Jacinda Ardern Instagram – It’s the 1st of May, that means the year is once again whizzing by and we’re all starting conversations with “can you believe it’s May already?!” It also means the Winter Energy Payment kicks in again. While we introduced this payment back when we first came into government, I know how important it will be for so many this year especially. This year the Winter Energy Payment also sits alongside the changes we made on 1 April to lift the family tax credit, increase benefits and of course cut fuel prices by 25 cents for three months. There’s no easy answer to the cost of living pressures we’re seeing globally at the moment, but these are all things we can do as a government to help ease some of the pressure.