During a visit to the Nelson region National Party leader Christopher Luxon says people are struggling with bureaucracy bottlenecks, compliance costs and labour shortages.
Maureen Pugh and Christopher Luxon at a media briefing in Nelson today. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
He visited Nelson Girls' College and support service The Male Room with National MP Maureen Pugh before speaking at a Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce event at Trailways today.
Luxon said he also heard from people struggling with the pressure from rising inflation and the cost of living crisis.
"It doesn't matter which sector in which part of the country - those are consistent themes."
He said there was rock bottom business confidence across the country with inflation expected to worsen.
A recent study found a quarter of New Zealanders were struggling to make ends meet each month due to the increasing cost of living.
"That is a real worry and concern that we could have with rising inflation, continuing inflation, the cost of living crisis, continuing to go forward and cause more pain and more suffering and more hurt for people as they struggle to make ends meet."
He said National wanted to see a proper substantive plan to deal with the cost of living crisis, by raising tax thresholds at the same rate as inflation rose.
"Give that money back to each and every individual in this country so they keep it in their own pocket and either save it or spend it as they see fit, rather than give it to [Finance Minister] Grant Robertson who's had a massive increase in tax revenues because of inflation."
Luxon said the government's cost of living payment for more than 2 million New Zealanders was a last minute, Band-aid economic solution.
"A one-off cost of living payment for a three-month period is not the way to solve a problem when we're going to have inflation and a cost of living crisis with us for some time.
"The bigger issue here is that this government has abysmal economic management and doesn't have an economic plan."
He said there was wasteful spending going on that was leading to more inflation.
