Derek Cheng

3 weeks ago | nzherald.co.nz | Derek Cheng

The Goverment had been keeping aside funding for court programme Te Ao Mārama pending a review. It has now banked that money as savings. Te Ao Mārama was launched in 2020 to improve District Court processes, while connecting offenders with local providers to tackle the drivers of offending. It was funded in Budget 2022 and has since been implemented in eight courts, with five more next in line. Last year the Government paused the funding for further rollout, pending a review.

3 weeks ago | nzherald.co.nz | Derek Cheng

The International Visitor Levy (IVL) is paid by about 60% of foreign visitors, creating a money pot of about $190 million a year - more if the Government achieves the tourism growth it wants. By law, it has to be spent on tourism or conservation, but the Government has used it to improve the Crown account by swapping IVL money for Crown funding in those portfolios.

1 month ago | nzherald.co.nz | Derek Cheng

Violent crime is dropping dramatically, according to the latest quarterly report from the NZ Crime and Victims Survey. The Government claimed the credit, even though many of its key law and order policies are yet to be implemented. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has also pointed to the impact of the Government’s law and order message, or “vibe”. Ministry of Justice advice suggests the current trend is a return to what happened between 2018 and 2022.

1 month ago | nzherald.co.nz | Derek Cheng

The Privileges Committee recommended suspending Te Pāti Māori MPs for a haka performed during the vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. Co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi face 21-day suspensions. MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke faces seven days. If adopted, they could be absent from the House on Budget Day on Thursday. The committee’s recommendations will be debated in Parliament today.

1 month ago | nzherald.co.nz | Derek Cheng

Treasury estimated $2.5 billion will be needed in new funding in the coming year to maintain the existing level of services. This is almost twice the $1.3b the Government has set aside, half of which was raided last year to fund cancer medicines. Finance Minister Nicola Willis, in a pre-Budget speech, said the Government had ‘freed up billions of dollars’ to fund existing services. No lolly scramble. Billions of dollars in “reprioritisations”.