After two years of broken promises, cuts and stalling, the National Government is finally signing a contract to get Dunedin Hospital built, with the same contractor and same leadership as under the previous Labour government.

“Christopher Luxon has done nothing but cut and stall the Dunedin Hospital rebuild. He’s wasted two years in which Dunedin could have had better health facilities for those who need it,” Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said.

“The only thing that’s different is the hospital won’t provide the same number of beds or facilities planned by Labour.

“Labour had worked with construction firm CPB to deliver Dunedin Hospital until National put the project on ice with a misleading story about budget blowouts. Now National is congratulating itself for doing something Labour was doing two years ago.

“It took 35,000 people protesting for National to commit to building the hospital in the first place.

“National has made getting health care harder and more expensive. Under National you’re waiting longer, getting less and paying more,” Ayesha Verrall said.