Lu NancyNANCY LU (National): I stand before you to support the Appropriation (2023/24 Supplementary Estimates) Bill and Imprest Supply (First for 2024/25) Bill a critical component of our Government's financial framework. This bill is essential for ensuring the smooth operation of our nation's finances as we transition from one fiscal year to the next. A quick fact for those who have tuned in to us on TV and who are listening to us: the financial year for New Zealanders runs from 1 July to the following 30 June. During this period the Government requires appropriations or authorisations from Parliament to carry out its functions effectively. I believe it is very important for the New Zealand public to understand how the Budget is set especially before during and lapsing over the financial period and more importantly what actually goes into this year's Budget.Now the supply process which is what this bill is part of involves the appropriation of funds—the taxpayer's hard-earned money—that are necessary for the Government to continue its operation in delivering for all New Zealanders. While some of the supply is established on a permanent regular basis under permanent legislative authority the majority needs to be authorised annually through the House supply procedures in any given financial year so here we are. This is why we are here tonight debating in the House to deal with the residual supplies from the previous year current supply issues and preparatory supply issues for the forthcoming year.Since the Budget was announced on 30 May released on Budget day by the Minister of Finance the Hon Nicola Willis everyone up and down the country is looking at what our National-led coalition Government can deliver for all New Zealanders.The Budget statement delivered by the Minister of Finance outlined the principal components of our Budget. This year's Budget is particularly noteworthy for several reasons. For the first time in 14 years hard-working New Zealanders will get to keep more of their hard-earned money through the Government's tax relief measures. This Budget is shifting resources from the back office of the Government into the front line investing in healthcare in schools and in police. Why is the Budget so strongly focused on shifting resources from our back office from the bureaucracies into front line and why are we investing into law and order? Why are we investing into improving public services particularly in education and healthcare? Well let me remind every member in this House and also to those who have tuned in watching and listening to this debate of one very important date October 14 2023 the New Zealand general election. That was the date where more than half of New Zealanders voted for change and voted for this National-led coalition Government. It was the turnaround date for New Zealand. Members on this side of the House campaigned on turning the ship around for New Zealand. We campaigned on bringing down the cost of living. We campaigned on restoring law and order and we campaigned on improving public services. We campaigned on improving our education and stopping failing our children. We campaigned on improving our healthcare so Kiwis can access world-class healthcare and the medical care that we all deserve.But just in case if the members opposite had forgotten that night it was painful I know. It was October 14 when half of New Zealand voted them out and voted us in to clean up after their mess to rescue the country from many fiscal cliffs and to put a handbrake on wasteful Government spending and to finally bring some good sense and good decisions with taxpayers' hard-earned money and actually get our country back on track.So here we are: this Government's first Budget announced on 30 May 2024. I take this opportunity to thank all the Ministers and Government officials involved going line by line cutting down wasteful Government spending to find recurring savings and to reprioritise taxpayers' hard-earned income to tax relief and to bring relief on cost of living pressures to restore law and order to improve public services.Now the 2024 Budget aims to put New Zealanders' money where it can make the biggest difference delivering value for money while maintaining a fiscally responsible stance. If I can remind every member in this House this Budget is the most fiscally responsible in seven years with an operating allowance that is the lowest in real terms since the former finance Minister Steven Joyce's Budget in 2017.Now this Budget is designed for everyday New Zealanders those hard-working New Zealanders who are managing and doing their very best for their families and dealing with the daily grind. It aims to provide relief for the squeezed middle of New Zealand—the shift workers the people who are working multiple jobs people who have young children people who are making sacrifices just to keep every day possible.Now the right measure of success in my opinion for the Government is not how much we actually spent or how much PR we did or how many conferences we held but actually did we make a positive difference to New Zealanders and can I actually front up to my community to my constituents and tell them that we've done a really good job with their money?In my opinion a good Government is also about bringing sense back to the revenue and expenses and bringing things back into balance. This is why the National-led Government has focused so much on managing and just bringing down our spending. Now the operating allowance as I alluded to earlier has been the lowest in real terms since the last seven years. It's set at $3.2 billion. Future Budgets from 2025 to 2027 will have even lower operating allowances per Budget. A major component of this Budget as I said a bit earlier is tax relief which is long overdue because we haven't had a personal income tax threshold change since 14 years ago. This is talking about reducing the burden for the individuals and the families who are working so hard. But on top of that we've also updated the independent earner tax credit eligibility. We've also increased the in-work tax credit. We've also provided and introduced FamilyBoost. Families with young children—and I am one of them and I can say there are so many families from my constituents who have come forward to us to say that this is finally some hope coming our way because raising children in New Zealand is challenging. Raising children in New Zealand is challenging but with FamilyBoost we are providing help: up to 25 percent of the early childhood education fees back to parents back to caregivers for them to decide on what they think is the best for their family not for the Government to decide.Apart from the tax relief this Budget also invests heavily into public services. We are investing heavily into the health service in Budget 2024. We are also investing heavily in areas of education. We are investing heavily into areas of law and order. And if I can just very briefly comment and say that Budget 2024 invests $8.15 billion extra operating capital funding in health services. It is providing $1.77 billion to Pharmac to ensure New Zealanders can have access to essential medicines. The Government is also investing $2.93 billion to schools and early childhood education. The Budget is also putting in $2.9 billion allocated to restore law and order. The Budget is for everyone in New Zealand.But if I can in my last remaining 50 seconds I wanted to make a special mention to this family in Pakuranga—a family with two young children who messaged me on 30 May Budget day with their screenshot. They went on to the tax calculator and have said that every fortnight they will be able to get $116.50. They are getting an annual saving of $3029. They are stoked that they are finally able to send their children back to the extracurricular classes that the parents unfortunately had to cancel. They're now even saying Maybe we can afford to take our kids to the zoo once a year." So this is significant and I commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono): The next call is a split call between Labour and National. I call Arena Williams."