Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:673;Page:19147] 
7. 
JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by all his answers to oral question number 12 yesterday? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Which of the three initiatives he listed yesterday as contributing to the creation of 170000 jobs will have the biggest impact: interest rates national standards in primary schools or early childhood education? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: I would not want to make a prediction as to which but all of them will make a difference. 
Hon Members 
: Ha ha! 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Well you see what is really really fascinating about this is that Labour members are laughing about delivering good economic conditions for the private sector to grow jobs. That says it all does it not? In their world the Government creates jobs; in our world the private sector does. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Is the job growth number of 170000 based solely upon the job growth trend of the past 20 years as he stated yesterday; if so is that an acknowledgment that his Government has provided no new initiatives to support business or anyone else to contribute to job creation? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No. Treasury put together the job-growth prediction numbers. As quite a number of commentators have said they are very much the middle of the pack if not lower down. As I said yesterday in the House the number is not overly unachievable given that the 20-year trend has been an average of 35000 per year so it is slightly above that. But the first question from Jacinda Ardern makes it quite clear does it not that Labour does not care about the level of interest rates in our businesses—they do not care whether interest rates go up. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think we have had equals sitting on both sides on this occasion. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does he acknowledge that despite his claim that 39000 jobs were created last year the number of people unemployed still increased overall by over 13000; does not this indicate that his job-growth predictions will not necessarily provide enough jobs to bring unemployment down? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No. And it is a shame the member was not listening to the very informative question before this one which pointed out as the Minister of Social Development and Employment has today that there are now 57000 people on an unemployment benefit. The number is falling dramatically; 9000 New Zealanders went off a benefit in May. This Government inherited a mess from Labour a global financial crisis a country that was in recession and this Government is turning that situation round. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: What assurance can he give New Zealanders that his bold prediction of 170000 new jobs is more accurate than his claim that the cycleway would create 3900 jobs when it has made only 5 percent of that? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Treasury advice is that we will create about 170000. This Government will deliver interest rates that are lower than a Labour Government would produce. We are not going to continue to borrow and put the country into hock. I know that Jacinda Ardern’s message to businesses today is that she does not care about the rate of interest. We do on this side of the House; that is why we are going to deliver lower interest rates for longer under a National Government.