News & Achievements

Chris Hipkins addressed the Labour Party Congress in Wellington. Read the Labour Leader’s speech here.

Welcome to sunny and calm Wellington, which I know those of you who are visiting would of course expect to be the case.

It’s been a busy week since we put forward the 2023 Budget. Labour MPs have been out across the motu giving the good oil on the Budget. 

Kia orana, Talofa lava, Mālo e lelei, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Noa’ia e mauri, Ni sa bula vinaka, Kia ora, Tena Koutou Katoa.

Labour Party President Jill Day, Prime Minister Hipkins, Party faithful, delegates and comrades, whānau and friends, it’s a privilege to be here today.

I begin my speech with an acknowledgement of my husband, my dad and our family.

One of my kaumātua up North stood before the Waitangi Tribunal and said:

‘He aha kē ahau, te tangata kore hara i mua i te Atua, e tu nei kia whakawaatia e koe, te tangata tāhae, te tangata hara, te tangata kore tikanga?

Ko koe kē te tika, kia tū ki konei. Māku kē koe e whakawā i raro i ōku ture, ōku tikanga. Kotahi anake te tatūtanga, ko te pono.’

The Māori Budget this year continues our proud track record of investing in whānau wellbeing, access to whare, and whakapapa, all of which support our Government’s plan to address the cost of living.

At the heart of Budget 2023 is a cost of living package, designed to ease the pressure on New Zealanders in the face of global inflation and the challenges of rebuilding from extreme weather events.

It provides practical cost of living relief across some of the core expenses facing Kiwis – childcare, healthcare, transport and power bills. It will help to make things a bit easier for families, students and older New Zealanders by reducing or removing some of the costs they currently face. Millions of Kiwis will pay a little less as a result.

Budget 2023 delivers practical cost of living support for New Zealanders today and makes targeted investments to build a better future.

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister announced a billion dollar flood and cyclone recovery package as part of Budget 2023. This is about doing the basics - repairing and rebuilding what has been damaged and making smart investments, including $100 million of protection funding to ensure future events don’t cause the same devastation.

This morning, the Minister of Finance Grant Robertson delivered a pre-Budget speech in Auckland.