The Prime Minister is assuring New Zealanders that when times are hard you don't cut - you invest

Jacinda Ardern says tomorrow's Budget will be delivered in the most challenging economic conditions faced by any Government since the Great Depression.

She says the Government will run the ruler over every line of expenditure, and that spending must provide value for money and support the primary goal of jobs for Kiwis.

But Ardern says the notion of making cuts to the essential services so many New Zealanders need more than ever, is not only immoral - it's economically wrong.