Category: Labour Party

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary.

“One hand obviously isn’t talking to the other in the Beehive, as Matt Doocey desperately scrambled last night in a statement to media in which he contradicted the Minister of Health and leading Ministry officials,” Ingrid Leary said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if people now see the much-hyped Minister of Mental Health role as tokenistic, an unfair perception given the seriousness of mental health in New Zealand – someone just forgot to tell National.

“What’s worse is the Minister is on the record saying suicide prevention is a priority for him, and that he wanted the office to be supported better to deliver on the ground.

“The Office was established after the strong recommendations of the Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction. It brought focus to the work in the suicide prevention space and strengthened the roles and work in this important area.

Dismantling the Suicide Prevention Office may come at the expense of lives. The Minister of Health, who seems to be overseeing these cuts, needs to stand up and take some responsibility for this backwards and dangerous idea.

“Health workers and the sector deserve better than this from the ministers that are supposed to be championing them,” Ingrid Leary said.

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New Zealand will feel the harm of the National Government’s reckless cuts to jobs at the health ministry for generations, says Ayesha Verrall.

“Today we learned 134 crucial positions are set to be disestablished at the Ministry of Health, including in regulation, monitoring, suicide prevention, and science and evidence.

“At the Government’s request, the Ministry of Health has proposed the closure of the Suicide Prevention Office, which is responsible for New Zealand’s Suicide Action Plan, and has seen suicide rates reduced for the last three years.

“For a Government that made a song and dance about establishing a Minister for Mental Health, I am concerned we are going backwards to a time before the recommendation of the Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction recommendation to strengthen and unify roles in this important area,

“The Ministry of Health is proposing nearly 1 in 5 jobs are cut – a scale which will mean New Zealanders get less out of their government and the services that it provides.

“These are not simply back office roles, they are roles that include regulation and monitoring of the health system. When our health regulatory system fails, people get hurt, like they were with surgical mesh.

“Monitoring roles support the Minister of Health in overseeing $26 billion in health expenditure. If Te Whatu Ora’s performance fails to improve, cuts in this area may well be why.

“Last week Minister of Public Services Nicola Willis was unable to describe any steps she had taken to assure her that cuts at the Ministry of Health would not compromise New Zealand’s ability to respond to public health threats.

“My thoughts go out to public servants at all the affected Ministries, who today will be incredibly apprehensive about their situation. I want to make it clear that Labour appreciates their service to their country, particularly those who protected people’s health and incomes during the pandemic.

“These hard-working people do not deserve to bear the brunt of Nicola Willis’ reckless fiscal promises. Her tax cuts are not worth losing the very people who help prevent suicide in this country, our smokefree legislation that would save lives and our pandemic preparedness,” Ayesha Verrall said.

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Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said.

“The Government’s nothing plan released this week continues to have absolutely nothing in it for Māori,” Willie Jackson said.

“They have doubled down on repealing initiatives that are designed to take Māori forward and support Māori whanau – without consulting any iwi, hapu or communities about them first. 

“The only policy specifically about Māori in their latest list is to remove section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act. This change was made after major controversy around the uplift of Māori children and was designed to reconnect children in state care with their whanau and whakapapa.

“The removal of this policy is not about the children but about the fact they are Māori.

“They’re also bringing back laws that disproportionally affect Māori, like the three strikes law and youth boot camps – the evidence shows neither of these actually work.

“It is yet another round of taking Māori backwards, cutting support and making bad decisions that will hurt our people.

“There is nothing for Māori communities and organisations to look forward to, or any positive change for them to get behind.

“Earlier this year we saw whanau come out in force to voice their concerns and anger over what this government is doing. Whether it was at the Kīngitanga hui, Ratana or at Waitangi, Māori communities have been clear that their rights must be honoured under the Treaty.  

“All the talk from Christopher Luxon that he will honour the Treaty simply does not add up when you look at his government’s actions, and listen to his Coalition partners.

“This Government cannot be trusted to support Māori interests and need to be called out for their lack of any plan to support Māori communities and take our people forward,” Willie Jackson said.

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The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty.

“Community housing providers are pausing developments on new public housing places because the Government won’t commit to funding for Income Related Rent Subsidy past June 2025. The Salvation Army, for example, has had 70 desperately needed homes kiboshed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development,” said Kieran McAnulty.

“This uncertainty is not only affecting Community Housing providers – it is putting the entire social housing build programme at risk. During the Annual Review into Kainga Ora last month, officials explained that the Luxon Government commissioned advice from Treasury that said if no funding is provided post 2025 then Kainga Ora will need to sell 10,000 social houses.

“Kainga Ora have cancelled projects, community housing providers are pulling back and building consents are falling rapidly. This impacts families in desperate need of housing as well as local tradies and apprentices who are losing work as a result.

“Despite repeated questions, in question time, written questions and at the Annual Review in Select Committee the Government still won’t make any commitment to fund the subsidy, which would increase the number of public housing places, and go great lengths to lower the waiting list of families who are waiting to be placed in a home.

