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“I have invited the leaderships of the NZEI and PPTA unions to meet with me and the Ministry of Education next week,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today.

Disclaimer: This table shows scheduled meetings held by the Minister relating to ministerial business, which have been recorded in the Minister’s diary.

It is always a pleasure to speak to an audience of people actively involved in caring for our environment.

It is a pleasure to be here tonight to make a small announcement which plays a part in what was a very large announcement made in the Budget yesterday.

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. While we try to keep the information up-to-date and correct, there are no guarantees, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy or reliability of this information

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will lead a New Zealand delegation to Solomon Islands and Vanuatu next week, between 4 and 8 June, for the 2019 Pacific Mission.

Thank you for inviting me to speak here today.

Thank you to Grant Thornton for the invitation to address you here today about the ‘Wellbeing Budget’ and what it will mean for New Zealand businesses.

Wellbeing Budget 19 has the largest Vote Education new operating spending in 10 years.

We said that we would be a Government that did things differently, and for this Budget we have done just that. Today we have laid the foundation for not just one Wellbeing Budget, but a different approach for Government decision-making all together.

From the day we took office, this Government has committed to putting the wellbeing of current and future generations of New Zealanders at the heart of everything we do. Budget 2019 shows we are delivering on that commitment.

​​​​​​​The Wellbeing Budget provides opportunities to grow and modernise New Zealand’s economy while ensuring a just transition to a low emissions future. We need to preserve and enhance our environment, as part of the foundation for our long-term wellbeing.

The Coalition Government also wants to make sure all New Zealanders can share in the opportunities provided by the digital age by both increasing the availability of technology, and programmes for people to acquire the skills required to use it. We also want to foster innovation and encourage smaller start-ups to expand, which will in turn help improve productivity, wages and drive export growth.

The Wellbeing Budget focuses on ways to give Māori and Pacific peoples more scope to lift their own wellbeing. When Māori and Pacific peoples set their own wellbeing goals and aspirations and when we as a Government use our ability to change the system and help Māori and Pacific peoples achieve those aspirations – equality can start to be a reality.

New Zealand’s long term challenges of mental health, child poverty, children in State care, family violence and homelessness are being taken seriously in the Government’s Wellbeing Budget.