Summary of Initiatives
He Whakarāpopototanga o ngā Kaupapa
In Budget 2026, the Government is investing an average of $2.1 billion per year in net new operating spending. This consists of $3.8 billion of new operating spending initiatives, offset by $1.7 billion of operating savings initiatives. The Government is also investing $5.7 billion in net new capital spending. There are 191 new spending initiatives and 88 savings initiatives in Budget 2026.
Table 1 provides a breakdown of Budget 2026, including offsets from revenue and savings, as well as reprioritisation of unspent funding, such as from tagged contingencies. For total expenditure by Vote, see the Estimates of Appropriations for 2026/27.
Table 1 – Budget 2026 Expenditure Breakdown[1]
|
Operating average ($m) | Net Operating Average ($m) |
Net Operating Total ($m) |
Net Capital Total ($m) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Spending | Savings and Revenue | ||||
| Health | 1,460 | (9) | 1,450 | 5,802 | 682 |
| Defence and Intelligence | 388 | - | 388 | 1,156 | 2,348 |
| Law and Order | 269 | (4) | 265 | 1,061 | 215 |
| Education and Tertiary Education | 503 | (354) | 149 | 875 | 501 |
| Transport | 119 | (5) | 114 | 456 | 2,708 |
| Energy Security | 50 | - | 50 | 198 | 198 |
| Social Housing and Welfare | 255 | (214) | 40 | (33) | 2 |
| Housing | 107 | (92) | 15 | 62 | (23) |
| Other Spending, Savings and Revenue | 662 | (988) | (326) | (1,304) | (929) |
| Budget 2026 Package | 3,813 | (1,667) | 2,146 | 8,272 | 5,702 |
Note
- [1] Table 1 includes funding for initiatives that have been withheld due to commercial and/or negotiation sensitivity reasons. Therefore, the totals of individual initiatives will not reconcile to the table above.