‘Now is not the time’

NEW Zealand First leader and deputy prime minister Winston Peters says Labour’s promise to make Matariki a public holiday was poorly timed when the country needed to be focused on returning to work.

‘‘Covid19 has been an event that has caused us to seriously focus with our eyes wide open on what our best assets are,’’ Mr Peters said in Dunedin yesterday.

‘‘They are on exporting, they are on manufacturing at home if we can, they are on import substitution — all the things that one party's argued for, for a long time,’’ he said.

‘‘We haven't had an announcement from Labour, apart from whether we're going to get a new holiday.

‘‘Now is not the time when we are in the throes of huge financial challenges to start thinking about a holiday.

The Green Party is the only party that has welcomed Labour's endorsement.

“We’re really pleased to see Labour coming to the party and recognising the huge desire from across Aotearoa . . . to make Matariki a public holiday,’’ Green Party coleader and Maori Development spokeswoman Marama Davidson said.

National finance spokesman Paul Goldsmith said Ms Ardern ‘‘has shown zero empathy for the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who are struggling right now to keep their businesses afloat and employ Kiwis’’.

‘‘New Zealand is in the biggest economic crisis in a generation and Labour's answer to this is another public holiday,’’ he said.

Act New Zealand leader David Seymour said Ms Ardern was in ‘‘la la land’’.

‘‘Does she know there's an economic crisis going on?

‘‘Labour would be better off saying it has no policy than floating ideas like this,’’ he said.