This year’s Budget shows that with ACT in Government, we’re shifting resources to where they make the biggest difference in people’s lives.

The announcements to date underline a clear direction: investing in frontline services like health and education so New Zealanders get the value they deserve from their taxes.

In health, that means better access to urgent and after-hours care. New funding is extending clinic hours, backing providers, and offering more choice for patients – especially in rural and high-demand areas. In South Auckland, a new 24/7 urgent care service in Counties Manukau will relieve pressure on Middlemore Hospital and ensure families can get care when and where they need it.

These investments are possible because ACT is focused on making government more efficient. We’ve made it a priority to reduce bureaucracy and redirect funding from the back office to the front line.

ACT has also taken a lead role in tackling the school attendance crisis. Simply put, learning starts with being there. If students aren’t in class, they miss out – and so does New Zealand. That’s why Budget 2025 includes targeted investment in getting kids back into school, a key initiative driven by ACT’s Associate Minister of Education, David Seymour.

The daily school roll is a good predictor of our future as a country. If we want a productive, prosperous New Zealand, improving attendance has to be one of the core missions of this Government.

Of course, supporting essential services is only part of the equation. Just as vital is creating the conditions for long-term economic growth.

When businesses are confident, they invest. That investment creates jobs, lifts incomes, and raises our standard of living. Growth comes from private enterprise – not from spending for its own sake.

ACT’s focus is on removing the barriers that hold people and businesses back. Less bureaucracy. Smarter regulation. A system that rewards initiative and effort.

Right now, too many New Zealanders spend more time dealing with compliance than doing the work that adds value. It’s often harder to get permission to build than to build itself. Early childhood teachers face endless paperwork. Borrowers are quizzed about how much cat food they’re buying before banks will lend to them.
This is a handbrake on progress. It makes New Zealand less productive and less optimistic.

That’s why ACT is proud to be advancing the Regulatory Standards Bill, which will soon have its first reading in Parliament.

The Bill won’t block regulation, but it will require accountability. Before any new rule is passed, there will be a duty to answer some simple but important questions: What problem are we solving? Who bears the costs? Do the benefits stack up?
It won’t stop bad laws – but it will make their costs transparent.

Politicians who pass regulations that do more harm than good will have to own it. And when they can’t hide behind spin, they might think twice.

That’s a step toward better lawmaking – and a more confident, enterprising country.

The priorities reflected in this Budget show what happens when ACT’s ideas are around the Cabinet table. We’re helping drive a culture of discipline in spending and scrutiny in regulation.

Some might wish things moved faster. But it’s already clear: with ACT in Government, things are moving further than they otherwise would.

We’re helping ensure taxpayers’ money is used wisely, and that New Zealand remains a place where effort, innovation, and ambition are rewarded, not punished. -Dr Parmjeet Parmar