Mental health and addiction services are clearly big winners in the recent Wellbeing Budget with a $1.9 bn package. The package not only boosts funding for existing services, but it establishes many new services.

There are other positive initiatives including significant packages for child wellbeing, family and sexual violence, climate change and infrastructure (e.g. $1.7 bn for much-needed hospital rebuilds/ redevelopment). Primary healthcare also gets a funding boost.

The Society welcomes all of these initiatives.

Indexing welfare benefits to wage increases, rather than to the CPI, is another significant move that will make a difference in the long term for many people on benefits.

One negative or disappointment. While DHB funding has been increased, the extra funding is short of what is needed to correct current, DHB funding shortfalls, even accepting that nine years of serious underfunding cannot be corrected overnight

Mental health and addiction services are clearly big winners in the recent Wellbeing Budget with a $1.9 bn package. The package not only boosts funding for existing services, but it establishes many new services.

There are other positive initiatives including significant packages for child wellbeing, family and sexual violence, climate change and infrastructure (e.g. $1.7 bn for much-needed hospital rebuilds/ redevelopment). Primary healthcare also gets a funding boost.

The Society welcomes all of these initiatives.

Indexing welfare benefits to wage increases, rather than to the CPI, is another significant move that will make a difference in the long term for many people on benefits.

One negative or disappointment. While DHB funding has been increased, the extra funding is short of what is needed to correct current, DHB funding shortfalls, even accepting that nine years of serious underfunding cannot be corrected overnight