Colin Espiner looks at National's commitment to infrastructure spend announced yesterday
National is pledging to spend nearly twice as much on infrastructure as Labour as the bidding war over rescue packages for the stalling economy escalates.
On the campaign trail on Auckland's North Shore yesterday, party leader John Key said a National government would spend $8.55 billion on new infrastructure projects over six years $3.7b more than Labour.
He said Labour would be unlikely to get its $4.8b infrastructure plan through in a coalition with the Green Party, which was anti-development and would block any proposals to build new roads.
"A Labour-Green government spells infrastructure paralysis by analysis," Key said.
"We do not believe that a Labour-Green government would invest anywhere near the proportion we are on infrastructure; we do not believe they are committed to infrastructure development."
Key denied he was trying to scare people about a Labour-Green government.
"It's a statement of fact. A Labour-Green government will not be able build infrastructure at the same rate a National government could," he said.
"It just simply won't have the commitment from the Greens, who do not want to build more roads."
Key's renewed attack on a Labour-Green coalition came as a TVNZ poll last night found 79 per cent of respondents believed the party with the most votes after the election should form the next government.
