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This interview with Labour leader Chris Hipkins is well worth a watch - if for nothing else, to see how some in media try to create negative economic narratives.
Overall the interview is interesting because it’s rare that we get to see Hipkins in action as opposition leader. Media coverage of him is generally sparse. In the interview, Hipkins emphasises the importance of infrastructure and how National’s infrastructure spend is well below the 20 year average. Hipkins notes that the government is paying millions more in job beneficiary payments, while stopping work on hospitals, schools etc. and explains further why Labour are not going to release policy given the quickly deteriorating state of financials on National’s watch.
Here are some of the excerpts, with much more in the video above
“This is a government that is completely out of touch with the day-to-day reality facing New Zealand families. Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis are all about blame and excuses rather than solutions….
We wouldn't have slashed all of the government projects like state house builds, hospital upgrades, school rebuilds and transport projects, which have had a huge impact on New Zealand's economy.
If you take just the downturn in domestic house construction ..over the last year, half of that is due to the government.”
1:05 Responds to Ruth Richardson and Roger Douglas’s calls for more spending cuts - in accordance with Liz Truss style libertarian playbooks
“It's a broken record from Ruth Richardson and Roger Douglas.That economic prescription has failed over the last 40 years for New Zealand as a country.
We've been left behind by others around the world because of following that kind of economic lunacy.
1:35 On whether Willis should remain as Economic Growth Minister
“The whole government needs to go,and next election New Zealanders will have the opportunity to get rid of them….Nicola Willis, Christopher Luxon, Chris Bishop, they are all in this together.
They ultimately prescribed this for the New Zealand economy.
They're now reaping what they sowed…
Ultimately this is the economic strategy that this government signed up to.”
3:00 Thomas Coughlan tries to tie Hipkins to debt and create a specific economic narrative, asking: ‘I suppose if you turned that up and said though you would be aiming at a deficit of $15 billion, you would borrow more to keep those construction projects going and therefore you're sort of continuing the cycle of borrowing money to keep the economy alive.’
Last year Coughlan authored this prediction -
Hipkins:
“I totally disagree with that.
If you look at the overall balance of where the government's spending money, they're increasing spending on areas like welfare because they're not spending enough in areas that actually keep the economy moving.”
5:19 Hipkins asked about pipeline infrastructure that National has boasted about
“As of today, New Zealand's spending on infrastructure is below the 20-year average,and next year it's forecast to be even lower.
Things aren't getting better, they're getting worse.”
6:26 Thomas Coughlan tries to create another negative narrative around Labour. Hipkins responds
“I'm not announcing tax today, Thomas.”
6:35 Stuart Nash question - Hipkins stands by his prior decision
6:52 Science spending question - media asks for a reaction, quoting the winner of the Prime Minister's Science Prize last year who this week said “Let me say this in plain English, Chris Luxon is an idiot for running a government who budgeted more for AI than for the Marsden fund.”
Hipkins:
“I've engaged a lot with the science sector over the last year and a half.They are very concerned about the direction of travel of this government. You've had businesses winning awards saying the very supports that government previously provided that allowed them to get to the position they're in are being taken away.
This government are actually making things worse not better and in the science sector they can feel that every day.”
The interview continues, including discussions on the manufacturing sector, Maui dolphins, and the electricity sector.
Clearly Labour have clear ideas, and are percolating, and waiting to see where and how the financials move, but far more interesting is how keen some of the media are to paint Labour policies in a negative economic light and what type of media environment the left operate within.
Interesting times. Good interview.
