Here is video of new Green Party co leader Marama Davidson asking Jacinda Ardern This is why the Greens should retain their Parliamentary questions. So that how bad the current situation is can be told to New Zealand.
The Hansard report for the day neatly captures the issues that this Government is facing:
1. MARAMA DAVIDSON (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime Minister: Ka tū a ia i runga i tana kōrero mō te iti rawa o te mahi haumi i roto ratonga tūmataiti, ā, nā runga i tērā, “we didn’t know it would be this bad” ā, mēnā kua pēnei rawa, ka pēhea te nui o te iti rawa o te mahi haumi nei?
[Does she stand by her statement on underinvestment in public services that “we didn’t know it would be this bad”, and if so, how significant is this underinvestment?]
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes, absolutely, and much of that we could see from Opposition, as could New Zealanders in everyday life, as they saw individuals sleeping in cars or being unable to access health services. But what we are seeing now is in almost every portfolio I can find other signs of under-investment.
Marama Davidson: Does she agree that the state of the books she inherited from National represents a moral and fiscal deficit, which we see every day in our homeless and unemployed, in our impoverished families, and in our threatened species?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Yes, and being in Government obviously is about making choices and about priorities. The last Government decided that the priority, rather than investing in issues around unemployment and homelessness, was tax cuts—a huge amount of which went to the top 10 percent of income earners. This Government has different priorities.
Marama Davidson: How significant is the under-investment in health in light of revelations that there is sewage and mould running through the walls of Middlemore Hospital, as a direct result of it?
Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I would say Middlemore Hospital is emblematic of a much wider problem. District health boards are telling us that 19 percent of their assets are either in a poor or a very poor state. If you add to that the fact that they’re running what will be an estimated up to $200 million deficit, I think it’s fair to say New Zealanders in every walk of life will be experiencing issues with their health services.
Simon Bridges’ response is nonsensical. He really is struggling. From Radio New Zealand:
Mr Bridges said it was clear the government was incredibly worried about delivering on the high expectations it raised going into the election.
“This is why actually you’ve got a Prime Minister who said she would be better than playing politics, but now is looking to drip feed examples.
“I mean it seems to me that effectively what you will have is officialdom out there in our schools and our hospitals looking for doors that don’t shut properly – I mean this is ridiculous.”
What would he expect Labour to do about having one of the country’s major hospitals having sewerage leaking in its walls? Or about still having families living in cars. Is it too political to point out what an appalling mess the last National Government left this country in?
His statement has all the coherence of a five year old saying “Labour’s being mean”.
Suddenly every beltway issue National and the media have recently thrown at Labour appear to be pretty trivial. The enormous job required to rebuild our country’s infrastructure is way more important.
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