Further questions over Labour’s fiscal plan prove the case for an Independent Fiscal Institution, says Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf:
“Labour’s $90 million error was bad enough. Now further questions over what is and isn’t funded in its fiscal plan show exactly why election promises need independent scrutiny.”
“School lunch funding disappears in 2031, while health spending stays flat despite Labour’s nurse guarantee apparently being paid for from an increase in health funding. Voters shouldn’t have to rely on blind faith that the numbers stack up, when they clearly do not.”
“While we appreciate that Edmonds thanked us for finding Labour’s mistake, she is also right that New Zealand needs an Independent Fiscal Institution to properly test election promises. In the meantime, Labour needs to release its full workings so that they can be properly scrutinised.”
School lunches: Page 4 of Labour’s Fiscal Plan 2026 allocates $295.4 million for school lunches in 2028/29 and $149.2 million in 2029/30, with no allocation shown for 2030/31.
Health cost pressures: The same table holds health cost-pressure funding at $4.39 billion in both 2029/30 and 2030/31, with no further increase in the final year. Labour’s Graduate Nurse Job Guarantee is costed at $525 million and is to be funded from Vote Health cost-pressure funding. Labour has not separately identified funding for further nurse intakes or additional cost pressures in 2030/31.
