Budget 2011 - Building our future

Budget 2011 builds a stronger platform for growth, sets a credible path to Budget surplus and helps lift national savings. It boosts investment in health, education, and infrastructure including irrigation, while also helping to rebuild Christchurch.

It is a responsible and balanced budget for the times. It takes steps to ensure the Government returns to Budget surplus by 2014/15, so we can start repaying debt and contributing to higher national savings.

We have taken decisions to better target spending to those most in need. This will ensure that schemes like Working for Families, KiwiSaver and interest-free student loans remain affordable and sustainable into the future.

As already announced Budget 2011 invests in a fresh water policy package.

This includes an Irrigation Acceleration Fund of $35 million supporting development of irrigation infrastructure proposals.

The Government will also consider in a future Budget investing up to $400 million of equity in water infrastructure schemes.

The package features a Fresh Start for Fresh Water Clean Up Fund to help councils with historic pollution problems – including reprioritised funding of $15 million over two years, and a total clean-up programme commitment of $264.8 million.

You can find out more about Budget 2011 by visiting the Beehive website.