Hon Grant Robertson presented the NZ Budget 2021 to Parliament on Thursday 20 May.
Public Policy Institute Director, Professor Jennifer Curtin and the Gender Responsive Analysis and Budgeting team have provided detailed commentary on the new budget.
From The Conversation:
NZ Budget 2021: women left behind despite the focus on well-being
- By Jennifer Curtin, Sarah Hendrica Bickerton, Suzy Morrissey, Udari Herath
“Finance Minister Grant Robertson called this a recovery budget for “all New Zealanders”. But was it an inclusive budget? Specifically, what did Budget 2021 offer those women who were significantly affected by the job losses resulting from COVID-19?
The budget priorities included an objective to “support into employment those most affected by COVID-19, including women and young people”. Yet in the budget speech, Robertson announced no explicit initiatives for women workers.
Indeed, as was the case in 2020, the focus was on physical infrastructure — building hospitals, schools, houses, roads, rail and a refurbished Scott Base. Around 221,000 jobs are projected to result, some of which are linked to this capital investment of NZ$57.3 billion dollars over four years.
Such spending initiatives are not gender neutral. Our highly gender-segregated labour market means this investment is likely to generate many more jobs for men than women.”
NZ Budget 2021: billions more for benefits, but one eye on the bottom line
- By Jennifer Curtin, David Hall, Michael Fletcher, Nina Ives
New Zealand has now had three “Wellbeing Budgets”: the prototype in 2019, the COVID-19 “Rebuilding Together” version in 2020, and today Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced the Labour government is “Securing our Recovery”.
With Labour governing with an absolute majority, projected debt levels lower than initially forecast and nearly NZ$1 billion from last year’s COVID-19 recovery fund unspent, expectations for housing, health, climate change and welfare have been heightened.
Here, our three experts respond to today’s budget and assess its implications in various crucial areas for the year ahead.
From OneNews Q&A:
Watch the full programme
