What scientists really think of this year's Budget

The 2026 Budget was announced by the government on Thursday.

Scientists are lukewarm on this year's Budget with science and tech startups seemingly the sector's main winners.

According to the New Zealand Association of Scientists there was a $30 million bump for science and innovation, but co-president Lucy Stewart said it tracked "slightly below inflation pressures".

Amid major science reforms and off the back of last year's redundancies she said the best thing about Budget 2026 was that it didn't indicate significantly more pain for the sector.

The Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology Penny Simmonds said the Budget reflected the government's shift to a more strategic science system focused on delivering economic growth.