't be the only ones.

This is an economy slowing, and one suspects faster than the leaders in Wellington are prepared to admit. They are currently pedalling the line that international headwinds are the cause, which is only partially true.

Bob Edlin: 'Wellbeing' ousts 'fairness' as Budget Priority

Finance Minister Grant Robertson sounded bullish about the NZ economy this week. That’s a good sign as New Zealanders await his second budget.

He has already told us he is looking beyond traditional measures—such as GDP—to a wider set of indicators of success. The development of budget priorities, he insists, represents a new way of thinking about how NZ’s success is measured.

Robertson set out his five priorities for Budget 2019 as:

– Creating opportunities for productive businesses, regions, iwi and others to transition to a sustainable and low-emissions economy;

– Supporting a thriving nation in the digital age through innovation, social and economic opportunities;

– Lifting Māori and Pacific incomes, skills and opportunities;

Mike Hosking: Govt's wellbeing budget a looming disaster

So as part of the Prime Minister's ongoing dream of living in a land of lollipops, landholding and general kumbaya, we have the mechanism used by the Treasury to put a monetary value on everything, despite the common-sense fact you can't put a monetary value on everything.

That's why they have sayings like "money can't buy experience", or that was "priceless". According to the Treasury, none of that's possible.

This is, of course, for the so-called "wellbeing budget".

It is an idealist's fantasy, it's the workings of hand wringers who need to be consoled by the concept that as a result of any given action someone bursts into a smile, or song, or both.

Bob Edlin: The Treaty and partnership are invoked as TPK goes out to promote Māori wellbeing

The Coalition Government is making solid progress on improving the wellbeing of New Zealanders and the Budget will outline further work, Finance Minister Grant Robertson enthused today.

Responding to the Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report, he said “the scale of the challenge this Government inherited means that we won’t finish our work in one year”.

Well, no.  Jacinda Ardern said something similar in the Prime Minister’s statement, presented to Parliament yesterday.