6. Question No. 6—FinanceHon BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour—Mana) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 6—Finance6. Hon BARBARA EDMONDS (Labour—Mana) to the Minister of Finance: Does she agree with Nicola Willis who prior to the 2023 election said For many people things feel so bleak that they are looking at opportunities overseas and voting with their feet with almost 40000 Kiwis permanently leaving the country last year"; if so why did 80000 Kiwis move overseas in the year up to June 2024?Hon NICOLA WILLIS (Minister of Finance): I agree with Nicola Willis' full quote from 2023 which was "Labour has mismanaged and vandalised the economy on a scale unlike anything we have seen in recent history. Government spending is up 80 percent—$1 billion a day more than 2017. The current account deficit is the largest in the OECD. The economy has been anything but well managed. For many people things feel so bleak that they are looking at opportunities overseas and voting with their feet". To the second part of the question the member is referring to two different measures so her comparison is misleading.Hon Barbara Edmonds: Are Kiwis leaving in record numbers because as Alan Pollard Chief Executive of Civil Contractors New Zealand put it "unfortunately our business is largely downsizing downscaling putting off staff and parking up equipment because they don't have that confidence going forward."?Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Well as has been traversed in this House several times we have inherited an economy that was vandalised and mismanaged by our predecessors. This was characterised by a freewheeling big spending Government that pumped inflation into the economy left the Reserve Bank in a position of having to hike interest rates very high. That has had a sad effect on our economy and I am pleased that good managers are back in charge and that inflation and interest rates are coming back down.Hon Barbara Edmonds: Are Kiwis leaving in record numbers because since she took office there are 5000 fewer jobs in manufacturing and 8000 fewer jobs in construction? Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Well that question doesn't even make sense. She's linked two things in a way that I think if she reflects on the question and looks at it grammatically doesn't actually make sense. As I said in answer to the previous supplementary it is true we have inherited an economy that is very challenged and we are doing the work required to fix it.Hon Barbara Edmonds: Are nursing graduates and junior doctors leaving because they are concerned the Government won't provide them with jobs?Hon NICOLA WILLIS: No.Hon Barbara Edmonds: Have the 30000 young Kiwis that have left the country done so because they do not want to live in a country where the Government does not believe in climate change and actually makes it harder for them to buy a home?Hon NICOLA WILLIS: It would be easier to address her questions in a serious and fulsome manner if she didn't make wild accusations. We're a Government that believes in climate change that is currently consulting on our emission reduction plan which relates directly to our obligations in the zero carbon Act and I would urge the member to refrain from such exaggerations in her future questions. [Interruption]SPEAKER: There was so much noise coming from this side of the House that I couldn't hear that answer. In future I will ask for the answer to be repeated in silence. So we'll just have a little bit of decorum thank you very much.Hon Barbara Edmonds: Are Kiwis leaving in record numbers because they see there are fewer jobs a tax cut that won't help them if they're unemployed and a Government that has no plan and is doing nothing to help?Hon NICOLA WILLIS: Well not only does that member choose to defend the economic management of the last Government which directly contributed to inflation being higher than it should have been and therefore interest rates having to rise higher to counter it with devastating economic effect she also continues to be opposed to tax relief which has assisted 3.5 million New Zealanders. If she wishes to campaign on increasing tax relief along with her colleague David Parker the Piketty pirate then I wish her luck.SPEAKER: That last comment wasn't particularly parliamentary. Can we have Laura Trask—question No. 7."