WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand will become one of the first developed nations to return to a budget surplus since the 2008 financial crisis plunged the global economy into recession, the government said Thursday.

The spending plans outlined by the government are a turnaround after several years of belt-tightening it said was needed to prevent debt levels rising too high. The slowdown in growth after the financial crisis prompted many governments to borrow to keep their countries afloat.