Funding for cannabis referendum, gun buy back scheme included in Budget 2019

As the Government opened the books today, initiatives such as funding to go towards the cannabis referendum and the gun buy back scheme have been laid out, shadowed by major injections to sectors such as mental health and rail. 

Read: Mental health, child wellbeing and rail – the big winners of Budget 2019.

Other initiatives in Budget 2019:

$3 million into increasing access to gender affirming surgery, "responding to a 50-year waiting list for surgery". 

$150 million for the firearms buy back scheme, and $18 million for the implementation of the scheme.

$23.6 million for operating and $1.4 million for capital towards maritime prevention of people smugglers departing for New Zealand. 

$13.4 million to go towards the cannabis legalisation referendum, "to engage and communication with the public on participation in the participation in the referendum process". 

$6 million capital, $1.1 million for operating costs to establish a National Centre for Music. 

$0.1 million for an assessment of a programme to connecting New Zealand War sites. 

$472 million  to eradicate cattle disease M. Bovis.

$1 million investment in cyber security capability and $8 million in a cyber-security strategy. 

$3.5 million to better equip young people leaving school.

$20 million to ensuring Pacific languages survive in New Zealand. 

$3.8 million towards modernising Māori wardens. 

$7.6 million for operating and $2.7 million in capital to enhance services to combat child sexual exploitation across cyber-borders. 

$12 million to improve services for male survivors of sexual violence. 

Source: 1 NEWS