The Government’s new smartphone and tablet app for Budget 2012 was downloaded more than 8,600 times and was New Zealand’s most popular free-download app on Budget day, Finance Minister Bill English says.

The Budget App, called NZ Budget, allows users to read the Budget speech and key Budget documents, watch video coverage and read ministers’ public statements.

The $59,000 cost of developing the app was funded through savings in Budget printing costs, which are expected to be at least $100,000. It was developed in less than four weeks by the Treasury and Wellington company PaperKite.

“I’m pleased the new app was a popular addition to our Budget communications,” Mr English says. “It confirms that New Zealanders have an appetite for receiving information in new, innovative ways.

“It’s also a good example of the Government’s focus on delivering better, more innovative, public services.”

The Treasury will update the Budget app each year, and use it as the base for other related government information, as the Government moves increasingly online.