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The Budget for 2025 came out last week on Thursday, with news for the nation on how funds will be allocated over the coming year. While some of the budget announcements were new news, the government had staggered others over the previous few weeks. In the new announcements were changes to Kiwisaver and the Jobseeker benefit. 

The Kiwisaver changes involved a 50% reduction in the government’s Kiwisaver contribution, from around $500 a year to around $250. To compensate, the government increased the minimum employer and employee contributions from 3% to 4%. While this means people will end up with similar or greater amounts of money in Kiwisaver, it also means people will have access to less money right now. 

The Jobseeker changes were also announced in the budget, with further restrictions added for 18-19-year-olds applying for the benefit. 18-19-year-olds applications will now be tested against their parents’ incomes, restricting large groups from accessing the support. 

These changes both appear to primarily affect young people. While the government claims to care so much about education and schools, they seem comfortable with taking support away from Aotearoa’s young adults as soon as they finish high school. In our weekly catchup with National’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about the Kiwisaver and Jobseeker changes in this year’s budget.

This week on Dear Science, we chatted with our expert Doctor Cushla McGoverin, about infrared contact lenses, giant sloths, and new tech to break down biofilms. 

Thanks to MOTAT, the museum inspiring the innovators of tomorrow!

Many studies show that mental health affects physical health, and vice versa.. But during a recession and cost of living crisis...   what are the negative effects of financial insecurity- or one’s perception of their financial status, and comparing it to others? A recent study highlighted these correlations.

Producer Faith spoke to Dr. Brian Don from the University of Auckland about this study, and what is says about modern society.

This week on the Tuesday Wire...

For Dear Science this week, our expert, Doctor Cushla McGoverin, chatted with us about night vision contact lenses, giant sloths, and how to best break down biofilms. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Tom Rutherford, Wire host Castor asked about Kiwisaver and the Jobseeker benefit in light of the Budget announcements last week. 

Producer Faith spoke to the University of Auckland’s Dr. Brian Don about the links between economic hardship and wellbeing.

She also spoke to Dr. Joel Rindelaub about microplastics, and how they’re more common than we think.

Last week, Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, announced her ‘growth’ Budget for 2025.

In the Budget, multiple initiatives received a boost in funding. 

Operational funding and capital funding for Māori education received a $54 million boost and $50 million boost respectively for Māori learner success, with a $14 million injection for Māori wardens, Pacific wardens, and the Māori women’s welfare league.

However, a variety of Māori initiatives have faced substantial cuts.

The Māori Development Fund has had $20 million cut over four years, $32.5 million has been cut from Māori housing initiatives, and $375.5 million cut to the Kāhui Ako programme.

Labour’s Māori Development spokesperson, Willie Jackson, claims that overall, in Budget 2025, Māori initiatives are seeing cuts of roughly $750 million.

For our weekly catchup, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about Budget 2025 and it’s impacts on Māori initiatives.

They also spoke about the debate on the potential suspension of Te Pāti Māori co-leaders, Rawiri Waititi, and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and MP Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, being pushed back prior to the Budget debate. 

As well as this, notably, during the Budget debate itself, both Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer were absent.

However, they first discussed the 2025 Budget and Māori initiatives

Featuring Fashun with Penelope Noir and the weekly book review on Loose Reads, thanks to Time Out Bookstore!

Jenna phones in to review the latest from award-winning authour Tina Makereti (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangatahi-Matakore, Pākehā). Makereti's newest work is a collection of essays titled This Compulsion Within Us is introspective and personal, whakarongo mai nei to hear Jenna's whakaaro on this week's recommended read! Thanks to our pals at Time Out Bookstore!

With the announcement of how the government is planning to spend money over the next year comes the question of how this will impact the National Party’s chances of being re-elected into power in next year’s General Election.

When presenting her work to Parliament, Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, said that “every Kiwi knows this government has their back”.

However, elements of the Budget have been criticised by opposition parties and various activist groups, with opposition leader, Chris Hipkins, calling funding decisions in the Budget “strange and unnecessary”.

The Budget can play a major role in whether a government will be re-elected or not. 

Labour’s 1958 Budget, for example, which has since become known as the ‘Black Budget,’ resulted in Finance Minister at the time, Arnold Nordmeyer, imposing additional taxes on cars, alcohol, and tobacco, in an attempt to limit the need for international goods during the payments crisis in late 1957. This caused political tensions, and as a result, Labour lost the 1960 general election after one term.

News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Brian Roper — an Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Otago, about how Budget 2025 will impact National’s chances to be re-elected, and his opinion on what party, or parties, will make up the next government.

This week's Fashun topic is teeth whitening! Penelope Noir delves into the history of augmenting your gnashers and why some people choose to have radioactive looking white teeth. 

In Budget 2025, private schools will receive subsidies increasing the annual spend by $4.6 million a year, to $46.2 million. As well as this, the annual spend on charter schools will double to $57 million.

ACT Party Leader, David Seymour, says that independent schools are an important part of New Zealand’s education landscape that offers diversity of choice for parents.

For our weekly catchup, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about the additional support independent schools will receive, and how this will benefit the average taxpayer.

They also discussed changes to Jobseeker and emergency benefits for 18-to-19 year olds, as those receiving this benefit will now have their benefit tested against their parents income.

The move, which is set to come into effect in 2027, is estimated to impact almost 9000 young people.

They also discussed changes to Kiwisaver, where the government will halve subsidies and increase employer contributions to a minimum of 4% from 3%.

But first, they discussed the additional support for independent schools.