They said it...
Top pronouncements, criticisms, opinions and banter from the
last 10 years of Budget announcements.
1999 (National) - The "family friendly" Budget
"It was a lolly scramble with one lolly," - Labour finance spokesman Michael Cullen after National unveils its Budget introducing the 'baby bonus' family tax credit.
"It's responsible, but bland. I feel like Oliver Twist. 'Please Sir, can I have some more?"' - Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Michael Barnett on the lack of business initiatives.
2000 (Labour) - Setting the scene as a prudent government
"The money we are spending is money we have raised. We are not raiding the piggy bank or mortgaging the future." - Finance Minister Michael Cullen in his Budget speech.
2001 - Ongoing focus on strong fiscal management
"Grey, faceless and visionless." - National leader Jenny Shipley describes Cullen's second Budget.
2002 - Transforming New Zealand's economy
"This nation has no reason to wallow in either self-pity or self-recrimination about its past performance," - Finance Minister Michael Cullen in his Budget speech.
"It is a Budget with its eye firmly focused on the long-term, not just the next six months. It is, most definitely, not an election-buying Budget. It may well be an election-winning one." - Michael Cullen.
2003 - Business as usual
"Dr Cullen has delivered a do-nothing, go-nowhere Budget," - ACT MP Rodney Hide.
2004 - Working for Families
"If there is any vision in this Budget, it is of a nation on welfare. Low- and middle-income families with children will get some relief, but what about all the other hard working New Zealanders? - National leader Don Brash.
"The 2004 Budget is, at its core, a belated series of bribes by the most cynical government in New Zealand's history.'" - Don Brash.
"This is a pork barrel budget aimed at winning an election," - New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
"This government seems content to let our economy drift along aimlessly on the back of "people importing" and consumption rather than finding a secure path to prosperity." - Winston Peters.
2005 - "No" to tax cuts
"We will not be getting into a tax cut and spending auction for this election because we do not believe that is in the interests of good economic management." - Prime Minister Helen Clark.
"This Budget is slow Punch and no Judy. Frankly, working New Zealanders should feel insulted they've had to wait so long, to be promised so little." - National Party Finance spokesman John Key.
"It is a Budget of bizarre priorities which emanates from Labour's strategy of focus group polling and trying to keep pressure groups happy and pandering to immigrants." - New Zealand First Party leader Winston Peters.
2006 - Student loans go interest free
"Helen Clark and Michael Cullen believe there is a place for tax cuts. It's called Australia. This is the Brain Drain Budget; the Bondi Budget. Instead of boosting the country's capacity to grow, Helen Clark is focused on redistributing what we currently have." - National Party leader Don Brash on Labour's firm stance on no tax cuts.
"What does it all mean? Nothing for Maori. What the 2006 Budget does is to strip money from the meagre Maori Votes across government and put it into their new bureauspeak policy ideas." - Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia.
2007 -Saving and investing
"Here's the second thing that identifies this as a Michael Cullen budget - it is a money-go-round. It moves money around between different groups of people, but it doesn't grow the income of New Zealand as a whole.
"A great example is the KiwiSaver subsidies that were announced on Thursday. The government will now give you up to $20 a week if you agree to put savings into the KiwiSaver scheme.
"But where does that $20 come from? It comes from you. It comes from the taxpayers of New Zealand - it isn't helicoptered in from overseas." - National leader, John Key.
"For Labour this Budget is all about trying to find "Friends". Much like the show itself, they used to top the ratings, but the reruns just don't have the same appeal." - New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
2008 - Tax cuts... finally
"The trouble with Dr Cullen's budgets is that they are all about carving up the economy cake rather than baking a bigger cake." - ACT leader Rodney Hide.
And, lest we forget...
"Nine years of waiting and a family-sized block of cheese and you get two blocks before the election and you're meant to be grateful.
"The next time you get a tax cut theoretically under that budget is not for two years. That's a long time between toasted sandwiches. It's a long time between macaroni cheese." - National leader John Key.
TVNZ has comprehensive coverage of Budget 2009. The ONE
News Budget Special will feature Bill English's Budget speech, pre
and post-Budget analysis and reaction. The special will be streamed
LIVE on tvnz.co.nz, where we will have full text coverage of the
Budget announcements.
Follow our Budget Twitter feed -
twitter.com/NZBudgetNews
