It is set to receive more than $34m for the next two years, making it the highest-funded arts service provider.
Tauranga’s Carmen (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) and Tuterangiwhiu Grant-Cairns (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tūhoe) agreed it was “awesome” that funding for the kapa haka festival had drastically increased.
Earlier this week, Tuterangiwhiu spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times about how the Budget should prioritise initiatives promoting te reo Māori, tikanga and te ahurea Māori (Māori culture).
The couple run the Online Reo Agency, teaching te reo Māori to workplaces and individuals. The business started teaching te reo online to people overseas and has since expanded.
The Budget increase was “greatly needed to support a kaupapa so important – not only within te ao Māori but the New Zealand economy,” Tuterangiwhiu said after the Budget.
Previously the family, including daughters Ivy, 6, and Alivya, 5, had been living in one bedroom at a friend’s house in Rotorua.
Carmen was also pleased to hear prescriptions would soon be free, saying initiatives such as this would help whānau cut costs.
“It all adds up. Even though it might seem small, over time there is still savings there.”
Mataatua Kapa Haka deputy chairman and Te Whānau a Apanui Kapa Haka leader Tamati Waaka said the extra funding for Te Matatini was fantastic but overdue.
Increased funding had been discussed for years and had been “fought for, for a while”, he said.
“I can remember four or five years ago it was at $1m a year and there were all these comparisons to the Symphony Orchestra. We weren’t even in the same league as those guys in terms of getting the same amount of funding.
”In terms of arts funding, this is extremely significant.”
He said the money would help 1400 kapa haka teams nationally to go to more than 100 events every year.
“It goes a long way to help cover the expense of those events. We’re not even talking about paying performers or paying tutors or paying people. This is just money so that kapa haka can function and live.
“They’re trending the right way ... this has to carry on going up.”
Ngāti Whakaue and Te Arawa kaumatua Monty Morrison said it was a “tremendous boost” for Te Matatini and Māori performing arts.
At first he thought the number read $3.4m but, when he saw it was $34m, “I couldn’t believe my eyes”.
Health
Fifth Avenue Medical Centre general practitioner Dr Luke Bradford. Photo / George Novak
Fifth Avenue Medical Centre general practitioner Luke Bradford said the scrapping of the $5 prescription co-payment was a “big-ticket item” that would make life easier for many people.
It would enable patients to “take better control of their long-term conditions and feel more empowered to seek healthcare”, he said.
Commenting on the plan to address pressure in the healthcare sector this winter, Bradford said initiatives seemed “reasonable on paper” but he was unsure how they would be delivered under current workforce constraints.
It was also disappointing the Budget did not include any indication as to when the general practice funding formula would be properly reviewed, he said,
The funding model did not allow for nurses to be paid what they deserved, insisted on an “outdated” 15-minute appointment structure and did not acknowledge the “huge amount” of work doctors put in outside check-ups.
Bay Financial Mentors general manager Shirley McCombe. Photo / Supplied
Bay Financial Mentors general manager Shirley McCombe described the extension of free early childhood education to 2-year-olds, free public transport for under-13s and expansion of the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme as “positive” changes.
The scrapping of prescription fees would also “remove a barrier” for those on low incomes, she said.
Otherwise, there was “not a lot” in the Budget to address high living costs.
“For families struggling with high rents, food and petrol costs, this Budget will have no [to] little impact on their ability to manage.”
Economy
Priority One chief executive Nigel Tutt. Photo / Supplied
Nigel Tutt, chief executive of Priority One, Western Bay of Plenty’s regional economic development organisation, said: “I don’t think this Budget realistically addresses the plight of the working poor, who are essential to our economy.”
He said the Government had forecast a “soft landing” for the economy, with “no recession and a very surprising return to lower inflation levels by the end of the year”.
While there was “nothing specific” outlined for the Western Bay, he said the region was set to get a “share of additional investment in state homes”.
“More supply of affordable housing is critical to our region.”
He expected the increased infrastructure resilience spend to target the Western Bay, given the area’s vulnerability to major weather events and the importance of the Port of Tauranga to the rest of the country.
Tourism
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan. Photo / Supplied
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said it was “too early” to comment on how Budget 2023 would benefit the sector.
Social services
Tauranga Community Foodbank general manager Nicki Goodwin. Photo / Mead Norton
Tauranga Community Foodbank general manager Nicki Goodwin said the Budget would not address the high demand the organisation was facing.
Goodwin said she was “disappointed” but she had not expected any different.
