Nowhere to run
New Zealand Listener|March 30 - April 5, 2024
Pre-election claims are coming back to bite the embattled PM as his deputy goes off on a tangent of his own.
Dany! McLauchlan
Nowhere to run

National fought the election on the economy and the cost of living, and it fought hard. Labour had taken on too much debt! All its reckless spending was driving up prices! The interest rate hikes to correct this were sending the nation into recession! This economic vandalism was hitting hardworking Kiwi families in their back pocket! The government's books were worse than they appeared!

Week after week, Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis alleged that Labour had cooked the numbers: infrastructure commitments weren't properly funded; major ongoing costs like the school lunches programme had been temporarily accounted for by diverting money from the emergency Covid relief. In its pre-election fiscal update (Prefu), Treasury predicted at least three years of deficits. Willis famously demanded of Grant Robertson, "How big is his [fiscal] hole?"

A National government would fix all that. It would address the cost-of-living crisis in its first Budget by delivering $14.6 billion of tax cuts over four years, Working for Families extensions and tax credits, most of which would trigger on July 1 this year. This would be funded by a combination of savings and new revenue measures. They swore they could still get the country back to surplus and that there definitely wouldn't be any new taxes to pay for it all. There would be spending cuts but not to front-line services.

Nearly every economic commentator in the country expressed scepticism about the affordability of National's extravagant promises but Luxon and Willis refused to release their modelling, reassuring the nation that the numbers were "rock solid".

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024