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Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins says this year’s Budget was the government’s last chance to show it had a plan to help New Zealanders get ahead “and they have failed.”
“[Finance Minister] Nicola Willis has given New Zealanders nothing to ease the pressure they are under.
“Instead of helping struggling New Zealanders, [Prime Minister] Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis chose to make lives harder.
“Under National, New Zealand pays for Luxon’s cuts. Cuts that don’t work and will bring immediate pain and make the economy smaller.
“Despite advice, the government has chosen to cut jobs, raise rents and axe services that help seniors, families, and young people.
“They broke their promise to fix the economy, instead are soon to sack 9,000 people who deliver essential services that families rely on.
“Cutting these roles will affect social workers, police, housing and healthcare, and hurt the regional economies as thousands more families struggle to make ends meet.
“They’ve chosen cruel housing policies, which will see 80,000 households worse off, on top of earlier decisions to cut housing builds and increase the number of Kiwis living on the street.
“Luxon chose to cut the services families rely on to fund tax cuts for property speculators and tobacco companies. National’s plan is hurting and it’s not working.”
Hipkins says Labour has a plan that chooses real action on the cost of living, to help families and businesses.
“We choose a path that offers better jobs, health, homes, and a better future for all New Zealanders.
“This November, New Zealanders have a choice too. We cannot afford another three years of National’s bad choices.”
Labour Party finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds says Budget 2026 was the government’s last chance to show it had a plan to make life better for New Zealanders, “but it has failed”.
“Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis promised to make life better for New Zealanders, but all they have delivered is more cuts, more pain and higher costs.
“40,000 more people are unemployed since Christopher Luxon took office. His cuts to the building sector have cost 20,000 construction jobs.
“Because of his decisions the government is cutting up to 9,000 jobs across the country.
“These [are] the people who process Superannuation payments, handle benefit applications, and keep our borders safe.
“They work in Auckland, Canterbury, Wellington, and in every region of the country.
“It’s not just the families that feel the pain when those jobs go, it’s local economies too.
“Cuts don’t grow the economy, they shrink it. This Budget takes no action to help with rising costs.
“Families are choosing between expensive food and expensive fuel, tapping into their retirement savings just to stay afloat now.”
Edmonds says a trip to the doctor now costs close to $100 in some parts of the country. and rates and insurance costs have risen.
“Energy bills have skyrocketed 20 per cent, contributing to a 15-year high in business liquidations.
“This Budget hikes rents for 84,000 social housing households by an average of $31 a week, taking money from the most vulnerable New Zealanders.
“They say their choices will grow the economy, but under their watch unemployment has grown and economic growth has stalled.
“Prices have gone up. Food banks have been strained, and more New Zealanders have left the country altogether.
“National is holding New Zealand back. Labour will focus on what matters: your job, your health, your home, so everyone can build a future here, starting with free doctor’s visits and an investment fund to back Kiwi business.
“This Budget was the government’s last chance to help those doing it toughest, and they have failed.
“This November, New Zealanders have a choice too. We cannot afford another three years of National’s failures.”
