Jacinda Ardern came out swinging today against National's claim that the Government's multibillion dollar infrastructure announcement yesterday consisted of ideas stolen from the Opposition. Getting into a debate about who started what is "juvenile and pointless", she told TVNZ1's Breakfast.
The Government is spending $12 billion total in infrastructure. Yesterday, officials outlined how $8 billion of the package will be spent.
Most attention is on the roads, with $2.2 billion being spent in Auckland and another $3.5 billion allocated to Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury and Queenstown.
Rail will also get a $1.1 billion boost, with the bulk in Auckland, as well as long-awaited improvements to links between Wellington and Wairarapa and Wellington and Palmerston North.
Following the announcement, National came out saying the Government pinched their ideas. Environment groups like Greenpeace and Generation Zero also hit out at the investment in roads.
But speaking to Breakfast this morning, Ms Ardern defended the announcement as "future proofing" New Zealand. She said the announcements were not the same as National's plans.
"In the last election, National put out some press statements saying that some of the projects in these areas were things they wanted to do. I have a simple answer: they just, they didn't. They didn't do them, they didn't fund them, they didn't complete them, they didn't do the designation work.
"National are just proposing big roads. What we are proposing here are yes, roads, which we are going to continue encourage low emissions vehicles and EVs (electric vehicles) on them, but we're also future proofing them."
Opposition Leader Simon Bridges is claiming credit for the Government’s $8 billion spending announcement yesterday.
Ms Ardern described "future proofing" roads as adding in designated bus lanes and safe walk and cycleways, as well as adding in rail to deter freight trucks from roads.
"In one section of rail alone in this package, 175,000 freight movements will come off our roads because of this investment and we need to get those big trucks off our roads.
"We're trying to build a whole public transport network, so don't just build a road, build a road that includes the ability for your designated bus lanes for T3's, for walking and cycling and making sure that they're secure walking and cycling options as well.
"The makeup of our fleet has to change and then that roading issue dissipates."
Ms Ardern also told Breakfast host John Campbell, when asked about National's comments, "I'm happy to sit here and answer questions about what this package does. I don't consider that the main platform of this election, I hope, is not us having a discussion about who started what. that would be juvenile and pointless.
"I do hope that the question is about where we're taking the future of New Zealand."
The Government has announced a cash injection for roads, rail, schools and hospitals.
Ms Ardern said NZTA was right in yesterday saying 9000 jobs would be created from the package.
"When we're be thinking about what we're doing for our families - for New Zealand and for our future - jobs, good skilled jobs, good paying jobs and stimulating our economy with projects like this are part of that picture too," she said.
"When we first came in [to Government] we wanted to get our debt down and we've done that. Even with this enormous package, our debt will still be lower than what we inherited and that's because we're being very careful in the way that we've managed the books"
Going forward, Ms Ardern said her election pitch was "on things that I think are important for all New Zealanders".
She said this term they had been challenged by underinvestment in hospitals and schools, as well as being prepared for climate change.
"Those are all things that I hope people are seeing the progress we're making."
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