Chris Hipkins speaks to the Labour Party conference on 1 December, 2024. Photo: RNZ / Lillian Hanly
Two years out from the next general election, Labour had made some expensive promises as the party gathered for its conference over the weekend.
But it's yet to say how it will pay for the promises, with its tax policy yet to be announced.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said if elected in 2026 his government would resume SmokeFree Aotearoa, complete Dunedin Hospital's rebuild, provide a rail-enabled ferry service across the Cook Strait, and NZ would not join AUKUS.
Hipkins told Morning Report both a capital gains and wealth tax were still being "actively discussed" within the party.
The policy development was still under way and no decisions had been made, he said.
"You can't announce a tax policy in isolation from everything else you want to do. It's got to form part of your overall economic strategy."
Hipkins would also not be drawn on whether any new taxes would be balanced by tax cuts elsewhere.
"We haven't made that decision yet, we haven't agreed a policy approach to tax at all."
On the decision not to be part of Aukus, Hipkins said they'd been "sceptical" about the alliance from the beginning.
He said there was strong resistance to the Australia, UK, US agreement in the Pacific, and he didn't believe China was an immediate threat to New Zealand.
"Ultimately we think that anything that we might be able to get through Aukus Pillar Two we could get through other international relationships that we have."
Deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni told First Up while tax was discussed at the party's conference in Christchurch but they were working through the detail to make sure they could deliver on any promises made.
Ahead of the weekend the party's position on capital gains tax and wealth tax was touted as a matter for discussion.
"Chippy made some pretty big announcements yesterday, just really putting a stake in the ground."
Despite the potentially pricey policies that were announced, Sepuloni said they were also adamant about keeping the government's books balanced.
"National keeps saying that we build up debt, particularly them coming in this time, they don't acknowledge the fact that we did go through a pandemic and there's a number of things that we had to pay for during that time.
"That's their assertion but the reality is that they're the ones that committed to over $14b of tax cuts that were unaffordable," she said.
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