Navigation for News Categories

23 May 2015

House continues sitting under urgency

6:21 am on 23 May 2015

MPs will be back at Parliament this morning as the House continues to sit under urgency to pass a range of Budget measures.

Bill English giving the 2015 Budget in Parliament house.

Bill English delivering Budget 2015 in the House on Thursday. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

The House sat until midnight last night, passing a bill implementing a levy to pay for extensions to rural broadband and cellphone coverage.

MPs also started the debate on a bill that removes the $1000 KiwiSaver kickstart payment - a change announced in Thursday's budget.

That debate will continue this morning.

Once that bill is passed, MPs will debate another which introduces a Border Clearance Levy for international travellers.

John Key and Bill English doing bridge run before the Budget is announced.

John Key (left) and Bill English on their way to announce the 2015 Budget.

Winston Peters responding to Budget 2015 "I see red".

Winston Peters responding to Budget 2015.

Andrew Little giving his 2015 Budget speech.

John Key responds to the Labour Party's Budget reply speech.

Andrew Little grilling Bill English's 2015 Budget in parliament house.

John Key responds to the Labour Party's Budget reply speech.

Te Ururoa Flavell giving his Budget 2015 speech.

This budget will be the seventh for Finance Minister Bill English (right - pictured with Steven Joyce on the way to the lock-up at Parliament's Banquet Hall).

Peter Dunne giving his 2015 Budget speech.

Bill English (left) and Steven Joyce handing out the Budget to parliament members in the house.

Steven Joyce (left) and Bill English leaving the 2015 Budget lock-up at Banquet Hall, Parliament.

Bill English giving the 2015 Budget in Parliament house.

Metiria Turei giving her 2015 Budget Speech to the house, parliament.

Steven Joyce (left), Paula Bennett and Bill English arriving at the 2015 Budget lock-up at Banquet Hall, Parliament.

Steven Joyce (left) and Bill English arriving at the lock-up - where about 160 journalists and analysts are waiting.

Bill English giving his Post Budget 2015 speech.

Andrew Little delivering his Post Budget 2015 speech.

Radio New Zealand's economics correspondent Patrick O'Meara, host Susie Ferguson and political editor Brent Edwards in the studio.

Labour leader Andrew Little - at a post-Budget stand-up with reporters at Parliament..JPG

Maori Party MP Marama Fox (left) and ActionStation director Marianne Elliott hongi after the delivery of a petition calling for a Budget to end child poverty.