Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced the Labour Government is boosting the incomes of senior citizens, beneficiaries, students, and parents from April 1.
The move will help about 1.4 million Kiwis who need assistance with the cost of living, he says.
Main benefits will rise by the rate of inflation.
A family on a benefit with children will get an extra $40 a week and a sole parent will get an extra $31.
Student support rates will also rise in line with inflation.
Single students who are under the age of 24 and do not have children will get an extra $20.
Superannuation will rise by more than $100 per payment for a couple.
“The package of bread and butter support we are announcing … will help people who are really feeling the bite from the rise in the cost of living,” Hipkins says.
Superannuation will rise by 7.22 per cent, in line with inflation, on April 1.
That will see a couple who are both aged over 65 receive $102 more in total a fortnight and a single person living alone will get an extra $66 each payment, he says.
“Alongside this, working families will see increases to Working for Families, including an extra $4 for Best Start Payments, taking it to $69 per week, and an increase of $9 for the eldest child rate of Family Tax Credit, lifting it to $136 per week.”
Hipkins says more people will be eligible for childcare assistance due to increases to income thresholds.
He also announced the Government is deferring a range of transport policies so Waka Kotahai NZTA can focus on post-Cyclone Gabrielle road recovery.
Labour is narrowing its speed limit reduction programme to focus on the most dangerous 1 per cent of state highways.
The Government is deferring planned alcohol reform, not going ahead with legislation to lower the voting age in general elections to 16, and rolling out transport solutions for Auckland in stages to reduce emissions and congestion.
It’s stopping the clean car upgrade scheme, which allowed households to scrap their old vehicle in return for a grant to buy a cleaner vehicle or pay for public transport.
“I want New Zealanders to know the Government is doing its bit and cutting its cloth to suit the times we are in,” Hipkins says.
“Some of these things we’re delaying or stopping mean a lot to us, but we’re taking the hard decisions because we know Kiwis are also making some tough calls.”
A 1News Kantar Public poll released on March 13 showed Labour down 2 per cent to 36, National down 3 to 34, ACT up 1 to 11, the Greens up 4 to 11, NZ First up 1 to 3 per cent, and the Maori Party up 2 to 3 per cent.
In the preferred prime minister poll, Hipkins is up 4 per cent to 27 and National Party leader Christopher Luxon is down 5 to 17 per cent.
