Five Million Voices

Should Parliament grant the Government additional imprest supply authority to fund Cabinet decisions and contingencies arising after the 2024/25 Estimates were finalised?

This is a routine imprest supply bill authorising the Government to spend public money beyond the amounts set in the Appropriation (2024/25 Estimates) Bill, covering decisions finalised after the Estimates were closed off and unforeseen contingencies. It provides interim authority pending the formal appropriation process.

⚡ Taken under urgency

Parliament advanced this bill under urgency (first reading, second reading, third reading) — moving it through faster than usual, with less time than normal for public submissions.

MPs’ arguments for and against the bill

Why support it
  • Supporters said the Budget adjusted income tax thresholds after a long period, returning around $3.7 billion to New Zealanders with benefits weighted toward lower and middle income families, funded through revenue measures and reprioritisation.
  • Supporters pointed to increased funding for health, including hospitals, primary care, and a lift in capitation for medical practices, alongside investment in education and additional police.
  • Supporters highlighted spending on social investment to address the causes of crime early, including a new social investment fund to commission outcomes for vulnerable New Zealanders.
Why oppose it
  • Opponents argued the Budget reduced support for Māori, citing cuts to Māori housing providers and rangatahi transitional housing and a lack of new funding for Māori services.
  • Opponents said the Budget favoured certain groups over others, funding tax cuts and items such as a Treaty referendum bill and a regulation ministry rather than expanded public services or food in schools.
  • Opponents contended the Budget reduced the public service through job cuts and prioritised landlords, higher speed limits, and coal mining over renters, workers, and climate action.

These are claims MPs made in Parliament’s debate — not verified facts.

Full bill summary & link to official bill page

"Imprest supply" is the temporary legal authority Parliament gives the Government to spend public money before that spending is formally approved through the annual appropriation (Budget) process. This is a routine imprest supply bill for the 2024/25 financial year. It authorises the Government to spend beyond the amounts already set out in the 2024/25 Estimates, covering spending decisions made by Cabinet after the Estimates were finalised, and unforeseen contingencies that arise during the year. It provides interim authority until those amounts are confirmed in a later Appropriation Act.

It is a standard supply bill introduced as part of the normal government financial cycle; measures like it are required regularly to keep the Government funded and operating between formal appropriations. Supporters note it is essential machinery so public services can continue and new decisions can be funded. Critics — usually opposition parties — argue that imprest supply grants broad, high-value spending authority with limited detailed scrutiny at the point it is given, and often use the debate to question the Government's overall spending.

See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.

Oppose (No) Support (Yes)

Imprest Supply (Second for 2024/25) Bill · Second Reading, 24 Sept 2024
Parliament voted 68–49 — it passed.