After six years of high-spending and high-waste budgets, the Minister of Finance’s late and reluctant entry to the cost-saving party will be a huge let-down for struggling New Zealanders, National’s Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis says.

“Labour have ratchetted up government spending by an extra $1 billion each week. Today, Grant Robertson could only bring himself to claw back $1 billion a year.

“In last year’s Budget Mr Robertson sprayed the public money hose around with wild abandon, adding $38 billion in new spending over four years.

“Now he expects New Zealanders to be grateful that he’s cleaning up a small corner of the spending mess, having only been able to sacrifice less than 1 per cent of overall government spending. It’s simply too little, too late.

“Mr Robertson should be doing far more to tighten the Government belt.

“It’s time for a government that will show taxpayers’ money more respect. Stop what’s not working. Push dollars out of the bureaucracy and into front-line services. Cut and cap spending on consultants, communications staff, government advertising and other ballooning backroom functions.

“Good intentions and a big chequebook are not sufficient for solving the long-term challenges facing New Zealand. Labour has conclusively proven that sugar-hit economics, money-printing and band-aid solutions do not deliver.

“New Zealand is enduring a prolonged cost of living crisis. New Zealand families need their money more than the machine of government.

“National would focus on driving productive growth, restore discipline to government spending and let New Zealanders keep more of what they earn.”

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