Whenever we think of a country’s budget, the words that generally pop into our minds are deficit, GDP, inflation, taxes and rebates. But this year, apart from the usual public infrastructure (schools, hospitals, roads etc) spending, New Zealand is directing its attention to the happiness of its citizens.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern unveiled the world’s first ‘Well-being’ Budget that focuses on issues such as child poverty, domestic violence, and mental health.
"That is what a Wellbeing Budget looks like. That is what we came into politics to do." Read more about the #WellbeingBudget: https://t.co/n2tD6K7RzK pic.twitter.com/bpgeeDAYi7
— New Zealand Labour (@nzlabour) May 31, 2019
The Guardian quoted the nation’s finance minister, Grant Robertson saying,
“Success is making New Zealand both a great place to make a living, and a great place to make a life.”
The main aim of this budget is to reduce the disparity between the haves and have-nots.
To this end, an amount of NZ$ 1.9 billion (Rs. 8600 crores) has been allocated for mental health. The Finance Minister reveals,
“Mental health is no longer on the periphery of our health system. It is front and centre of all of our wellbeing.”
The government proposed spending NZ$ 320 million (Rs. 1400 crores) on victims of domestic and sexual violence, reports the NY Times. In addition, NZ$ 1 billion (Rs.4500 crores) will be utilized exclusively for child wellbeing.
It certainly is refreshing to see a government focus on happiness and sustainability as opposed to solely economic factors like GDP, right?