31, May 2024

The asset National sold in Budget was Aotearoa's future.

Not only did this Government sink into borrowing to fund yesterday's Budget, but they sold off our greatest asset - Aotearoa's future generations. Hiked course fees, public transport costs, and weekly rents are the flagship commitments young Kiwis got from Nicola Willis.

This Budget will leave rangatahi of all backgrounds worse off. We're now on track to spend less on education as a GDP percentage than at any point in 50 years. That's the next generation of teachers, doctors, nurses who will have to borrow more with their first year free scrapped, while the quality of education they're paying for declines.

It is outrageous to heap the cost of inflation on students and their families through jacked-up fees. To give our full-time students a mere $2 a week in tax cuts at a time when their landlords are increasing rents is purely insulting. It doesn't cover the hikes to public transport or their prescription costs.

These decisions show the disdain this Government has for contributing young Kiwis. It's nothing but pocket change for students, beneficiaries and minimum-wage workers. All during a cost-of-living crisis. To go and slash transitional housing for rangatahi, gut school lunches, and make cuts to climate funding that accounts to billions and billions of dollars.

It lets down not just this generation of New Zealanders, but it sells short our future generations too.

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