Reporting on COVID-19 Specific Appropriations

This data release captures and reports on expenditure incurred in relation to new appropriations established as part of the Government's response to COVID-19, up until 30 June 2022. It includes expenditure incurred on initiatives announced on 17 March 2020 and subsequent initiatives that have been funded through the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund (CRRF).   

The below table shows the cumulative expenditure incurred from the beginning of the pandemic response through to 30 June 2022 against new appropriations with expenditure over $100m. This list includes both capital and operating expenditure.

Not all the initiatives introduced by the Government have resulted in the establishment of a new appropriation or require an appropriation.

Some initiatives represented an extension of existing government activities and fell within existing appropriations. Expenditure incurred under pre-existing appropriations is not captured in this data release. For example, some funding received by Vote Education (such as funding to support mental health and wellbeing and funding to expand Ka Ora Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches Programme) and some funding received by Vote Health (all non-immunisation related expenditure in 2019/20, as well as a portion of non-immunisation related expenditure in 2020/21 and 2021/22) was incurred against existing appropriations and is therefore not captured in the data release.

Some initiatives introduced provided tax relief to taxpayers, which results in a reduction in tax revenue rather than an increase in expenditure to the Crown, therefore no appropriation is necessary.

The amount of expenditure incurred may differ from the amount managed against the CRRF.

For each initiative, the net expected fiscal cost (as estimated at the time the decision is made) on the Crown's net debt is managed against the CRRF.

The amount appropriated represents the authority to incur expenditure (either operating or capital) rather than the net expected fiscal cost on the Crown's net debt. In some cases, the appropriated amount and net expected fiscal cost will be the same. For others these two figures will be different. Two examples of this are: Loans to Air New Zealand (where expected repayments reduce the expected fiscal cost on the Crown's net debt but not the appropriated amount) and the Small Business Cashflow Scheme (where valuation losses from the loans require an appropriation but do not have a fiscal cost on the Crown's net debt and where repayments are also expected).

Details of where Non-financial Performance Information in respect of these appropriations will be or has been reported can be found in the relevant Estimates documents.