“The Government have made a lot of promises when it comes to housing, but at the end of the day they’re making things worse. The lack of certainty is stalling the momentum Labour had built in social housing and the construction sector.

“There’s a simple fix here – do what Labour were going to do and confirm the funding, give community housing providers the certainty they need, give families in need hope that they’re finally get a home and keep tradies in work.

“They didn’t wait for the budget to announce $2.9b tax cut for landlords, so they shouldn’t wait until the budget to announce funding that will actually help people,” Kieran McAnulty said.

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Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead.

Under Labour, April 1 minimum wage increases meant thousands of New Zealanders would get more in their pockets for every hour of work they did. Benefits were also matched to wages rather than inflation, which was seen as one of the best things a government could do to lift children out of poverty in New Zealand. 

“Unfortunately, there will be less for many kiwi families from April 1 this year as the Government chooses to fork out $2.9 billion for landlords instead,” Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni said.

“This Government’s measly 2% increase to the minimum wage means lower paid workers will again fall behind inflation and go backwards in real terms.

“The effects of the reversal of Labour’s key change to ensure benefits rose when wages did, which the Children’s Commissioner said was the best thing that could be done to lift children out of poverty, will also start to be felt. The change means someone on jobseeker support will be $50 a week worse-off, while someone on a disability benefit will be $60 a week worse off by 2030, which is between $2600 to $3120 less a year.

“These decisions by the National Government will make life a lot harder for those doing it the toughest.

“Even the support that is available is becoming more difficult to access. Those on jobseeker benefits are having to re-apply for support much more often. National’s only real cost of living policy so far, which took 118 days to announce, is a rebate that parents have to get invoices for and claim back.  

“These changes, alongside reducing carers’ access to disability support and not committing to funding school lunches for kids will see many people getting or saving less.  

“All the savings this government is making from reducing what hard-working Kiwis are entitled to is to pay for a political promise of tax cuts which won’t help as many people as claimed, and a nearly $3 billion tax break for landlords.

“This is about choices: landlords or disability funding; tax cuts or the school lunch programme, proper minimum wage increases and a policy that would lift children out of poverty.  

“This April 1 we wish we could say the choices this National Government’s making are a joke. But taking working people backwards and making support harder to get certainly isn’t funny to us,” Carmel Sepuloni said.

The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert.

The Auckland Council submission in response to the Draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2024 suggests that Aucklanders will soon pay higher public transport costs and face reduced access to vital services which allow them to get around their city.

“Congestion and cost of living are key issues for Aucklanders, and Transport Minister Simeon Brown is set to make both matters worse in one fell swoop as he looks set to shortchange the city between $80 million to $100 million,” Shanan Halbert said.

“The GPS means not only will services be cut, but the infrastructure budgets would be immediately oversubscribed and Auckland Transport will be unable to fund planned projects – even a new footpath would be at risk.

“In February almost 382,000 Aucklanders used the public transport network. Auckland Council may need to make 30 percent cuts to services to make up for Minister Brown’s shortfall, imagine how many cars this would add to the roads.

“Minister Brown is piling costs on to Aucklanders after promising cost of living relief. Public transport users may face a 136 per cent fare increase or be forced to use their car and pay additional registration fees, congestion pricing and toll roads.

“Fare increases and cut services may not be enough, and the council has also indicated a potential 25 per cent increase in rates to make up the funding shortfall.

“Reduced, more expensive services are bad for people, congestion, and bad for the environment. Crucial routes will be harder to move through, ultimately making the city less economically efficient and productive. This sits in contrast to the government’s strategic priority of economic growth and productivity as described in the draft GPS.

“Aucklanders have been promised a faster, more efficient transport network, the GPS breaks this promise. The Government can choose to properly fund transport infrastructure for Aucklanders, but actions speak louder than words – tax cuts for landlords were higher on their priority list.

“Minister Brown’s so-called plan is no way to begin a working relationship with both the Council and the people of Auckland. It is vital that the Minister takes advice from the Tāmaki Makaurau advisory group.

“There is nothing efficient about Simeon Brown’s GPS, other than it being a quick slap in the face for Aucklanders. His plan will make it more expensive and harder for Aucklanders to get to work and get their kids to school.”

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The Labour Party is calling on the Government to ban greyhound racing.

“The greyhound racing industry has been on notice for a long time, including three reviews in the last decade into greyhound racing practice,” Labour’s animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said.

“Despite this there have been few improvements and an unwillingness to change, and as a result the industry has lost its social licence to operate. There have been thousands of injuries to greyhounds and a number of deaths since the industry was put on notice by the Labour Government in 2021.

“The Labour Government gave the industry two options – operate under stricter conditions or face a ban. The lack of progress on straight tracks and failure to improve animal welfare systems to avoid injury and death in our view shows that continuing under strict conditions is no longer viable.

“There was a delay to the report being taken to Cabinet last year off the back of Cyclone Gabrielle, which meant the previous Cabinet never got to consider it. Labour’s Caucus has now considered the issue.

“Their time is up. It is time for the Government to ban greyhound racing.

