The Appropriation (2019/20 Estimates) Bill had its third reading on 17 September 2019. Minister for Finance Grant Robertson is in charge of the bill.

This bill seeks parliamentary authorisation of the individual appropriations contained in the Estimates of Appropriations for the Government of New Zealand for the Year Ending 30 June 2020.

Appropriation is the statutory mechanism by which Parliament authorises the Government to incur expenses and capital expenditure.

Clauses 6 (Appropriations for the 2019/20 financial year) and 7 (Appropriations applying for more than one year) are the principal appropriation clauses of the bill.

The individual appropriations are set out in Schedules 1 and 2.

Clause 8 and Schedule 3 specify the appropriations to which output expenses may be charged under section 21 of the Public Finance Act 1989.

Clause 9 authorises, for the 2019/20 financial year, the capital injections set out in Schedule 4.

The Act comes into force the day after it receives the Royal assent.