Labour leader Chris Hipkins has promised policy announcements from this month but acknowledged his party is still working through last week's Budget before it can finalise its election platform.
"We will be doing some policy announcements, basically from now through to the election on a regular basis, so you can expect to see quite a bit from us in the near future," Hipkins told Breakfast this morning.
However, he said the caucus had not sat down to assess the Budget in detail.
"We haven't actually had an opportunity as a team to sit down and go through the government's Budget and decide which bits of it we're going to keep and which bits are going to stay the same."
Hipkins said the review was necessary before Labour could set its own priorities for November's election.
"One of the first questions that we're going to be asked is what would you keep in the Budget and what would you change about the government's decision making. People will rightly want to know — will things the government's announced continue if there's a change of government, or will they change."
The Labour leader confirmed a wave of policy announcements was on its way but says caucus has not yet finished assessing last week's Budget. (Source: Breakfast)
Parliament was in recess until June 23, during which Labour would work through those decisions, Hipkins said.
Labour has so far confirmed policies including a Future Fund, capital gains tax changes to fund three free GP visits, a family doctor loan scheme, and free cervical screening.
Hipkins also signalled Labour was examining possible changes to the out of town living allowance for MPs.
"The out-of-town allowances are so that MPs can do their jobs, not so that they can gain an extra source of income," Hipkins said.
"The idea that MPs are personally being able to pocket additional income as a result of that is something that I think the public will rightly be quite frustrated about."
'Absolutely outrageous' - Hipkins on nuclear-free status questions
On defence, Hipkins rejected calls for New Zealand to lift military spending to levels suggested by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over the weekend.
He described New Zealand as "freeloading" off the US military in comments made at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia-Pacific's premier security conference.
"2% is not enough so 2% is freeloading. I don't have anything against New Zealand, I want partners to step up."
Hipkins said no other country should dictate New Zealand's military spend.
"We should be making investments that are the right investments for New Zealand, and other countries should judge us based on the contribution that we make around the world."
Defence Minister Chris Penk said at the same conference it could be "helpful" to have a conversation about New Zealand’s anti-nuclear stance.
Penk was asked about nuclear-propelled submarines in New Zealand's waters in the context of our only formal ally Australia acquiring them under the 2021 AUKUS agreement between the US and UK.
"I think there’s no official or even unofficial change in New Zealand Government policy along those lines, traditionally the New Zealand public have been very sceptical about nuclear weapons, which might be an interesting conversation in terms the extent of which that's different from nuclear propulsion," he said.
New Zealand has been officially nuclear free since the 1980s and has banned nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered vessels in its waters.
Hipkins reiterated Labour's commitment to New Zealand's nuclear-free status, calling suggestions the Government was open to nuclear-propelled vessels entering its waters "absolutely outrageous".
"Christopher Luxon promised New Zealanders before the last election there'd be no change to our nuclear-free status if National was elected," he said.
"New Zealand will stay nuclear-free under Labour."
Luxon’s office confirmed on Sunday the nuclear-free policy would not change, but also would not say if the Prime Minister agreed with Penk’s remarks.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including weather watches in force, and the GOAT makes a comeback. (Source: 1News)
SHARE ME