29 March 2016
Growth per person lower than UK, US, Japan
New Zealand’s growth per person is significantly lower than countries like the UK and America, showing our economy is
driven by population growth rather than productivity, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson.
“Along with flat per person growth, we have seen a fall in per capita real incomes. This means on average Kiwis are
getting poorer. That’s because the key driver is population growth, not new businesses, industries and exports which is
what’s needed to boost growth per person.
“Bill English’s contortions in Parliament today shows he knows the damage this is doing to New Zealand. At first he
denied real per person incomes were falling, then conceded he had said the opposite last week, and finally said he was
wrong to have admitted it.
“He’s all over the place. The fact is that real disposable income per person has fallen and that growth per person is
flat, meaning people overall are worse off. That’s a shocking legacy after eight years as Finance Minister.
“It’s not quality growth if people aren’t seeing the benefits. New Zealanders need to have economic growth driven by
productivity, not just an airline economy, driven by population growth, international students and tourism,” says Grant
Robertson.
ends