Budget 2019 will be delivered on Thursday May 30.

'This year's Budget will be the first to use the Coalition Government's new Wellbeing approach, an evidence-based framework used to identify the Budget priorities and then assess which Budget bids should be accepted,” says Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

'This means Ministers and departments are focussed on developing Budget bids and policies which will deliver outcomes that will make real improvements to New Zealanders' wellbeing.

'In December, the Coalition Government announced the five priorities for Budget 2019. These were developed using the Treasury's Living Standards Framework (LSF), evidence from sector-based experts and the Government's Science Advisors, and through collaboration among public sector agencies and Ministers.”

The five Priorities for Budget 2019 are:

• Creating opportunities for productive businesses, regions, iwi and others to transition to a sustainable and low-emissions economy
• Supporting a thriving nation in the digital age through innovation, social and economic opportunities
• Lifting Māori and Pacific incomes, skills and opportunities
• Reducing child poverty and improving child wellbeing, including addressing family violence
• Supporting mental wellbeing for all New Zealanders, with a special focus on under 24-year-olds.

'Ministers are collectively responsible for delivering on these priorities, and for the first time have been tasked from the outset of the Budget process with developing their Budget bids through the lens of these evidenced-based priorities.

"This is a more rigorous framework for assessing bids and ensures that the Government is focussed on the outcomes that matter most,” says Grant.