Category: Labour Party

This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said

The Labour Party Caucus had its away day at Brackenridge in Wairarapa during the first Parliament adjournment of the year to take stock of the campaign result and reflect on the Coalition’s abysmal first 100 days.

“It’s not easy losing an election and Labour has work to do to get back to where we want to be as a party,” Chris Hipkins said.

“Despite that, our Caucus is united, together, and will be working hard to build a policy platform Kiwis want to see. All ideas are on the table as we explore a new era for Labour.

“This Labour team is one I am honoured and excited to lead. At the end of this month, I plan to make a speech to Labour members that outlines my values and why Labour will govern for all.

“Between May and June I will attend every Labour Party regional conference to hear ideas, engage with our members and partake in the policy process in the lead up to our Annual Conference later this year. We will not be making major policy announcements until we have heard from members and the public. 

“Our current focus is on building strong policy foundations and getting work underway. It’s not a process we plan to rush, rather one we want to get right.  

“This process will ensure we are doing what New Zealanders’ want, because what we are seeing right now from National is a government with everyday Kiwis at the bottom of their priority list.

“Labour’s Caucus retreat comes off the back of the Government’s first 100 days. We’ve been waiting to hear their plan. Waiting to see if they have a vision for New Zealand. Now we know for certain that they are not governing for all New Zealanders, but for themselves. 

“We’ll be making it very clear over the next two-and-a-half years that the only party with a vision for New Zealand is Labour,” Chris Hipkins said.

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The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell.

“The Government has forgotten to include $90 million of the cost of changing interest deductions for landlords in the current financial year, a scheme costing almost $1 billion more than they bargained for,” says Barbara Edmonds.

“The changes to interest deductions start on 1 April this year. But according to data seen by New Zealand Herald, the government figures don’t show any impact on the government’s books until the 1st of July. That’s a mismatch of $90 million.”

“According to recent media reports, the policy will cost a total of $2.915 billion over four years, $800 million more than National calculated. Missing the mark by almost $1 billion is atrocious book-keeping and will leave frontline services to make cuts to cover the Government’s spend on millionaire landlords,” says Deborah Russell.

“The government costings for the changes to interest deductibility show a cost of $360 million in 2024/25, $785 million in 2025/26, $815 million in 2026/27 and $915m in 2027/28. No cost has been released for 2024/25, even though the policy takes effect from 1 April 2024, the start of the last quarter of the government’s financial year. Based on the numbers released by the government, that cost is likely to be $90 million, a quarter of the cost of the first year of the policy.

“The mega landlord priority is becoming more and more expensive, while support for children and families has well and truly fallen by the wayside,” Deborah Russell said.

“We have almost $3 billion that could instead be 439 million lunches for children, it could keep our smokefree generation, it could mean Police are paid fairly for the work they do to keep our communities safe,” says Barbara Edmonds.

“Making a mistake like this is careless, and it adds to Nicola Willis’ woeful record of being unable to say what her policies will really cost taxpayers.

“The Government continues to insist this will benefit tenants, an impossible insistence when landlords have no obligation to pass on savings. This is not a way to help New Zealanders make ends meet and it will in no way help those who rent,” Barbara Edmonds said.

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He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. 

“I am deeply concerned that climate change is not a priority for this Government,” Labour Climate Change spokesperson Megan Woods said.

“National has consistently said they’ll rely on the Emissions Trading Scheme as their tool to reduce emissions, but this advice shows they haven’t done anything to ensure it’s up to scratch. 

“We set up the Climate Commission to hold successive Governments accountable and it has sent a strong signal to this new Government that they need to get their skates on.

“They must move quickly to ensure the ETS is aligned with our emissions budgets and international obligations.

“The alternative is we fail, after six years of focus and hard work resulting in an actual reduction of emissions over the past three years.

“National has stopped work on the ETS review and is cancelling programmes that would make a real and tangible difference to reduce emissions.

“In the advice released today, the Climate Change Commission has said that leaving the ETS alone will not bring stability to the market, signalling that uncertainty around the Government’s priorities is affecting market and investor confidence in the scheme. This flies in the face of National’s claim that the review was causing price fluctuations.

“The advice also foreshadows lower than expected ETS auction revenue, which is a problem for the Government if the intention is to use the money from auction proceeds for tax cuts.

“Emissions pricing is an important tool, but true decarbonisation can only be achieved through measures like improving public transport, incentivising EV uptake, increasing energy efficiency, and supporting clean-tech industries, such as the projects that were funded through GIDI – Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry fund.

“So far all National has done is cancel programmes that would make a difference. It begs the question as to whether they are more concerned with paying for their tax cuts or doing the right thing.

“Climate change is real, whether National like it or not. If they don’t get serious quick about reducing emissions, New Zealand will go backwards – and that will hurt our trade, farmers, industry and people,” Megan Woods said. 

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The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds.

“When people are struggling with day-to-day expenses, the Government has decided to give approximately 346 landlords who own at least 200 properties each around $464 million between them,” says Barbara Edmonds.

“The decision shows where the Coalition Government’s priorities are. It’s not lunches in schools, the smokefree generation, or continuing the Cook Strait ferries, it’s mega landlords.

“The assertion that this will bring the cost of rent down is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, there is nothing in today’s announcement that guarantees tenants will have savings passed on to them as a result.

