Finance minister Grant Robertson cut back $20 billion worth of proposals and initiatives put forward by ministers to economise the Covid-19 Response and Recovery fund.
Finance minister Grant Robertson. Photo: RNZ /Dom Thomas
The government has released a handful of documents relating to its Covid-19 response decision making.
In a Cabinet paper dated 22 June, ministers submitted 149 proposals in total for the July 2020 round of the Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund and to wave three of the government's response.
The proposals for wave three of the government's response to Covid-19 covered six areas - business support, energy, housing and urban development, international education, three waters and water.
That amounted to more than $23 billion of spending, but the Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund had a remaining balance of $18bn.
However, Robertson wanted a fiscal buffer of $15bn, leaving only $3bn left for spending.
But on 20 July, the finance minister announced that the government had set aside a buffer of $14bn.
It is understood the $1bn change to the buffer was due to other costs that came up during that month, such as vaccination funding and managed isolation facilities spending.