Chris Hipkins’ “policy bonfire” is no more than a smoke and mirrors exercise, highlighting yet again Labour’s addiction to spending, National’s Finance Spokesperson Nicola Willis says.

“While the cost-of-living Crisis has deepened, the Labour Government has been spending up a storm, distracted by ideological pet projects and ploughing taxpayer cash into wasteful policies that do not reflect New Zealanders’ priorities. Yesterday’s announcement confirms Labour’s waste machine will just keep cranking.

“Mr Hipkins should have dumped the wrong-headed income insurance policy and the Jobs Tax needed to fund it. He should be repealing Three Waters and stopping hate speech work in its tracks.

“Instead, Mr Hipkins is so worried about losing the election, he’s put Labour’s pet political projects on life support so he can resurrect them at an unstated future date.

“How else can he explain supporting these projects wholeheartedly as a key member of Jacinda Ardern’s inner circle but then shelving them?

“His decision to shelve these projects comes at a real cost to taxpayers. Labour must account for the ongoing cost of the policy advisors, consultants and spin-merchants attached to these failed policies.

“New Zealanders are doing it tough. They should not be expected to pay for Labour’s ongoing efforts to keep these policies going quietly in the background until such time as it’s politically convenient to talk about them again.

“The bill for Labour’s waste machine was already eye-wateringly high. Many millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on the TVNZ-RNZ merger, on designing the Jobs Tax and on trying to convince councils that confiscating their water assets is a good idea.

“Public servant headcounts have risen dramatically, while consultancy bills have reached all-time highs. New Zealanders have every right to be angry at this reckless waste of their hard-earned cash.

“If Mr Hipkins is truly serious about the cost-of-living crisis he must stop this burning of taxpayer cash and put a halt to all work on these policies.

“The sad reality is he won’t because, despite a new Leader, nothing has really changed and Labour’s addiction to spending remains.

“National would stop the wasteful spending and kill off Labour’s zombie policies once and for all. Our priority is letting Kiwis keep more of what they earn by delivering a programme of income tax reduction.

“Meanwhile, Mr Hipkins seems intent on moving Labour’s waste machine into top gear. He simply cannot be trusted to deliver for New Zealanders.”

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