The Government is in damage control over its economic failures after it froze $2 billion worth of school builds last year.

“Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis are panicked by the consequences of their economic mismanagement and scrambling to pick up the pieces,” Labour’s education spokesperson, Willow-Jean Prime said.

“Today’s announcement will be positive for those school communities who’ve been waiting for clarity on their projects.

“But let’s be clear: Christopher Luxon is desperately trying to make up for his disastrous decision to freeze $2 billion worth of school builds, a decision that contributed to the loss of 19,000 jobs in construction.

“This sort of stop-start approach is damaging our economy, causing frustration for our schools, and is completely out of touch with what New Zealand needs.

“The last Labour Government upgraded almost every school in the country, improving learning environments for students while creating more work for the construction sector.

“National should’ve continued with the momentum and investment into school builds instead of causing frustrating and unnecessary delays for schools and communities.

“Christopher Luxon promised to make life better for Kiwis, instead he’s made things worse,” Willow-Jean Prime said.