Angie Warren-Clark Labour MP

Last week I was proud to stand in Jacinda's team as a part of the collation government as we presented our first Budget to Aotearoa.

This Budget sees the rebuilding of critical public services, taking action on poverty, housing and homelessness, promoting economic development and supporting the regions.

And as a responsible financial manager, we're putting money aside in the kitty in case of a future rainy day.

Budget 2018 gets real about the costs of an ageing and growing population. The staff working in our hospitals have been doing so under increasingly stressful conditions. They've been stretched further and further thanks to under-investment over the past nine years. It is too long since our DHBs were funded properly, so we are going to invest $2.3 billion over the next four years.

This Budget also invests the long-overdue amount of $76 million over four years to stabilise and strengthen family violence services.

After ten years of no funding increases, we're going to see an immediate 30 per cent increase for 150 services providing family violence support. We're also creating an agency to better co-ordinate domestic violence work across government. I'm literally delighted for the sector.

The Budget makes it easier for people to get the care they need, when they need it, and those 14 and under across the country will get free visits to see a doctor, free prescriptions and free after-hours care.

There is so much more in the Budget that I'm proud of, and I encourage you to check out at: www.budget.govt.nz