Simon Bridges - Leader of the Opposition

29 January 2020

After failing to deliver on its infrastructure promises, the Government has seen sense and restarted the previous National Government’s plan that was put on ice in 2018, but National will go even further if elected this year, Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges says.

“After two and a half years Jacinda Ardern’s Government has realised it has no infrastructure ideas of its own that it can deliver on, so it has copied the plans I put in place when I was Transport Minister.

“It’s quite flattering, really. It’s just a shame that an entire term of Government has been wasted by tearing up these plans and putting them back together again.

“Unfortunately, the damage has already been done. The two-year pause on starting these roads has seen our construction workforce go overseas in search of work. We’ll struggle to get them back now.

“This is a tragic wasted opportunity.

“The Government is clearly panicking. New Zealand’s infrastructure pipeline rusted up on its watch while it focused on KiwiBuild and light rail, which have both failed spectacularly.

“The problem now is that Labour is first-class at announcements but third-rate at delivering on them. We won’t see spades in the ground anytime soon.

“They clearly don’t believe in these projects. Labour and the Greens rallied against many of them while in Opposition. The lack of detail released around so-called ‘improvements’ is also concerning. Having promised a campaign based on facts, it’s a real shame.

“National will build the infrastructure New Zealand needs and will give motorists something in return for the extra $1.7 billion this Government squeezed out of them through fuel tax hikes and extra GST.

“National will release a comprehensive infrastructure plan later this year, setting out our vision to get this country moving.

“Unlike Labour, National is the party of infrastructure and we will deliver.”

ends

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