New Zealand First leader Winston Peters had a clear message to voters when delivering his leaders address to business people this morning: "Don't stuff the country".
He also questioned why the South Island was still at alert level 2, when it is Auckland that has community transmission of Covid-19.
His comments come just days before the Cabinet – of which he is part of – will meet to decide if the restrictions need to be changed.
Peters was one of five political leaders who this morning spoke at the BusinessNZ pre-election party leaders' address.
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern used much of 20-minute speech to look to the future and spoke about how New Zealand can rebuild in the long term.
"Now is the time to sell our story to the world," she said.
New Zealand's good international reputation was something that the country could profit from in the future – she noted that Forbes had just labelled New Zealand the second safest country in the world.
Although she noted that 2020 "had not been easy", she said her government had "no regrets" about its Covid-19 measures.
National leader Judith Collins focused on the economy and outlined her party's plans if it were to be elected.
A National government would "seize the opportunity" created by Covid-19, and build billions of dollars of infrastructure.
She also challenged the Government on the level of debt taken on, and how long it would take to pay it back.
Act leader David Seymour went further, saying the level of debt taken on by the Labour-led Government was nothing short of "fiscal child abuse".
Future children will be paying the price for the amount of debt New Zealand has been taking on, he said.
But more taxes was not the answer, Seymour said, rather, "we have to look at our spending".
Ardern, Collins, Seymour and Greens co-leader James Shaw all spoke in person at the summit in Auckland.
But NZ First leader Winston Peters spoke via zoom from his campaign bus.
His message to voters was "don't stuff the country" and to give their party vote to New Zealand First – a party he said that has had years of experience.
He went after the Greens, in regards to the green school saga and National over its change in leadership.
Peters also took a swipe at Labour – criticising the party's policy of making Matariki a public holiday.
"What does this say about the sense of direction of our country?" he said, adding that it should not be New Zealand's priority.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said 2020 was a year "we're all looking beyond".
"2020 has not been easy," she said, adding that it has not at all been business as usual.
But she said "everyone played a role" in New Zealand's Covid-19 recovery.
She talked up the wage subsidy and the small business loan scheme – both plans that have save jobs and livelihoods.
The Government, she said, has had a "no regrets" approach to its Covid-19 spending.
To small businesses, she said: "We have got your back".
Meanwhile, she said a lockdown was a "last resort".
She defended the Government's Covid-19 response, which she said has been among the "best in the world".
She assured businesses that the Government will be sticking to its elimination strategy.
It will be doing all it can to avoid another level 4 lockdown.
But now New Zealand is better prepared – that's good for business, she said.
She said there did need to be changes to New Zealand's border policies – but the Government has already started those changes.
Ardern said the Government has adjusted settings at the border, in terms of allowing people with specialist skills to enter New Zealand.
"These changes demonstrate that we are now in a position to make changes to our border."
Ardern said there would be an investment attachment arm of the Government, if she is re-elected.
"Now is the time to sell our story to the world."
Labour's plan, she said, was a plan for the future.
National leader Judith Collins, who spoke in person, said yo-yoing in and out of lockdowns was going to cause "immense harm" to businesses and their employees.
She is concerned about what will happen after the wage subsidy ends.
Collins said the Reserve Bank has "inflated" the economy by as much as $1 billion a week, given its quantitative easing. She called it "economic morphine" and said it "needs to finish".
Meanwhile, Collins said New Zealand's greatest challenge in the coming years was rebuilding the economy.
Part of National's plan was keeping people in work by facilitating infrastructure projects, she said.
She said a Government she led would "seize this opportunity".
Collins promised that if elected, National would leave New Zealand better off than how they inherited it.
She took aim at Labour's Matariki holiday announcement, which will lead to job losses she said.
She also said It's not the right time to be increasing the minimum wage.
'DON'T STUFF THE COUNTRY'
NZ First leader Winston Peters had a clear message to voters this morning: "Don't stuff the country".
Speaking from his campaign bus, Peters boasted about his party's record and experience – that's why people need to give their party vote to NZ First.
He told business people to not "let them stuff the country" on other parties – including Labour, his coalition partner.
Peters went on to say it was a "fact that we live in extraordinary times".
But he questioned "what on Earth" the South Island is doing in lockdown, when Covid-19 is in Auckland.
What the Government needs is a "steely focus" on economic recovery.
He also criticised Labour's Matariki holiday policy.
"What does this say about the sense of direction of our country?" he said, adding that it should not be New Zealand's priority.
He was also critical of the Greens and what they were focusing on.
"We are entering a completely new era."
Some of the policies he has heard have been "unbelievably out of this world".
He said the Government has to rebuild New Zealand and "we're in the age of big government".
He cited NZ First's experience in Government and said the planned capital gains tax was "extraordinary silly".
Peters said NZ First has brought a "soundness" to the coalition Government.
NZ First, he said, has "rebuilt so much of this country in just three years".
He name checked how much money has been put into rail across the country.
Peters said Labour did not have the "sentimental conviction" to put forward the Provincial Growth Fund.
'FISCAL CHILD ABUSE'
Earlier, Act leader David Seymour said the massive amount of debt the Government is taking on to help cushion Covid-19's impact is nothing short of "fiscal child abuse".
Future children will be paying the price for the amount of debt New Zealand has been taking on, he said.
But more taxes was not the answer, Seymour said, rather, "we have to look at our spending".
He mooted reining in government spending. Much of Seymour's speech was aimed at the Government's Covid-19 response and how parts of it were not good enough.
"We need a simple goal – to maintain the elimination [goal] without lockdowns."
Lockdowns, he said, are expensive and damaging.
Other countries have done this – "why can't we?"
And he also cited other countries New Zealand should look to, in terms of its Covid-19 response.
"Why are we not more like Taiwan?"
Seymour said the Government needs to open the borders to countries that have the virus under control.
"We need to constantly seek to be better each week, not doing victory laps and dances."
Meanwhile, he said the private sector needs to be more involved in the Covid response.
"The Government needs to be a referee, not a player."
Act would facilitate this, he said.
MORE GREEN SPENDING
Greens co-leader James Shaw said that even before Covid-19, New Zealand had an infrastructure deficit and "those chickens were coming home to roost".
He said that the massive amount of government spending going on right now needs to go towards Green infrastructure spending.
That will be mean the private sector will need to re-tool to tackle the challenge.
He also pointed out that more money was spent in the first week of the wage subsidy, than has been spent on all Treaty settlements combined.
Shaw said that if he was Māori, he would be annoyed to learn that the Government can just turn on this spending tap in a way it has previously said could not be done.
He said the Greens would like a digital trade centre set up at Mfat tolook at how New Zealand can trade the information the private sector produces.
He added that he would like to see more electric planes, and electrc ferries to help reduce carbon emissions.
There are New Zealand companies are doing this at the moment.
"We do have a niche industry that is starting to emerge here, which I would like to see grow."
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern and National leader Judith Collins will also give their addresses this morning.
Full list of speakers:
10.25am Act leader David Seymour
10.40am Green Party co-leader James Shaw
10.55am NZ First leader Winston Peters
11.10am Deloitte and Chapman Tripp election survey results delivered by Deloitte CEO Thomas Pippos
11.25am National leader Judith Collins
11.45am Labour leader Jacinda Ardern
OPINION: A Parliamentary committee might look at whether MPs need greater punishments.