"We have room": Labour confident in ability to pay for pay equity if elected

Labour's leader is confident their numbers add up when it comes to paying for their policies – including reversing pay equity changes. 

The Government's books were opened yesterday in Treasury's Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update. 

It revealed the planned 2028/29 surplus will be nearly $2 billion bigger than forecast, and the Crown will borrow less.  

Treasury thinks unemployment's peaked, and inflation's predicted to be back where it should be next year. 

Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking they'll show there's room for pay equity in their fiscal plan, but won't have a specific line item on it. 

He says you don't tell the other side what's in the envelope when you're going through a bargaining process, and that's never been done with pay equity. 

Hipkins is also still coming to terms with the news that former Speaker and Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe has died. 

Rurawhe was MP for Te Tai Hauāuru from 2014 to 2023, was the Speaker in the last Labour Government's second term, and was a Labour list MP from 2023 until early this year. 

The 65-year-old will lie in state at Whangaehu Marae, south of Whanganui, until his burial at Ngā Puketuurua Ratana Pa. 

The Labour Leader told Hosking Rurawhe was well-respected across Parliament and did a great job as Speaker, and his death will come as a shock to everyone. 

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