新的预算中，新西兰把钱花在核心问题上

新的预算中，新西兰把钱花在核心问题上

The New Zealand government has taken a bold step where no modern government has gone before, telling its citizens the economy doesn't matter so much — as long as they're happy.

新西兰政府迈出了现代政府从未迈出的大胆一步，它告诉国民，只要他们高兴，经济并不那么重要。

At last week's budget announcement, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shocked — and maybe even inspired — the world by announcing billions of dollars for programs addressing mental health, suicide and child poverty.

在上周的预算宣布中，总理杰辛达·阿德恩宣布了数十亿美元的项目，用于解决心理健康、自杀和儿童贫困问题，这震惊了世界，甚至可能鼓舞了世界。

"We said that we would be a government that did things differently, and for this budget we have done just that," Ardern told reporters. "Today we have laid the foundation for not just one well-being budget, but a different approach for government decision-making altogether."

阿德恩对记者说：“我们说过，我们将是一个采取不同做法的政府，在预算中，我们已经这么做了。今天，我们不仅为一项福利预算奠定了基础，而且为政府决策提供了完全不同的方法。”

The economy will effectively take a backseat to happiness. Spending on mental health will increase by $1.9 billion NZ ($1.2 billion U.S.) over the next four years. Those funds will ensure thousands more New Zealanders will be able to access mental and addiction services for free. The government also promised to cut the number of children living in poverty — currently estimated at 180,000 — in half over the next 10 years.

实际上，经济将让位于幸福。在未来四年里，心理健康方面的支出将增加19亿新西兰元(合12亿美元)，这些资金将确保更多的新西兰人能够免费获得心理和戒毒服务。政府还承诺在未来10年内将生活在贫困中的儿童数量(目前估计为18万)减少一半。

Millions more in funding will go towards housing programs for people who need a long-term home — for free with no strings attached.

另外数百万美元的资金将用于为那些需要长期住房的人提供住房的项目，而且是免费的，没有任何附加条件。

Along the way, New Zealand will become the first western country to direct the bulk of its budget toward mental health and poverty.

在此过程中，新西兰将成为第一个将大部分预算用于心理健康和贫困的西方国家。

You would think that a country that sees just under 5 million people living alongside blue penguins, kiwi birds, dolphins, fur seals and falcon — not to mention some of the world's most breathtaking natural scenery — would have little trouble finding its mental health footing.

你可能会认为，一个只有不到500万人与蓝企鹅、几维鸟、海豚、海狗和猎鹰生活在一起的国家——更不用说一些世界上最令人叹为观止的自然景观了——找到自己的心理健康立足点不会有什么困难。

After all, nature has proven such a powerful remedy for what may ail the mind that some doctors even write a prescription for it. But in New Zealand, that drug doesn't seem to be working.

毕竟，大自然已经证明，对于困扰我们心灵的问题，它是一种非常有效的治疗方法，有些医生甚至会为它开处方。但在新西兰，这种“药物”似乎不起作用。

The country has the dubious distinction of being ranked first among all Western countries for teen and young adult suicides.

这个国家在所有西方国家中青少年和青年自杀率排名第一，这一点值得怀疑。

Something has to give, as Finance Minister Grant Robertson told The Associated Press.

正如财政部长格兰特·罗伯逊对美联社所说，必须要付出一些代价。

"The old way of doing things has left too many people behind," he said. "New Zealanders want us to measure our success, and invest on their behalf, in line with their values. The values of fairness, the protection of the environment, the strength of our communities."

他说：“旧的做事方式把太多的人抛在了后面。新西兰人希望我们按照他们的价值衡量我们的成功，并代表他们进行投资，包括：公平的价值观，对环境的保护以及我们社区的优势。”