Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said National leader Simon Bridges is "jealous" of the Government, during a heated exchange over the starting wage in Parliament's Question Time today.
Mr Bridges was seeking clarification on whether the starting wage (also known as the youth rate) would be abolished in October, after he said a press statement from Iain Lees-Galloway in December stated this would be the case.
Ms Ardern didn't answer the question directly, instead giving a passionate defence of her Government's processes.
"It's clear that we have established policy between this coalition Government that is set out in the public domain, everything else goes through a Cabinet process.
"Now I know the member continues to be jealous that he is not on this side of the House in the position to make the changes that this Government has made and that we have achieved in one year more than that government achieved in nine, but we stick to a process," she said.
National's deputy leader Paula Bennett could then be heard saying that "the fairy dust has settled" before Mr Bridges continued to press the Prime Minister.
"So when Iain Lees-Galloway said in December in a ministerial press statement that we will abolish starting out wages by October 2018 was that just a personal commitment?" he asked.
Ms Ardern answered again that the coalition Government follows a process, saying Mr Bridges might find it hard to understand how three parties can work together.
"So can we no longer believe ministerial press statements unless they are signed off by Mr Peters?" Mr Bridges replied.
"No, ridiculous," was Ms Ardern's brief response.
The starting-out wage applies solely to workers aged between 16 and 19 and who are entering the workforce for the first time and is currently set at $13.20 per hour.
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