Budget 2026: Government spends $7b on new hospitals, roads and schools. Here’s where they are

Katie Bradford's top takeaways of the Budget 2026, says "there's no big surprises." Video / NZ Herald

Listen to this article — Budget 2026: Government spends $7b on new hospitals, roads and schools. Here's where they are

Upgrades to hospitals, new school developments and extending the Waikato Expressway are among the big-ticket items in the Government’s boosted capital spend in Budget 2026.

Ahead of today’s Budget, Finance Minister Nicola Willis confirmed her Budget’s capital allowance would be increased to a net $5.7 billion, up about $2b from what was expected.

The Budget confirmed it would be spent on the following projects:

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.