Charges Against Future Budgets

As part of its Budget strategy, the Government has put in place some longer-term funding paths for particular sectors. This aids long-term planning and demonstrates the Government's commitment to specific policies.

Charges against future Budgets do not meet the definition of a “risk” under the PFA, as these items are incorporated in the fiscal forecasts. This section is provided to increase transparency about the provisions for future Budgets.

Defence Funding Package

The Defence Funding Package (DFP) is designed to provide the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) with the funding required to address issues identified by the Defence Capability and Resourcing Review, including capability, and maintaining equipment and reserves. Budget 2008 included $69.1 million per annum as the fourth tranche of the 10-year plan. The following table shows the additional tranches to be charged against future Budgets.

Economic Transformation: Innovation - Pre-commitment

Budget 2008 included significant funding for Economic Transformation: Innovation. In addition to this, the Government has agreed that the following funding for this purpose will be pre-committed against future budgets:

Foreign Affairs and Trade - Funding Package Pre-commitment

The Foreign Affairs and Trade Package is designed to provide the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) with certainty to progress growth plans while also providing the Government and MFAT the flexibility to respond to emerging issues that may arise as a result of an increasingly complex international environment. The pre-commitment is $133 million operating and $39 million in capital funding to be allocated in Budget 2009 to Budget 2012.

Operating:

Capital:

Health - Pre-commitment

The Government has agreed that the indicative Health allocation of $800 million for Budget 2009 may be pre-committed by $2.233 million in 2010/11 rising to $13.736 million per annum in 2012/13 and outyears.

Teachers’ and Principals’ Collective Agreements

The Government previously set aside funding for the Teachers’ and Principals’ Collective Agreements in Budgets 2007 and 2008. These Collective Agreements have now been settled, and the remaining costs are $169.128 million in 2009/10 rising to $192.414 million in 2010/11 and outyears. These costs will be charged against Budget 2009.

Time-limited Funding

Time-limited funding does not meet the definition of a “risk” under the PFA, but is further information that is prepared to increase transparency about initiatives with funding profiles that cease or decrease during the forecast period.

The following table outlines those areas where initiatives have time-limited funding that decreases or ceases at some point in the forecast period and may potentially be extended, using a $5 million materiality threshold. Time-limited funding often relates to pilot programmes, and in some cases Multi-Year Appropriations (MYAs) if they are likely to require further funding in the future.

The following table shows the debt and operating impact if funding were to be appropriated to maintain funding levels for these initiatives (ie, extend the initiatives beyond their current scheduled completion dates). These amounts would need to be managed within the forecast spending.