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Mr Speaker

I move that the Appropriation (2017/18 Estimates) Bill be now read a second time.

It is an honour and a privilege to present my first budget to the public of New Zealand – the ninth of this National-led Government.

In doing so I acknowledge my predecessor and our new Prime Minister Bill English for his hard work and leadership in facing down the decade of deficits, bringing New Zealand successfully through the Global Financial Crisis, and responding to the impacts of the Canterbury earthquakes.

Good afternoon.

Thank you John and Peter and the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

Special guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Budget 2017 is now just under one month away and preparations are continuing.

I have four key areas I am thinking about in getting ready for this year’s Budget.

First, delivering better public services for a growing country – providing all New Zealanders with the opportunity to lead successful independent lives.

Good afternoon everyone.

Thank you John and IPANZ for hosting this event today.

Special guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Today I’m going to talk about a renewed focus on improving productivity across the public service.

Economic Outlook

At a time when many parts of the world face significant political and economic risks, the outlook for New Zealand is positive. Businesses are investing, job growth is solid and wages are rising faster than inflation.

Good afternoon.

Thank you Michael and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, and new Vice Chancellor Jan Thomas and Massey University for hosting this event.

Special guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Today I’m going to offer some views on the current state of the New Zealand economy and our infrastructure.

Economic Outlook

Good morning,

I’m pleased to see such a good turnout for what is, I believe, a significant step towards better services for people, and better government for the country.

Over the last five years, we’ve talked about social investment and about doing what works in social services.

Throughout that time agencies have been developing and assembling the pieces of a system that will deliver on this promise.

Good afternoon and thank you for having me.

I wanted to take the opportunity today to stand back a bit from some of the day to day issues and pick one of two things which are forcing us to change the way we think.

But before I do that I want to cover the economy briefly.

New Zealand’s economic prospects are good.

There are a lot of events going on around the world that cause concern on any day of the week. We can’t do much about any of them.

Mr Speaker,

I move that the Appropriation (2016/17 Estimates) Bill be now read a second time.

It’s a privilege to present the eighth Budget of this National-led Government.

I recall our first Budget, delivered in difficult times, with Treasury forecasting never-ending deficits and ever-rising debt.

Today, however, I can present a healthy set of public accounts.

The Crown’s books show rising surpluses and falling debt.

Good afternoon everyone. It’s a pleasure to be with you again.

Thank you to the Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce for once again organising this pre-Budget lunch.

Budget 2016 will include a wide range of initiatives that build on the good progress we’ve made over the previous seven Budgets.

It will have a strong focus on investing in a growing economy – further advancing the work we’ve been doing to support a more productive and competitive economy through the Business Growth Agenda.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo

o ngā iwi o te motu,

o ngā tangata Pasifika

me ngā roopu hei āwhina i te Pani me te hunga Rawakore

tēnā tatau katoa

Aku hoa o te Whare Miere

me ngā Kaiwhakahaere, ngā Kai-takatu o ngā Tari o te Kawanatanga

Tēnā koutou katoa.

He huinga tangata he whakaaro kia rātau kua wehi atu ki te pō,

Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate

Good afternoon.

Thank you Michael and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, and Steve and Massey University, for inviting me back to this annual event.

It’s a pleasure to be here again.

Today I want to take you through some of our initiatives through to 2017. I can tell you there is no letup in pace this term – we’ve got a busy policy programme, and there is much to do.

I also want to share with you some of our longer term thinking, particularly with ongoing reform of urban planning and the Government’s finances.

INTRODUCTION

Good afternoon.

It is a pleasure to speak with you again, for what I make as my eighth time as Finance Minister.

One of the best parts of my job is the number of public servants and services providers I get to meet.

Overwhelmingly I find we’re all driven by the same thing - getting better results for New Zealanders, and doing our best for the most vulnerable.

Whether it’s social housing, health, education, welfare or justice, the goal is the same.

Thank you for inviting me today.

It’s a pleasure to speak to the Trans-Tasman Business Circle again.

Yesterday I announced that the Government had achieved one of its key fiscal targets, posting a surplus of $414 million in 2014/15.

That was the culmination of years of focus on a target that has brought discipline to spending.

But it is far from the end of the road for our programme of responsible fiscal management.

Thank you very much for the welcome.

I want to talk about the way that we approach economic policy in one area in particular – the housing market.

It’s certainly been topical lately.

The Government takes the approach that the best thing we can do for the economy is work to improve its resilience – its capacity to adapt.

That’s important because in New Zealand we have had times when our economy has not been resilient, when price signals have not been clear until it is too late – at which time they become extraordinarily clear.

Good afternoon, and thank you for having me here today.

It is a pleasure to launch this Treasury Guest Lecture Series focused on social investment.

As some of you may know, I actually started my public sector career at Treasury as a graduate in 1987.

It’s good to see so many people from other government agencies, tertiary institutions, NGOs and the private sector in the room.

I’m here today to talk about social services, particularly for the most vulnerable New Zealanders.

Thank you for coming along today.

It’s a pleasure to be here in Christchurch, for the launch of the Thirty Year New Zealand Infrastructure Plan.

Meeting New Zealand’s infrastructure challenges over the next 30 years will require coordination across central government, local government and the private sector.

So I would like to recognise our partners for the progress we’ve made together, their engagement in developing this Plan, and their commitment to meet New Zealand’s infrastructure needs over the next 30 years.

Thank you for inviting me tonight.

It’s a pleasure to be here in Australia.

What happens over here, and what people are thinking, affects New Zealand profoundly.

That’s why I try to visit here regularly and talk to as many people as I can.

I want to acknowledge the warm relationship shared between our respective Governments – and the constructive engagements we have with Prime Minister Abbott and Joe Hockey in particular.

Mr Speaker,

I move that the Appropriation (2015/16 Estimates) Bill be now read a second time.

It’s a privilege to present the National-led Government’s seventh Budget.

New Zealand has come through significant challenges and is now a more confident and resilient country than it was seven years ago.

Successive Budgets have sought to put New Zealand on a track to surplus and debt reduction, and as a result the Government’s books are in good shape.

Good afternoon everyone. It’s a pleasure to be with you again this year.

Thank you to the Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce for once again organising this pre-Budget lunch.

I also want to acknowledge the Chamber’s work in promoting the Wellington business community and in advocating policy to enable businesses in the capital to invest, employ and grow.

The Budget on 21st May will set out in detail the Treasury’s revised economic and fiscal forecasts as well as the Government’s decisions around new spending.

Good afternoon.

Thank you Michael and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, and Steve and Massey University, for inviting me back to this annual event.

It’s a pleasure to be with you again today. I make this the sixth time I’ve spoken at this forum since becoming Minister of Finance.

With the National-led Government now into its third term, I’d like to update you on our priorities for the next three years.

We have three busy years ahead of us. And there is much to do.

Good afternoon.

This is my seventh opportunity to talk to this audience, which reflects both the stability of this Government and the opportunity provided by a clear election mandate to embed changes in public services.

I want to start by congratulating the public service.

While it maintains a necessary habit of self-criticism, the public service has achieved the targets this Government has set for it.

We have been able to live within small allowances for new funding.