The Greens and Te Pāti Māori want increased government expenditure, while National and ACT warn of enormous overspending.
National calls the government’s Budget a “blowout,” claiming Labour promised no frills and bread-and-butter but delivered a spending binge with large deficits and debt.
He told reporters it should have included tax inflation-adjustments that he liked the gaming subsidies but needed proof. He prefers tax cuts over public transit subsidies.
Finance Spokesperson Nicola Willis said anybody with a kid would know that “20 hours ‘free’ is anything but free” and that free medications were essentially the government paying twice because some were already supplying them. She said that free school meals were provided through 2024.
Leader Christopher Luxon claimed the administration was gaslighting the nation again in the debate chamber.
“That speech and this Budget is simply another example of this government gaslighting the people, because Chris Hipkins and Grant Robertson are trying to persuade Kiwis they’re doing a great job managing the economy and everything is just fantastic and properly handled.
“New Zealanders know it’s not fine, I can tell you, and deep down Chris Hipkins and Grant Robertson know it too.”
He argued the Budget will not help New Zealanders with high living costs.
“This was touted as the no-frills Budget, but what we’ve got today is the blowout Budget because we’ve seen a persistent addiction to spending – expenditure up to $137b, nearly quadrupled since this government came to office.
“We see a huge growth in debt to $97b by 2026, we are seeing massive Budget deficits up $7.1b this year, and we actually have Treasury… saying interest rates are going to remain higher for longer.”
“The prime minister talks about bread and butter a lot, but bread is actually up 39 percent under Labour.”
He argued the Budget offered no solutions to New Zealand’s economic woes, underlying causes, or outmigration.
“It’s just spend more and expect Kiwis to pay for it, that’s what it is, that’s what we’ve come to expect but I’m not surprised, we’ve had a change of prime minister – he’s tried to adopt some new language and some new words but the reality is just the same old Labour government.”
He repeated Robertson’s spending addiction.
“Every Budget he stands up and promises he’s going to deliver it this time… but every time he blows it out, and that’s because he’s addicted to spending and he’s an addict, and as a result he doesn’t want to admit he’s got a problem, and the sad thing is that the new prime minister – his new boss – isn’t tough enough to tell him ‘hey sunshine, we need to make an intervention here’.”
He predicted rising inflation for longer.
Hipkins criticizes ‘goals and vision’ from “We just heard none of those things from the leader of the opposition,” National Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said of Luxon in the House.
“The biggest explosion that we have witnessed today is the flow of hot air from the leader of opposition… it is little wonder his own colleagues have started to call him Captain cliché.
“Because after three years to come up with a credible plan for what National would do for New Zealanders we heard nothing today from the leader of the opposition about what a National government would stand for.”
He said it was a terrific Budget for Kiwi families and New Zealanders knew the government had their backs.
“It is a proudly Labour Budget about making focused and affordable investments in the cost of living, in delivering relief for New Zealanders, and in making the future better.
“We don’t call them bottom-feeders on this side of the House…we call them Kiwi workers and they deserve a government that’s got their backs.”
“Build Back Broke” Budget—ACT
ACT leader David Seymour told reporters the Budget had “almost nothing to like” and that free medicines had “probably been overdue for a long time” but should have been targeted to community services card holders.
He argued Labour squandered a chance by not financing medicines more.
He said ACT has always committed to infrastructure expenditure, but “what is different is this is a blowout Budget”.
Unfortunately, Grant Robertson’s government spending is like incontinence. Financially incontinent.”
It would raise interest rates and inflation and fail to address crime, urging ankle bands for juvenile criminals. He doubted Treasury projections.
He claimed the Budget proved Labour cared more about corporates than struggling New Zealanders in the House.
“This is a reckless, irresponsible blowout budget with $7.5 billion in deficit spending next year that will put all of this government’s cost-of-living efforts in the shade.”
“Adrian Orr will have been saying things in his office at the Reserve Bank that I’m not permitted to say in this House when he realized Grant Robertson’s spending is unwise.
“The Labour Party likes to say ‘why can’t everyone just be positive, we’re doing our best, it’s a good job’ – well maybe [Hipkins] should have a look at what New Zealanders are saying.”
A Taxpayers Union-Curia poll found that two thirds of New Zealanders thought the country was heading in the wrong direction.
“That is why October 14 is judgement day and October 15 is retirement day for all those Labour backbenchers.”
He stated Robertson was out of excuses.
“Grant Robertson blamed Covid, but it’s past, the world moved on over a year ago. He then blamed Vladimir Putin, which I can see as a political technique since he’s a terrible man, but the oil price is currently lower than before Putin launched his war.
“Then, probably most cruelly, he sought to exploit the flood and cyclone victims as a justification for his continuous addiction to squandering other people’s money. This Budget has $7b of borrowing and $1b of additional spending for the storm and floods.
“He’s no Caesar, what they will write is he came, he borrowed, he bankrupted all of us, that’s what Grant Robertson will be remembered for.”
“We absolutely need so much more,” said Greens co-leader Marama Davidson in the House, complimenting the Budget for implementing long-standing Green Party principles.
We fulfilled our pledge to extend the 20-hour ECE subsidy for two-year-olds nine years ago. Greens have pushed for 10 years for cheaper public transit, which is now government policy. Yay.
“Warmer Kiwi homes is also a longstanding Green commitment that dates back to 2009… the key message from this Budget is that if Labour wants to keep working with us we have plenty more ideas we can share.”
She lauded $1.4b for greenhouse gas reduction.
“But we absolutely need much more.”
She mentioned the 1.5C warming expected in five years.
Every tonne of climate pollution halted matters. Everyone must behave like a climate emergency.”
Afterward, co-leader James Shaw told reporters that additional Green MPs were required in Cabinet.
“It’s slower than we’d want. We’re arguing that this country has the means to fix some of these fundamental problems and that an incrementalist approach keeps some of them in place. Political decision.”
Davidson agreed.
We need to reform tax and budget laws so we can spend more on what matters. Politicians must set and amend the rules for those with more than enough to contribute.
“We don’t have to trade off good things for good things, we can actually prioritise all the important things.”
“The wellbeing of our people here in Aotearoa couldn’t be worse off” after three years of wellness Budgets, said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi.
He claimed tangata whenua had been reduced to paupers on their own land, and the other parties in Parliament were making it worse.
He called it a “sherrif of Nottingham budget” that borrowed from the poor to give to the affluent.
“It’s not until the wealthy are struggling to maintain their lifestyles that this house suddenly deems we have a cost-of-living crisis.”
He argued for a wealth tax, stating what New Zealanders received was not enough and would never be until governments fulfilled Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
He cited Te Pāti Māori’s manifesto’s $19m allocation to claim the extra $18m for Te Matatini as a triumph.
What happens after two years? Why not baseline yearly funding?”
He claimed the government’s annual Budgets were meant to “bamboozle” New Zealanders and make Māori think they were rising while disparity was rising.
“Us locals are expected time and again to be thankful, to smile and nod for the hands that feed us, for the additional crumbs we receive. We will no longer tolerate this narrative.
“Today this government offers 0.47 percent of the entire Budget and you want us to be grateful.”
After the Budget, party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer argued it failed to address long-term poverty and focused on middle-to-rich people.
We don’t want to detract away from the wonderful advocacy from Whānau Ora, Matariki, and Matatini kaupapa.
“Capital gains tax, GST off food, all these things will really bring more money into our economy, instantly remedy and alleviate long-term poverty.
We need to keep focused because we’re obviously influencing Labour, and we need to I assume think from whatever position we have that we continue to influence whomever the government is.”
