'Golden era of high performance sport': Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern lauds record Commonwealth Games success

New Zealand's golden Commonwealth Games campaign will be celebrated upon the team's arrival back in the country, the Government has said.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet press conference this afternoon, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and deputy PM Grant Robertson - also the Minister for Sport and Recreation - provided information on how Aotearoa's athletes will be welcomed back from Birmingham, England.

New Zealand reached its highest gold medal tally this morning when cyclist Aaron Gate won the country's 18th gold - surpassing the total of 17 earned in 1990 when the Games were hosted in Auckland.

With the tally now at 19 following Joelle King and Paul Coll's win in mixed doubles squash today, New Zealand currently has the fourth-highest gold medal haul behind Australia (66), England (55) and Canada (26).

There would be an official welcoming for the athletes on their arrival back in the country at Auckland Airport on August 11 - at 11.20am and 12.20pm.

With this year's performance and Team NZ's at the Olympic Games last year, Ardern said: "We are in a golden era of high performance sport in New Zealand."

Robertson said it had been a "truly exceptional [Commonwealth] Games" for New Zealand so far.

Robertson said it was also a Games where athletes could advocate for causes. He said he was proud to see New Zealand athletes doing so, including mountain biker Sam Gaze for mental health.

Despite the good achievements recently the focus in sport needed to remain on wellbeing, he said.

It was a good day to celebrate the success, including those of the cycling team and friends of Olivia Podmore, but to also work on those other issues.

Ardern said these celebrations were not to take away from "where we know we need to work to support all our athletes in all codes".

Sports minister Grant Robertson recently returned from Birmingham where the Games are being held. Photo / Getty Images

Ardern on Nats' welfare plan, Taiwan tensions

Ardern also fielded questions on the National Party's proposed welfare changes, something she addressed this morning.

As announced by leader Christopher Luxon at the party's conference in Christchurch over the weekend, a National government would cut money from the Ministry of Social Development and use it to fund community providers to provide job coaching for young, unemployed Kiwis.

The policy would offer people who are under 25 and on a benefit for three months or more a dedicated job coach to help them find a job.

Anyone who had been on the benefit for 12 months or longer, who then finds a job and stays off the benefit for the next 12 consecutive months will get $1000 for staying in work.

Those who failed to follow their employment plan would face sanctions like reductions to their benefit.

Ardern said while young people often bore the brunt of tough economic times there were now record numbers of rangatahi coming off benefits.

A number of things National proposed - including access to skills and training, driver licensing, and work coaching and support - already existed, she added.

What was different was the way young people were talked about, Ardern said.

On recent developments in the Taiwan Straits, Ardern said New Zealand stood by the one-China policy but was concerned about China's recent actions.

"It is in no one's interests to see that escalation continue," Ardern said.

There was "no added value" to commentate on the diplomacy of others, saying former PM John Key's comments on Nancy Pelosi's visit were "unhelpful".

National Party leader Christopher Luxon. Photo / George Heard

Speaking to RNZ this morning, Ardern said it was "a little galling" for the current Government to be attacked over its efforts to help young people into work, she said, given the Ministry of Social Development did not have enough staff when Labour took office.

"Our MSD case managers - who of course want to do this work to help place people into jobs - had had a decrease in the amount of time available for them to do that because they didn't have enough staff," she said.

"We increased the number of case managers, we particularly focused on that during Covid, something I see now the National Party is also attacking us for having spent too much money on."

Ardern said the Government had focused on things that were known to be barriers to entering the job market for young people, such as supporting them once they were in the workplace and helping them to obtain driver licences.

"Let's look at what's needed rather than just ... jumping to the old tropes that we see from the opposition."

Aaron Hendry, youth worker for youth homelessness collective Manaaki Rangatahi, told RNZ a successful plan would target the drivers of generational poverty.

"The idea, the assumption that our young people are lazy and they're floating along on the benefit, well that's just not true," he said.

"I've never met a young person that doesn't have hope, dreams, aspirations for their future. I have met many young people who are disempowered, who've grown up in cycles of poverty and abuse and are dealing with some huge complexities in their lives."