Looking back on some of the events of the last six weeks the standout has to be delivering Budget 2025.
Budget Day 2025
Budget Week is a huge week in Parliament and sessions stretched on into the night on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It was incredibly exciting to see so much progress being made by the Government and there are some particular policy developments I think will be great for Southland.
Joseph with National Party colleagues after a long night in Parliament during Budget Week
I’ve spoken to a fair few people around Southland who are really pleased to see Investment Boost included in the Budget this year. Investment Boost is a tax incentive that’s all about getting businesses to be ambitious and invest for growth. By letting companies write off 20% of the cost of new machinery, tools, and equipment, the government is encouraging upgrades that drive productivity. It’s a practical move with the potential to ripple through workplaces and wallets throughout our region.
In health, Budget 2025 includes a significant $5.5 billion boost for hospitals and specialist services and $164 million over four years to expand urgent and after-hours care, including better access to diagnostics, urgent medicines, and 24/7 on-call clinical support.
New daytime urgent care services are identified, including Invercargill, Gore and Alexandra. Over the next two years improved services will be rolled out to rural communities in places like Balclutha, Lumsden and Roxburgh.
Education gets a historic lift too, with $646 million—the biggest in a generation—for Learning Support. This funding will help kids with additional needs thrive, offering tailored resources to ensure every student has a shot at success.
I am also really pleased to see that Budget 2025 will help up to 66,000 more SuperGold Cardholders with their rates payments with a new income abatement threshold to assist SuperGold Cardholders being introduced from July 1.
The Government is working at pace to grow the economy so we can take some of the financial pressure off households and ease the cost of living. We are seeing good progress with inflation and interest rates coming down, but we want to do more to relieve the financial burden for households, including for older New Zealanders.
Since the release of the Budget there has been further good news for the South with investment in Milford Sound being announced. Certainty for cruise ship access and the retention of the Milford Aerodrome is incredibly important for this community who have been seeking clarity for many years. With many of Milford Sound’s visitors moving through our region this $15.2 million investment brings confidence for Southland and will help ensure a strong future.
Reforms to Fish & Game New Zealand are on the way. The changes will modernise and strengthen the organisation – and improve the national management of hunting and fishing resources and advocacy, whilst maintaining local control. Legislation will be introduced this year, and the Select Committee will provide an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposals.
Recently we have had Minister for the South Island James Meager and also Minister for Sport Mark Mitchell in the electorate with the pair both onsite for the opening of The Mill Queenstown, a new purpose-built integrated health, performance and recovery facility, amongst a number of other visits and meetings.
The ministers' visits were also a good opportunity for our Southland 2025 Youth MP Ankita Pilo to gain further insights into the political landscape. Ankita is a student at Wakatipu High School and is looking forward to learning more about how our political system works and helping give a voice to Southland’s youth.
Joseph with Minister for the South Island James Meager and 2025 Southland Youth MP Ankita Pilo being interviewed by the Mountain Scene's Philip 'Scoop' Chandler
We also have had Energy Minister Simon Watts visit the electorate looking at some of our major energy infrastructure like the Clyde Dam and also meeting with some of our region’s up and coming energy innovators.
Joseph joining Energy Minister Simon Watts for a tour of the Clyde Dam
It was also awesome to see so many people and great performers enjoying the Bayleys Tussock Creek Music Festival in Gore with a great line up of fantastic events.
Great to see young performers rocking it at the Bayleys Tussock Creek Country Music Festival in Gore
It has certainly felt like a chilly start to winter which is great for the ski fields but as always I hope conditions on the farm aren’t getting too wet so early in the piece. In some heartening news for sheep farmers all New Zealand Defence Force recruits will now be kitted out in premium super warm Norsewear socks, made from traceable merino and mid-micron wool sourced from New Zealand farms.
The socks were put to the test against a number of other brands during a rigorous trial involving hundreds of real soldiers and I am thrilled to see this further support for our local wool industry.
State housing agency Kāinga Ora has also announced that from July a new supplier agreement will deliver woolen carpets for the fit-out of new state homes. The decision is great news for sheep farmers, and all the New Zealanders whose jobs and incomes are tied to the fortunes of our world-leading wool industry.
The Government wants wool producers to have more opportunities like this, which is why in March we issued a directive to 130 Government agencies requiring them to purchase woolen products for building construction and refurbishment, wherever practical and appropriate.
Kāinga Ora’s new supplier agreement was made possible because the agency chose to re-open an initially nylon-only carpet tender and give wool a chance to compete.
It’s definitely the season for wool, but the wintry conditions do add some extra splendour to our stunning landscape.
Joseph's view from the plane coming back to Southland after a busy week in Parliament
Farmers, growers, foresters, fishers and primary processors are driving New Zealand’s economic recovery with export revenue on track to surpass $60 billion for the first time.
The latest Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) report forecasts export earnings of $59.9 billion for the year ending 30 June 2025, $3 billion higher than projected in December. This momentum is expected to continue, with exports reaching $65.7 billion by 2029.
These figures reflect the hard work and resilience of the hard-working men and women of provincial New Zealand. Strong global demand and healthy prices across key markets are positioning our high-quality, safe and sustainable food and fiber exports for record growth.
I hope you have a great winter.
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