New Zealand passes first ‘well-being’ budget

Lawmakers in New Zealand passed the country’s first “well-being budget,” an ambitious plan that includes billions of dollars in funding for mental health and combating childhood poverty. The new budget will include an added $1.2 billion for mental health over the next four years, money that will go toward suicide prevention services and free addiction treatment. At least 180,000 children in the country currently live in poverty, and part of the overall budget will go toward halving that number in the next 10 years. While many have lauded the liberal government’s plan, conservative lawmakers have criticized the budget, with some saying it had “style over substance.”