Young Auckland students are praising the Government’s decision to remove public transport fees for under-13s and halve the price for under-25s, but unreliable public transport means some say they can’t use it to get to university.

Today’s Budget announcement included an allocation of $327 million for the policy, which kicks in on July 1 and will benefit about 774,000 people.

Auckland art student Sara Beattie told the Herald she supported the discount but believed more needed to be done to address unreliable public transport.

“Buses are always delayed, like every time there’s bad weather, it’s like, you know, you get the AT Hop notification that the buses are delayed for like an hour.”

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New conditions around the 20 hours free early childhood education and the extension of it to 2-year-olds mean parents will pay less for childcare.

The Budget announcement today included an extension of the 20 hours free scheme to include 2-year-olds which the Government estimates will save families about $133 a week, or almost $7000 a year, from March next year.

New conditions around the scheme will mean centres have to allow parents to enrol their children for only the free 20 hours instead of enrolling them in blocks which force families to pay for hours above the free ones, Education Minister Jan Tinetti said this afternoon.

Centres would be required to charge by the hour and make clear their hourly charges so parents understand what they are paying for.

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Rotorua kaumātua have welcomed the Te Matatini kapa haka festival’s big win in Budget 2023, with a funding boost to $34 million over two years announced.

It comes as the Budget allocated just over $825m to Māori-focused initiatives.

Previously Te Matatini received just under $3m a year – compared to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s $19.7m and Royal New Zealand Ballet’s $8.2m.

Ngāti Whakaue and Te Arawa kaumātua Monty Morrison said it was a “tremendous boost” for Te Matatini and Māori performing arts.

Morrison, a longtime advocate for Māori cultural performing arts, said at first he misread the number as $3.4m and when he saw it was $34m, “I couldn’t believe my eyes”.

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Patients will no longer face a $5 top-up fee for funded prescriptions – but the new policy may depend on who is in charge after the election.

The removal of the prescription co-payment was the centrepiece of spending on health in Budget 2023.

Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said it would ease household budgets while relieving pressures on hospitals.

About 135,000 adults did not collect their prescriptions because of cost in 2021-22, Verrall said.

The National Party, however, is not keen on removing the fee.

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Funding from Budget 2023 is going towards enhancing security for MPs at their homes, offices and at Parliament.

It comes after Finance Minister Grant Robertson last year referenced the more intense threats he was receiving and how it emphasised the risk posed to politicians by the upcoming election.

Within the Budget released today, $14 million of operating expenditure across four years had been committed to boosting security at MPs’ homes, their electorate/community officers and at Parliament.

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Grant Robertson has just told the country we can afford not to panic.

Internally, Labour has probably looked at the polls and decided the same thing.

This Budget delivered the message that we can afford not to slash and burn our spending, and we don’t have to hurry the rebalancing of the post-Covid economy.

As a political strategy, it makes some sense.

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The Government says it aims to boost frontline policing and reduce the level of crime committed by children, but an Auckland liquor store manager says more dramatic steps are needed to reassure shaken small businesses.

Joshin Jacob is part of a team running two Auckland bottle shops – Liquor Boy in the central city and Royal Oak Liquor Centre – that have had staff injured after being hit by three ramraids and two violent robberies in the past year.

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It’s a very Chris Hipkins Budget, this one. No big revolution, but help for those who need it - lots of bread and butter.

Most of the Budget has had to go towards keeping up with inflation. What’s left has gone towards the cost of living and the storm rebuild.

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Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu welcomes today’s Budget announcement of $168m in spending to strengthen Whānau Ora but cautions it will bring a limited level of stability, rather than any widespread expansion or change.

Pouārahi Ivy Harper says for that to happen, government departments and agencies across the board need to be investing in Whānau Ora.

“Any new funding is, of course, welcome and the investment announced today, which will roll out over four years, is a signal of confidence in the already well-established Whānau Ora Navigator network of partners and entities in communities right across Te Waipounamu.

“But I think rather than look at Whānau Ora investment on its own, it is time for all departments to start engaging in whānau-led approaches.”

National leader Christopher Luxon has accused the Government of a “blowout Budget” and “more wasteful spending” after it revealed a multi-billion dollar Budget spend-up today.

“It’s not the no-frills Budget, it’s a blowout Budget, what we see is a Government that remains addicted to spending,” Luxon said.

“We see a huge amount of blowout in the Budget in terms of debt, in terms of deficits for longer.”

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