National Party MP David Bennett and Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick have had an on-air clash over the Government's recently-announced $3 billion infrastructure fund.
The investment package will be spread across the country and includes about $210 million for climate resilience and flood protection projects, $155 million for energy projects, about $180 million for large-scale construction projects and $50 million for enhanced regional digital connectivity. It's also expected to deliver more than 20,000 jobs across New Zealand and unlock investment with a project value of more than $5 billion.
The pair appeared together on Magic Talk on Sunday, and Bennett, who is the MP for Hamilton East, says it would be better if the money was spent "on real projects that make a difference".
"We're crying out for a road from Cambridge to Pairere… $570 million to do it. It would be transformational for our economy. [National leader] Todd Muller came to the Waikato on Friday and promised that road, a road that had been approved by the NZTA before the last election and this Government cancelled it. And that is actually infrastructure where it delivers an actual long-term benefit."
But Swarbrick says the "funniest thing" about that road is that Muller wasn't the first in his party to announce it.
"That was a road that Todd has reannounced, which was originally announced by Simon [Bridges], which was actually originally announced by [former Prime Minister] Bill English."
She also challenged Bennett on his point of view that the spending, as she put it, isn't "for real people".
"Particularly in my patch, our neck of the woods in Auckland Central there is $22 million to help complete Auckland City Mission's homeground, which is going to house 2000 homeless people in the city centre. That is real stuff for real people and I find it really gutting when we end up in this kind of politics that talks about so-called real New Zealanders."
But Bennett says he was talking about infrastructure spending, and brought up the Government's now-scrapped light rail plan for Auckland.
"Where's that gone? Where have those projects gone? They've been cancelled because they've been failures."
Swarbrick says Cabinet agreed to the original light rail project, but Transport Minister Phil Twyford wanted to explore other options. It was then that New Zealand First shut the idea down.
"What happens as a result of that is we revert back to the original 2018 Cabinet decision and are able to progress."
The pair also discussed the National Party's reshuffle that was announced on Thursday. It came after former deputy leader Paula Bennett announced her resignation earlier in the week.
Muller came under fire after his selection as leader because of the lack of diversity in his shadow Cabinet line-up - he had no Māori MPs - or people of any other ethnicity - on his front bench.
But Thursday's reshuffle means Māori MP Dr Shane Reti has been promoted to number 13, making it the highest position held by someone who isn't Pākehā.
Bennett says Reti's promotion is well-earned.
"We've promoted Shane Reti who is an excellent performer and has really proven himself in his terms in Parliament, and he's a shining star in Parliament and will be a future successful minister for the National Party," he said.
Former leader Simon Bridges, who is also Māori, is back in the shadow Cabinet too and holds the foreign affairs portfolio.
Swarbrick says she has "a lot of time and respect" for Dr Reti, but believes the National Party got in the way while they were working together on cannabis reform.
"I actually dealt quite a bit with Shane on medicinal cannabis, and we were working together to push forward to the Government doing its bits and pieces. I obviously have the privilege of doing that in confidence and supply - I have one foot in and one foot outside of Government," she said.
"Unfortunately what happened is some other National party MPs got involved and decided to politicise the whole thing. I think that really let the good doctor down. I have a lot of time and respect for Dr Reti, but in terms of the politicising and partisanship of the whole thing, when it comes to those really critical and serious issues around people's wellbeing, I think he really walks the talk on it. The problem is some of the folks who are around him are telling him how to politicise it."
