The National-led Government is more than halfway through its first term.
We are focusing on what matters to New Zealanders, and taking decisions that will secure the brighter future we promised.
It has been a busy time.
The backdrop for our first budget was the global financial and economic crisis.
We had to make some tough choices, but we protected New Zealanders from the sharp edges of recession.
In our first two Budgets, we reprioritised nearly $4 billion of lower quality government spending. That is a significant sum of money going into better healthcare services, improving education, and keeping New Zealanders safe.
We have poured billions of dollars into infrastructure to unclog the arteries of growth, pushed resources to frontline public services, and taken measures to keep the country’s debt under control.
We have emerged from recession more quickly and in stronger shape than most of our trading partners. But the need for economic leadership is still strong, and we still have to make some tough calls.
This year’s Budget focused on growing our recovery.
We have boosted science to help faster economic growth, continued our infrastructure programme, and undertaken the biggest tax reform in more than 20 years.
This includes across-the-board tax cuts on October 1, 2010 that will leave the vast majority of families better off.
In health, we have delivered an unprecedented 13,000 more elective surgery operations for people on waiting lists, the largest increase ever recorded.
We have introduced National Standards in our schools and funded extra places in Universities, Technology Institutes, and Polytechnics.
We have moved resources to the frontline all over the public service, and halted the rampant growth that was seen under the previous Government.
We have put more police on the streets, given them better tools to go after criminals, and strengthened laws to crack down on gangs.
We have introduced a ‘Three Strikes’ policy to ensure the worst repeat criminals receive the maximum allowable sentence.
We are cutting red tape, making progress on our plan to deliver ultra-fast broadband across the country, and moving forward on our ‘Youth Guarantee and Trades-in Schools’ policies.
We have done what we were elected to do. We are keeping our promises.
Only a strong economy can provide financial security for our families, well paid jobs for our young people, and a brighter future for all New Zealanders.
John Key is Prime Minister of New Zealand. The above article is exclusive to Indian Newslink.