“This tax advantage for the wealthy is not only set to be unfair for tenants, it shuts first home buyers out from getting a foot on the property ladder. Parents and grandparents who hope for their children to own their own home will realise it is a more difficult path to home ownership than ever before.

“This is tax relief for a certain group of people, not for mum and dad investors. The ripples of this decision will be felt for generations.

“The Government has so far taken lunch away from children, money from beneficiaries and hindered first home buyers, choosing instead to give millions to millionaires. This is yet another example of the Coalition Government making decisions that solely benefit the wealthiest New Zealanders.” Barbara Edmonds said.

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The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall.

“Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has ignored the general practice and primary care, the part of the health system which Kiwis use the most. He has also described the primary care system as broken, but he has no target to see it improve,” Ayesha Verrall says.

“Doctors’ fees remain high, GP enrolments remain untenable, and prescription fees are returning. Those who need healthcare most desperately, and those with complex needs will not get the care they need.

“Emergency department and wait list targets have all been gamed in the past. The previous National Government booted people off wait lists to meet their targets, and we need to see a commitment to transparency so this does not happen again.

“The cancer treatment target doesn’t address the long wait times patients face for procedures before treatment decisions are made, but sets an easy to achieve target once these are done. Patients will remain bottle necked early on their cancer journey when they’re trying to get biopsies and scans.

“The Coalition Government’s health priorities are all wrong. They’ve brought back smoking and their targets are ineffective. We will be holding them to account on their progress, and demanding measures to ensure we get the truth about whether or not these targets are met – and when,” Ayesha Verrall said.

Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today.

“The National Party campaigned on helping people with the cost of living, but in their first 100 days we’ve seen not one policy that will actually do that,” Chris Hipkins said.

“Instead, licencing a car is set to get $50 more expensive, ratepayers are going to have to stump up thousands across the country for water infrastructure in the longer term and it’s likely Aucklanders are going to pay more, not less, now that Auckland Council has a funding shortfall for transport projects.

“Instead of helping families with costs like early childhood education or public transport fares, we’ve seen them prioritise tax cuts for mega landlords and make life even more expensive.

“They’ve made questionable choices, like reversing the country’s smokefree laws – a win for the tobacco lobby at the expense of lives and billions in healthcare costs. They’ve repealed the Māori Health Authority despite overwhelming evidence that Māori die younger and have worse health outcomes, and they got rid of Fair Pay Agreements which means wages won’t grow to meet rising costs. 

“Possibly worst of all, there is absolutely no vision to tackle the big issues this country is facing in infrastructure, climate change or housing.

“This National Government’s priorities are backwards. But with a leader that doesn’t see the problem with taking $1000 a week he doesn’t need, while telling others to make cuts and save money – it’s clear these decisions are coming from the top.

“By contrast, in Labour’s first 100 days in 2017-18 we put more money in people’s pockets with the Families Package and a boost to the minimum wage. In the first year alone, more than 300,000 families were better off by $55 each week and over 160,000 workers benefited from a wage increase.

“We made homes healthier, extended paid parental leave and kicked off six years of climate action with a zero-carbon emissions goal.  

“While we got serious about tackling child poverty so kids could have a better start in life, National has made it harder for households to get by.  

“The first 100 days are supposed to show vision for New Zealand. Instead of back on track, it feels like we’re stuck in reverse,” Chris Hipkins said.

See the 100 days comparison webpage here. 

Watch the first 100 days comparison video here.

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The Fast Track Approvals Bill shows Ministers’ ears are well and truly taken by lobbyists, says Labour Environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking.

“This Bill hands lobbyists and Ministers the keys to our country without transparency when it comes to our resources. The greed of corporations both foreign and local could reshape New Zealand,” says Rachel Brooking.

“This will make New Zealand a banana republic where a Minister can be lobbied to make a decision and can disregard the interests of the public. We should not decide what happens in New Zealand via lobbyists with fat wallets.

“I’m not sure when Chris Bishop or Shane Jones became environmental experts, or studied the ins and outs of ecology, climate change or health and safety, but the idea of them having final say without the input of experts and communities is frightening.

“The 100-day plan promise to outline projects to be included in the Bill has not been kept and the legislation is incomplete without it.

“Labour had appropriate legislation and processes for both fast track consents and longer-term Resource Management Act reform. Pitching this as a solution for red – or green – tape helps no one except lobby groups. It is not the way forward for New Zealanders, it does not help infrastructure and will not be effective.

“This legislation is not in New Zealand’s economic or environmental interest and could raise questions of legitimacy over these projects in the long term. It has the potential to undermine all of our environmental protections and our international standing as a country that has proper processes for investment decisions.” Rachel Brooking said.

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The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says.

“Teachers, parents and school communities are incredibly passionate about the free and healthy school lunches programme,” Jan Tinetti said. 

“In 24 hours, 16,405 people signed the petition Labour launched at 10:30am yesterday.

“This is a programme that feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money. It is exactly the kind of programme that should continue to be funded, especially during a cost of living crisis.

“Teachers are seeing more attention in the classroom and parents and caregivers are saving $33 per week per child, or up to $1,250 per year per child on average.

“Christopher Luxon and David Seymour must commit to keeping the programme and give schools, parents and providers certainty.

“The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds more than 200,000 children in nearly 1000 schools. It also employs hundreds of people in our communities – and they need certainty too.

“If the Government is serious about ensuring children have enough to eat they will not scrap this programme,” Jan Tinetti said.

Sign the petition to save free and healthy school lunches here.

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