Open to the public, BUDGET 2025: Leading us where? was hosted by Max Rashbrooke, a Wellington-based writer and commentator, and featured six special guest speakers outlining their take on the Budget.

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The speakers  were Sir Ashley Bloomfield, public health physician and CEO of ESR; Professor Lisa Te Morenga Massey University nutrition and Māori Health researcher and co- chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa; Dr Ganesh Ahirao, economist and volunteer; Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary of the Public Service Association│Te Pukenga Here Tikanga Mahi; Jenny Neill, experienced educator and PhD candidate; and Craig Renney,  economist and director of policy for the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.

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The hui was organised by the St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group in partnership with the Child Poverty Action Group, the Public Health Association New Zealand Wellington Branch, and the Public Health Communications Centre.  The Group’s chair Gail Duncan said, “The hui provided an early opportunity to examine the direction this Budget leads us in terms of public health, education, social investment, infrastructure, housing, employment, economic resilience and the role of government.”

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POST BUDGET BREAKFAST: Budget 2025: Leading us where?

The Red Tape Hui: Unwrapping the Regulatory Standard Bill was be hosted by Greg O’Connor, MP for Ōhāriu and Assistant Speaker of the House, and featured three special guest speakers outlining their take on the Bill.

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The speakers were Dr Bryce Wilkinson ONZM, Senior Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative, Director of the Wellington-based economic consultancy firm Capital Economics, and Fellow of the Law and Economics Association of New Zealand; Dr Bryce Edwards, Director of The Integrity Institute and Senior Research Fellow at the Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka, Wellington School of Business and Government; and Craig Renney, Economist and Director of Policy for the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.

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The hui was organised by the St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group. Since 2014, this group of parishioners have pushed for social justice in New Zealand, holding hui and making submissions to government.

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The group’s chair, Gail Duncan, said: “Regulation under the Coalition government is moving at a rapid pace and we hope the hui will provide a moment in time to consider the intention of the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill ‘to improve the quality of regulation by ensuring that regulatory decisions are based on principles of good law-making and economic efficiency’ in terms of delivering a fair and just society.”

For this breakfast hui St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group combined with Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), the Public Health Association New Zealand (PHANZ) Wellington branch, and Otago University Public Health Communications Centre Aotearoa (PHCC).

Open to the public, Budget 2024, The Social Justice Perspective, was hosted by Samoan New Zealand entertainer, Edward Cowley, and featured six special guest speakers outlining their take on the Budget.

The speakers were:

• Auckland University public health and policyacademic, Sir Collin Tukuitonga KNZM; Keynote address on Public Health Perspectives

• Equal Opportunities Commissioner, Acting Race Relations Commissioner and Acting Human Rights Commissioner, Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo; Human Rights – the disabled

• Co-Convenor of the Child Poverty Action Group,Alan Johnson; CPAG perspective

• NZCTU Economist and Director of Policy, CraigRenney; Union Perspective

• Auckland Economist, Shamubeel Eaqub; Economicanalysis

• Wellington writer and intellectual Max Rashbrooke; Commentary/Summary.

The group’s chair, Gail Duncan, said the hui was particularly important at this time. “ It gives us a chance to catch-up with the government’s fast paced legislation on infrastructure, environment, law and order, socia linvestment and taxation.”

The new coalition government’s progress at delivering a fair and just society was the subject of a post-election hui coordinated by Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group, held in Wellington on the eve of the government’s first 100 days in office, on 7 March.

Topics covered were:

• Will redefining the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi be for the betterment of society?’ Maria Bargh, Professor Politics and Māori Studies at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington

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• Human rights and interaction with international and UN agencies. Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner, Acting Race Relations Commissioner and Acting Chief Commissioner at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.

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• Social & economic impact of the Coalition government provisions for infrastructure and industry’. Marnie Prickett, Research fellow at Otago University Department of Public Health

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• Law and order or discrimination and punishment? Speaker Eugene Ryder, Social worker, student of law Victoria University of Wellington

The hui was prepared by the St Peter’s on Willis SocialJustice Group to enhance public understanding of the broader issues at stakefor society as the 2023 election approached. To provide a framework to allow voters to consider policies that havebroad social ramifications and to empower discussion.

To See the full details of speakers and their individual videos, just click here.