No surprises in next year's NZ budget NEXT year's New Zealand budget will be business as usual, Finance Minister bill English says. His Budget Policy Statement, released on Tuesday with the Treasury's Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update, has no surprises in it and says the government's priorities haven't changed. "Budget deficits, and the subsequent increases in government debt, have been appropriate responses as the government has sought to protect the economy from the worst effects of the recession," he said. Returning to surplus, and bringing debt down to more prudent levels, will allow the government to rebuild New Zealand's resilience to future shocks, help lift national savings and reduce future finance costs. The Treasury is forecasting a budget surplus of $NZ86 million ($A80.28 million) next year, rising to $NZ 1.7 billion and $NZ3.1 billion in the following two years. His priorities next year will be the same as he has had since National came to power in 2008 - responsible financial management, building a more productive economy, delivering better public services and rebuilding Christchurch. "Budget 2014 will continue the work in previous budgets of scrutinising and reprioritising existing spending to deliver better results for New Zealanders," he said. We will run a tight ship in the years ahead.