Christopher Luxon's decisions have cost 18,000 people their jobs in the construction sector.
“Losing 18,000 workers since 2023 is devastating for a sector that should still be booming with work. A thousand more in the last month is a tragedy,” Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said.
“National stopped a huge amount of construction work when they came in and today we see clearly the consequences of that.
“The Government should be doing everything it can to stop the steady flow of construction workers leaving New Zealand for better pay, conditions and work opportunities. Instead, Luxon’s stop-start approach has cost people their jobs and pushed people overseas to find work.
“Work was booming, supporting the economy and families with good wages to make ends meet.
“Now, with cuts to these important training programmes across the country, the cost of living skyrocketing, and a government that came in and hit pause on an important pipeline of construction work, things are looking grim.
“Construction businesses aren’t seeing as much work, 1000 jobs have disappeared in the last month, and many of those working in the construction sector are choosing to move to Australia or further afield.
“This is not a government that cares about good jobs. Christopher Luxon promised to make life better for people, but instead he is making it worse. Labour will provide long-term certainty, so people can keep their jobs and build a future in NZ,” Chris Hipkins said.
