National and Labour are continuing to argue over who is at fault for a "$1 billion education hole" in funding for the Christchurch Schools rebuild programme.
Last week, Education Minister Chris Hipkins released a statement saying that the previous National Government "turned a blind eye" to New Zealand's population boost, "and has left this government to pick up the tab to pay for schools and classrooms for 17,000 more students than planned for" .
However Ms Kaye hit back at Mr Hipkin's statement, saying instead the Labour Party are now "struggling to deliver on their wild campaign promises because they ignored the basic capital pressures of business-as-usual government" .
The issue resurfaced in Parliament's Question Time today, when Ms Kaye asked Mr Hipkins, "Does he stand by his reported comments that he only found out in October last year that the $1.13 billion Christchurch Schools Rebuild programme was funded over successive years?"
"I stand by my actual statement," Mr Hipkins said, "That, combined with the need to fill roll growth, urgent repair work and there being no money left in the kitty to finish the Christchurch Schools Rebuild programme, we're facing a whopping $1.1 billion dollar hole over the next four years and that is what I was alerted to upon becoming a Minister."
Ms Kaye asked why the Education Minister would not "admit that he is classifying business as usual property spend, and existing programmes like the rebuild for Canterbury as holes, to cover up his negligence for either not including his costings, or justifying why he won't be able to deliver his education promises?"
Mr Hipkins replied: "What was negligent, was leaving a $1.1 billion capital deficit in the education budget."
"17,000 additional students who won't have a classroom or a school to go to if this government didn't pick up the pieces left behind by the previous administration."
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