Jan Tinetti Labour MP

The Prime Minister has been clear that the Government is focused on the bread-and-butter issues that matter most to New Zealanders.

That's why we're taking a range of actions to reduce cost-of-living pressures on families and supporting communities as many recover and rebuild following the recent extreme weather.

From the start of April we're significantly increasing support for seniors, students, beneficiaries and those on Working for Families. On top of this, we're making childcare and after-school care more affordable for many low and middle income families through changes to childcare assistance subsidies that begin April 1.

The Government also moved quickly to extend the fuel tax cuts and half-price public transport until the end of June, because we know transport is one of the biggest expenses for households right now.

These measures won't solve everything but they are practical steps that we can take to support Kiwis. Of course, there's still more we can do and we've indicated bread and butter issues like the cost of living will continue to be a major focus for our Government.

The recent extreme weather events have put further pressure on many people across the country. This Government is committed to supporting Kiwis through the response, recovery and rebuild – and we're in a strong position to do so.

The latest numbers show, thanks to our careful management of the economy, New Zealand is well positioned to tackle immediate challenges and to build back better, safer and smarter.