Hipkins Rewrites History on Deficit, Treasury Must Set the Record Straight

Chris Hipkins’ election year has already gone off the rails, with the former Prime Minister falsely claiming New Zealand’s structural deficit was created by the current Government rather than being inherited from Labour.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Treasury’s own estimates show New Zealand has been in structural deficit on average since 2019/20 — when Labour was in government — so only blaming Nicola Willis for the overspending Labour set in motion is pure election-year fiction.”

"That deficit is the direct result of Labour’s high-spend, big-government agenda, with enormous spending commitments locked in on their watch. Even more worrying is that Labour appears to be lining up a return to that same high-spend agenda after the election, which would only entrench deficits and push the bill onto taxpayers."

“Treasury must now step in to correct the record. When a politician misrepresents Treasury’s own advice, the Secretary to the Treasury has a responsibility to publicly set the facts straight. Taxpayers deserve honesty, not revisionist economics designed to dodge accountability.”

“Labour wrote the cheques and made the commitments. Now, at the start of election year, they’re trying to blame the messenger.”