ANZASW is deeply disappointed in the government's regressive budget that abandons vulnerable communities by investing public funds into punitive measures while cutting social services and ignoring evidence-based approaches. 

ANZASW President Sharyn Roberts summarises: " Rather than delivering a bold or visionary budget, the Government has handed down a NS – No Surprises budget where once again, those doing the heavy lifting in our communities are left behind by a budget that redefines austerity”.  

Key Concerns 

Ineffective youth justice approach  

• Military Style Academies will be funded despite substantial evidence showing they don't produce long-term behaviour change and can be harmful to youth. 
• Funding the "Young Serious Offender" regime will further damage young people through harmful labelling, which contradicts social work values of human dignity. 

Prison expansion over evidence-based prevention  

• Increased spending on police, corrections and building more prison beds rather than addressing root causes of crime. 
• Prison privatisation is particularly concerning to us, as private prisons prioritise profit over rehabilitation and human rights, leading to poorer outcomes for prisoners and communities. 

Economic policies that benefit business over people  

• Despite cost of living pressures, this Budget subsidises business assets at the expense of government KiwiSaver contributions, reducing retirement security for working people. 
• Young people applying for Jobseeker Support will be subject to parental asset testing. This will place additional pressure on struggling families and discourage independence for young adults in an already difficult job market. 

Systematic attack on women's pay equity  

• $12.8b has been injected into this Budget because of ceasing pay equity claims and changing the Equal Pay Act. The reinvestment of these ‘savings’ is at the expense of women in undervalued professions like social services and healthcare who provide essential support to disadvantaged communities.  
• This redirection of funds represents the abandonment of government obligations to address systemic gender-based pay discrimination. 

Environmental justice abandoned for fossil fuel interests  

• A reduced commitment to climate change measures is evident, while simultaneously diverting millions to oil and gas exploration. 
• Climate change is fundamentally a social justice issue, and there is a lack of investment seen in this Budget, which neglects our duty to future generations. 

---

Positive elements                                                                                                                                                

We welcome some parts of the 2025 Budget. However, our support is accompanied by some reservations: 

• Abuse in Care Survivors Support - ANZASW welcomes funding for redress but questions how it will be achieved fairly and justly, when the government decided against implementing the new compensation scheme recommended by the Royal Commission of Inquiry. 
   
• Social Investment Fund - While welcomed, ANZASW is concerned about how this will improve outcomes for whānau when the social service system has already been stripped of $139 million in funding over this government term. 
   
• Disability Support Services – We commend investment in disability support and efforts to respond to abuse of disabled people. We hope this signals a return to  investment into the disability sector which faced significant funding and service cuts last year. 
   
• Teacher Registration Funding - ANZASW stands in solidarity with education colleagues and hopes this financial commitment to  professional registration will extend to social workers. 

The government must invest in social infrastructure that builds strong, healthy communities. ANZASW calls on the government to redirect spending toward evidence-based social investment that addresses the root causes of social challenges, rather than the ad-hoc approach to supporting communities represented within Budget 2025.