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- Engage-in-Brief: 5 May 2025
Engage-in-Brief: 5 May 2025
Holly Bennett
May 05, 2025
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You might have noticed some formatting issues in our last pānui. He mihi to everyone who let us know that something had gone wrong!
TWO TRICKS TO TRY
In early May each year, the Minister of Finance presents a pre-Budget speech, giving the public a preview of what to expect from the Budget. This year, the Minister announced the government is halving its operating allowance (the new money it has available to spend over the coming year) from $2.4 billion to $1.3 billion. We’ll find out what this looks like on Budget Day, but reading the Minister’s speech will give some early insight.
In February, the government published its Going For Growth report, which informs the focus areas in this year’s Budget — titled “The Growth Budget — as well as ongoing policy. The government has asked for feedback on the plan, to inform future versions. This is a chance to directly influence future policy, so make sure to share your thoughts!
ONE THING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Haratua | May is one of the biggest months on the political calendar — Budget Month! This year, the Budget will be presented by the Minister of Finance on Thursday 22 May, but that’s not the start, or the end, of Parliament’s Budget cycle.
Parliament is currently halfway through its annual review debate, which must be completed before Budget Day.
This debate is the final step in the previous year’s budget cycle, where MPs question Ministers and discuss select committee reports (Volume One and Volume Two) on annual review hearings with public sector agencies such as the Ministry of Health or the New Zealand Transport Agency. The debate and the committee reports are a great way to understand what the Government has achieved, where it has been spending its money, and where its priority areas are now.
Although a ten-hour long debate covering nearly 1000 pages of Select Committee reports might seem overwhelming to follow, you can learn a lot from them — so don’t be intimidated. The debate is broken down into portfolios, which makes it easier to find topics relevant to you and your kaupapa.
So far the finance, transport, health, education, and housing portfolios have been covered so, if any of these are relevant to your work, check out the Hansard or watch the second half of the debate live on Parliament TV, and find out what the Government has to say for itself before Budget Day 2025.
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FROM OUR TAUIRA
The background information on Government and how it works, the structure of the office of a Minister and Electorate, draft strategy. And the final session where we brainstormed our activity for the year ahead - I loved the whole day. One of the most valuable sessions I've attended.
ONE FUNNY THING
Although the last few weeks have been reasonably quiet on the New Zealand politics front, with Parliament having its Easter recess, things have been all go for our friends across the Tasman. There’s been very heavy political campaigning in the lead-up to their federal elections this past weekend — including masses of text messages.
The Clive Palmer-backed Trumpet of Patriots party has been called out as sending an especially high volume of texts, and some people aren’t pleased!
Political text message spam isn’t something we’ve seen a lot of here in Aotearoa, and it might be one thing that we’re happy for the Aussies to outperform us on.
That’s it for another edition of Engage-in-Brief. Remember, you have a voice and you can use it. If you need training to support your advocacy efforts simply reply to this email. And don’t miss our next issue for the second half of our Budget Month coverage!
Mauri ora!
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