Jacinda Ardern budget spreads good vibes

New Zealand has unveiled its inaugural ‘wellbeing’ budget in a move set to cement Jacinda Ardern’s reputation for compassion.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Picture: Getty Images

New Zealand unveiled its inaugural “wellbeing” budget yesterday in a move set to cement Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s reputation for compassionate leadership in the wake of the Christchurch mosque massacre.

Ms Ardern announced increased spending on mental health, indigenous welfare and child poverty in a budget she ­described as a world-first attempt to change the way economic progress is measured.

“We said that we would be a government that did things different­ly, and for this budget we have done just that,” she said.

“Today we have laid the found­ation for not just one wellbeing budget, but a different approach for government decision-making altogether.”

While dismissed by critics as marketing spin, Ms Ardern views the budget as a way to deliver the reformist agenda she campaigned on in the 2017 election.

The New Zealand leader, widely praised for her respectful handling of the March shooting in which 51 Muslim worshippers were gunned down, said the budget­ put people before econo­mic indicators.

On the economic front, it predicts­ a surplus of NZ$3.5 billion ($3.3bn) in 2018-19, rising to NZ$6.1bn by 2022-23. It forecasts that economic growth will average 2.7 per cent over the same period­, with inflation hovering around 2 per cent and unemployment slightly over 4 per cent.

Wellbeing factors, such as life expectancy, education levels, air quality and “a sense of belonging” were also factored into budget decisions.

Opposition finance spokeswoman Amy Adams described the “wellbeing” approach as a gimmick, calling the budget “all spin and no substance”.

“Apparently it’s about measuring your sun and moon feelings, improving your locus of control, and understanding your ability to be yourself,” she said. “I have no idea what that means and, outside the Wellington bureaucracy, I’m not sure anyone does.”

Ms Ardern argued the wellbeing approach provided real-world benefits, citing reducing child poverty and family violence as a practical example of how it worked.

But Ms Ardern’s feel-good message was almost overshadowed by a bureaucratic bungle that resulted in parts of the budget being released prematurely.

The error resulted in police being called in amid fears the Treasury department, which is responsible for the budget, had fallen victim to a sophisticated cyber attack.

Treasury chief Gabriel Makhlouf initially rejected “absolutely” any suggestion the information had been accidentally posted onlin­e. But he was forced into an embarrassing backdown yesterday after police did not find any evidence that illegal activity was behind the leak.

Instead, the information was released when Treasury prepared a “clone” website ahead of the budget release, not realising that entering specific search terms on it revealed embargoed information.

AFP