“Grant Robertson should be able to connect the Government’s floundering COVID response with money printing and rising costs of life and housing, but can’t or won’t,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“New Zealand had the second largest fiscal policy response in the OECD, before Delta hit. The Government was not ready for Delta, and billions more have been borrowed and pumped into the economy since August. We almost certainly now have the largest fiscal stimulus in the OECD.

“All the borrowed and printed money that the Government has pushed into the New Zealand economy pushes up the price of everything, especially housing. The Government’s conservative approach to COVID-19 depends on cheap money, but cheap money means inflation.

“At the same time, Grant Robertson cannot explain why the borders are so slow to open. Requiring seven days isolation will kill tourism. Waiting until April for non-citizens to enter just hands the export education market to Australian and Canadian universities.

“New Zealanders are paying the cost of COVID though cheap money and a poor response from Government. The Government needs to start balancing all costs of COVID, not just COVID itself.”

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