“New Zealand is one of only six countries that still allows greyhound racing. A number of other countries have banned the practice, and it is time we followed suit,” Rachel Boyack said.

Section 10 of the Animal Welfare Act requires owners to ensure that their dog’s physical, health, and behavioural needs are met. This includes protecting them from significant injury. Under section 28A, people may not recklessly ill-treat dogs so that they are seriously injured or impaired, permanently disabled, or they die or need to be put down.

During the election campaign, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon agreed that greyhound racing should be banned.

“Greyhound Racing New Zealand has had every chance to demonstrate they can operate without unnecessary death and injury. They have not taken it. I am calling on the Prime Minister to act urgently and ban greyhound racing, to protect more greyhounds from being injured and killed, and protect the integrity of the wider racing industry which takes animal welfare seriously and contributes significantly to the New Zealand economy,” Rachel Boyack said.

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Kiwis are none-the-wiser today after Nicola Willis’ botched Budget Policy Statement.

“It’s highly embarrassing for a Finance Minister to be unable to do what has been required of every Finance Minister since the introduction of the Public Finance Act,” Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said.

“Nicola Willis’ refusal to provide a concrete budget allowance is a step backwards in terms of transparency and accountability.

“Her decision to fund her tax cuts through public service cuts and new taxes contradicts her election promise of ‘no new taxes for working people.

“Nicola Willis is choosing to push ahead with her plan that will help fewer New Zealanders than she claimed, over support for people with disabilities and their carers or fully funding the school lunch programme.

“Values matter, and today’s Budget Policy Statement confirms exactly where her priorities lie.

“We have seen an indefinite freeze on hiring non-sworn Police officers which could take police officers off the street, new classrooms cancelled at schools up and down the country, firefighting budgets being called flabby and Customs officers at the border being asked to volunteer for redundancy.

“The sheer number of frontline services in the firing line shows the Minister’s claims that our police, firefighters, border protection, health and education services wouldn’t be touched are complete fiction.

“National has broken its commitment to not introduce new taxes or increase fuel taxes. Nicola Willis has broken her promise to remove the “app tax” she campaigned against. She’s walked back her commitment to return the books to surplus by 2027. And she is breaking her commitment to not cut front line services.

“Nicola Willis’ tax cuts were never affordable and never properly costed, and yet she’s pushing ahead with cuts that will impact the front line to pay for them anyway.

“She should heed the advice she is getting from all quarters and pull back on her unaffordable and inequitable plans to provide tax cuts to the wealthiest New Zealanders while cutting support for those who need it the most,” Barbara Edmonds said.

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Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.

Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.

“Food prices in New Zealand are out of control. We are all directly affected and there are so many factors that go into pricing food, it can be hard to know what a fair and competitive price is,” Arena Williams said.

“That’s why Labour is proposing the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee opens an inquiry into food pricing throughout March 2024 to consider the factors that go into pricing unprepared food sold directly to consumers and find a way to drive prices down.

“We know that there are global pressures on food supply, and changing weather and world events can impact the production of domestic growers, but supermarkets cannot point to these factors alone when explaining rising prices.

“We will invite submissions from both supermarkets and suppliers on a range of factors, including their commercial arrangements, competition and strategies for improvement,” Arena Williams said.

“Rules to protect suppliers when interacting with the major supermarkets could also have a part to play. We want to ensure the grocery sector is a competitive and easier to navigate for food producers such as farmers and growers,” Cushla Tangaere-Manuel said.

“We would ask the Commerce Commission’s Grocery Action Group to assist as advisors to ensure any solutions or options identified by the inquiry can be implemented quickly to make life easier for New Zealand consumers.

“We hope to see lasting change in the grocery sector. The Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee could present findings to the House as early as the end of August,” Cushla Tangaere-Manuel said.

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The Prime Minister has taken all decisions around disability funding out of Penny Simmonds hands, and yet she’s still a Minister.

“It’s time Christopher Luxon took his own advice from Opposition and showed some leadership,” Labour leader Chris Hipkins said.

“Christopher Luxon doesn’t have faith in his Minister’s decision making, so he can’t have faith in her continuing to hold the portfolio or continue as a Minister.

“It is an extraordinary step and a massive vote of no confidence for Cabinet to intervene because a Minister is failing to make decisions in her own portfolio.

“Christopher Luxon should remove her as a Minister altogether,” Chris Hipkins said.

“This has been an absolute debacle from the day we found out that some funding options for carers of people with disabilities were being cut and implemented on the same day, without consultation,” Labour disabilities spokesperson Priyanca Radhakrishnan said.

“Penny Simmons was warned as far back as December that there were issues, did nothing, then signed off on changes that would hurt the disability community anyway.

“She has failed to stand up for communities that needed her. She has blamed everyone but herself: Whaikaha – the Ministry of Disabled People, the previous Government and even the very carers who were losing the funding.

“I think that is disgraceful. The Government should act immediately to fix Penny Simmond’s mess and reinstate funding flexibility for carers and the disabled community,” Priyanca Radhakrishnan said.