Budget 2020 wishlist: Bay of Plenty MPs call for business, job support

We asked our local politicians what they hoped to see come out of the Budget.

Simon Bridges. Photo / File

Simon Bridges

Tauranga MP, National

The Budget will show New Zealand is in the deepest economic recession in a generation.

We already know debt will skyrocket and deficits will be deep for a long time. National agrees that the Government will need to invest more to support businesses and save jobs.

But we worry the Government will turn a $40 billion problem into a $100 billion problem. They need to carefully consider every spending decision they make because every cent will have to be paid off with higher taxes and by future generations.

Irresponsible economic management will put a mortgage on our children and our grandchildren's future.

Tamati Coffey. Photo / File

Tamati Coffey

Waiariki MP, Labour

With Budget 2020, we've got to take this shot to rebuild our whanau and our environment from the impact of the pandemic while also addressing what wasn't working pre-Covid-19.

Issues such as our tamariki growing up without the basics, getting our families into well-paying jobs, and turning more houses than ever into homes - issues where Maori have been over-represented at the sharp end for far too long.

Together we need to be brave, create change and rebuild our country, so it is better not just for us but for our mokopuna.

Todd Muller. Photo / File

Todd Muller

Bay of Plenty MP, National

The Budget will be the largest in NZ society.

There are many families in our community experiencing serious personal and financial circumstances so it is important the Government supports our city where it makes sense to.

Our proposal to provide GST refunds up to $100,000 for businesses will make a real difference, more so than a helicopter fund.

I hope the Government has the maturity to take good ideas wherever they come from.

Helping small businesses back up to their feet is so critical. Our city is one large community providing goods and services to each other and the world – and jobs sit at the core of our success. If we have jobs we can stand up again, if we don't we all will struggle.

Jan Tinetti. Photo / File

Jan Tinetti

List MP, Labour

Continuing to invest in our world-class public education system will always be a priority for me but New Zealand's Covid-19 response, recovery and rebuild should be prioritised in Budget 2020.

By going hard and going early, we have got on top of the virus. Budget 2020 gives us the chance to continue our work to help respond to the virus and start our recovery to rebuild our economy and make sure we come out of this even stronger than before.

I'm hopeful the recovery can be supported by Budget investment in infrastructure projects in the Bay of Plenty, programmes to retrain and upskill our people and investment to finally break the housing crisis once and for all.

Angie Warren-Clark. Photo / File

Angie Warren-Clark

List MP, Labour

My wishlist is quite simple as we move from responding to Covid-19 to the Recover and Respond phases of our country's recovery. It's the things we did before Covid-19 that still require ongoing focus and commitment.

I'm a small business owner as well as an MP and I have understanding and compassion for how hard it is. Our approach has been a dual health and economic one and think we'll see more in this Budget to get NZ into recovery from Covid-19.

However, I'd like to see that we continue the Budget 19 Wellbeing focus – particularly around family and sexual violence work ... Ensuring our focus remains on infrastructure rebuild that still ticks the sustainable environmental outcome, mental health and addiction and poverty reduction [so] NZ is the best place to live for all of us.