NZ Election 2020: Grant Robertson makes dig at National's transport plan 'shambles'

The Finance Minister has labelled National's transport plan a "shambles" and is questioning the Opposition's competence.

That's after National on Saturday confirmed it hasn't actually tried to work out how much a big part of its plan will cost.

Judith Collins was all smiles making her first announcement as leader on Friday - $31 billion on transport, including two huge tunnels under the Brynderwyn and Kaimai ranges.

But how much will they cost?

"Well, we've said that we haven't costed those out," Collins says.

Grant Roberston thinks "that's a shambles".

"It just shows that they're not really in a fit state to be the Government."

But Collins says National's transport plan is "one of vision". 

During National's leadership crises, Labour consistently declined to kick them while they were down but that ended on Saturday.

Robertson had a dig, saying not costing the transport plan is a sign of further shambles in National.

The Government announced its own Auckland transport spend on Saturday, a comparatively measly $182 million on four projects.

"This is funded, and it's gonna happen," says Transport Minister Phil Twyford.

That's what Twyford said about light rail too.

But two of the four projects are already happening. The Government's now picking up the tab for the Puhinui Station and ferry terminal upgrades because Auckland Council's broke.

"There's a real prospect of projects falling over, that's why the Government's come to the party, we're protecting people's jobs," Twyford says. 

Creating hundreds more with two new projects, a $100 million upgrade to the northwestern motorway and a $37 million path along the Whau River. But construction, and therefore those jobs, won't come for at least a year.

National's jobs are even further away.

"We're not planning to actually start them for at least eight or 10 years," Collins says. 

The long time frame and the lack of costing gives Labour easy ammunition.

Regardless, with so much money being thrown around, this election's turning into a battle of who can spend the most on infrastructure.