Budget 2026 and MPs banned from China w/ the ACT Party’s Laura McClure: 8th June, 2026

Two weeks ago saw the government announcing its budget for 2026, which saw major cuts across the public sector alongside new spending announcements for health, defence, and numerous other sectors. 

The health sector particularly has been under significant pressure over recent years, with healthcare workers consistently calling for more support due to overcrowding and underfunding. While the government committed $6 billion dollars to health earlier in its term, the problem has yet to significantly improve. 

The government has also committed to increasing defence spending, with accusations floating around that New Zealand has been a “freeloader”, dependent on military support from our allies in the US and Australia. The new commitment will see New Zealand’s defence funding expected to rise to 2% of GDP by 2028. 

This budget also saw cuts to the fees free programme, which subsidised tertiary course fees during students’ final year of study. The government says this programme was too expensive, and did not deliver enough value for money. 

Lastly, ACT’s Laura McClure alongside three other MPs from multiple political parties was banned from entering China following a visit to Taiwan. 

For this week’s catchup with the ACT Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Laura McClure about each of these issues, beginning with discussions over her recent ban from entering China.