Easing the pressure on New Zealanders

Since taking office in 2017, our Government has worked hard to lift wages and make life more affordable for New Zealanders, as we move forward with our plan to grow a secure economy for all.

Here are just some of the ways we’ve supported New Zealanders with the cost of living:

With global inflation driving up costs here at home, we’ve recently delivered further cost of living support to help New Zealanders through. 

• Introducing a temporary cost of living payment for 2.1 million people earning less than $70,000. This means 81% of Kiwis aged 18 and over will receive either this new payment or the Winter Energy Payment this year to help with bills.
• Extending the 25c per litre reduction on fuel, reduced road user charges, and half price public transport.
• Permanently halving public transport fares for Kiwis on low incomes.
• Taking action on supermarkets to make sure Kiwis are paying a fair price at the till. Read more about this work here.

• Helping more Kiwis buy their first home by lifting the income and house price caps on First Home Loans and Grants.
• Building more new public and transitional housing than any Government in decades.
• Supporting more Kiwis into the housing market through our Progressive Home Ownership scheme.
• Banned offshore speculators from buying Kiwi homes and removed interest deductibility that benefits local property speculators.
• Made renting fairer by removing unfair letting fees and limiting rent increases. And more.

• Boosted thousands of families’ incomes through the Families Package, which has helped to lift 66,500 children out of poverty.
• Making school more affordable by funding the removal of school donations and NCEA fees, and rolling out free, healthy lunches.
• Providing an extra $65 a week for parents of newborns with our Best Start payment.
• Extended free doctors’ visits to all children under 14, as well as increasing dental grants for low income families.
• Made the largest increases to benefits since the 1940s, lifting the incomes of thousands of Kiwis. And more.

• Extended paid parental leave from 18 to 26 weeks to support parents.
• Lifted the minimum wage, with this year’s increase worth more than $2,500 a year for full-time workers.
• Implementing Fair Pay Agreements to improve wages and conditions for workers.
• Doubled paid sick leave to 10 days to ensure no one feels pressured to go to work when they’re unwell.
• Passed the Equal Pay Amendment Bill to ensure people who perform work of the same value are paid the same. And more.

• Boosted Superannuation, with payments lifting by $52 a fortnight for a single person and $80 for a couple.
• Introduced the Winter Energy Payment to help seniors weather the colder months, providing up to $700 for help with power bills.
• Made doctors’ visits cheaper for more than 500,000 Community Services Card holders, lifting financial barriers to accessing primary healthcare. And more.

• Made tertiary education more affordable with our first-year fees-free programme.
• Boosted student loan and allowance entitlements, to reduce cost pressures while studying.
• Helping more young Kiwis into work and training with free apprenticeships and targeted trades training. And more.

As we take the next steps in our plan, we’ll continue to grow a strong economy that gives security to New Zealanders in good times and in bad.

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