BY TRACY WATKINS - © Fairfax NZ News

National will have to win two elections before it has any money to spend, sharing the pain with the 70,000 set to join the dole queue.

• Full Budget coverage

BY TRACY WATKINS AND VERNON SMALL

A $37 billion hole in the nest egg for future pensions is fuelling debate over the retirement age.

BY JOHN HARTEVELT - © Fairfax NZ News

Schools will be overwhelmed by a baby boom unless the Government reverses teacher funding cuts outlined in the Budget, unions say.

BY VERNON SMALL - © Fairfax NZ News

ACC chief executive Jan White has apologised to staff after ACC Minister Nick Smith publicly announced looming redundancies before they knew about them.

BY VERNON SMALL - © Fairfax NZ News

The Budget has been given a big thumbs-up by Standard & Poor's, with a surprise upgrade to New Zealand's credit rating.

BY COLIN ESPINER - © Fairfax NZ News

Tax cuts are off the table before the next election, but Finance Minister Bill English's belt-tightening Budget has staved off a credit downgrade. Parliament went into urgency last night to pass the backtrack on tax, which would have put an additional $10 a week in the pockets of average income-earners.

• Budget by the numbers
• Bill English's Budget speech
• Budget: What people think

BY NICK CHURCHOUSE - © Fairfax NZ News

"Responsible", "prudent" and "sensible" were the catch-cries of business after the Government's Budget yesterday.

BY KERRY WILLIAMSON AND STACEY WOOD - © Fairfax NZ News

The building industry is set for a badly needed boost, with customers rushing to make their homes warmer from July.

BY NATHAN BEAUMONT - © Fairfax NZ News

Schools will get more cash to cover day-to-day costs, help combat truancy and disruptive students and improve literacy and numeracy skills.

BY RUTH HILL - © Fairfax NZ News

The health sector gets a $3 billion cash injection nabbing 40 per cent of all new Government funding but cuts are planned.

BY GREER MCDONALD - © Fairfax NZ News

Our Budget family, a cross-section of Wellingtonians, share their reaction.

© Fairfax NZ News

The Government moved immediately tonight to pass legislation scrapping tax cuts.

• Full Budget coverage
• Was English bold enough?
• Budget: What people think
• Bill English's Budget speech
• 'This is a dishonest budget' - Labour
• See the details

BY PETER WILSON

The Government has reined in spending and scrapped tax cuts in a budget it says will bring debt under control and set New Zealand on the road to recovery.

Labour launched a fierce attack on the Government when the Budget debate began in Parliament.

BY MICHAEL FOX - © Fairfax NZ News

Stuff.co.nz hit the streets to see what people thought of the Budget.

BY KATE CHAPMAN

While other sectors are having their belts tightened health has been given a $3 billion injection.

BY MAGGIE TAIT

A budget designed to deal with chill economic times has delivered one warm fuzzy – a grant up to $1800 for homeowners, which is not subject to income testing.

BY IAN LLEWELLYN

OPINION: The mid-term spending forecasts in the budget show that unless the economy improves soon the 2011 election year budget could be one of the grimmest ever.

The slashing of the civil service has not extended to Treasury, the department which advises the Government on financial matters.

NZPA

Despite slashing contributions to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund the Government has said it will not cut payments to superannuitants.