Louise Upston - Social Development

11 October 2018

Today’s MSD Household Incomes Report shows household incomes grew steadily over the term of the National Government, National’s Social Development spokesperson Louise Upston says.

“National’s focus on a strong economy created more than 10,000 jobs a month before the last election and meant there were fewer people on benefits.

“The report shows that household incomes across all income brackets increased strongly over the nine years that National was in Government. In the past four years alone, median household incomes rose 12 per cent in real terms, increasing by an average of three per cent a year above inflation.

“Kiwi households were much better off in 2017 than they were in 2008.

“Despite a lot of noise from a few people, the report shows that income inequality has been flat to falling over the past two decades.

“National worked hard to support all households. We increased benefits for the first time in 40 years, increased the accommodation supplement as part of our $2 billion Family Incomes package in Budget 2017 and would have allowed Kiwis to keep more of what they earn through our 2017 tax package.

“The Labour-led Government’s cancellation of our 2017 Family Incomes Package has made 1.7 million Kiwi families worse off than they would have been under National. Instead this Government is driving up the cost of living.

“The Government has the ability to take New Zealand’s hard work over the past nine years and continue to reduce the number of children in poverty, increase household incomes and give more people the opportunities to get into work and out of cycles of dependency.”

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