FACT-CHECK
Jacinda Ardern’s viral video
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was issued a “wee challenge” by her staff over the weekend. They wanted to see if she could run through the past two years of her Government’s achievements in two minutes.
She failed — she took just under three.
Nevertheless, the video went viral. With 50,000 likes and 44,000 shares on Facebook, the video is one of Ardern’s most popular.
So popular in fact, the National Party replied with its own rebuttal video, pointing out the Prime Minister failed to mention things such as the failed KiwiBuild target and the Government’s failure to deliver on its light rail promises.
A lot of what Ardern said was true. For example, the Government has, in fact, banned military-style semiautomatic and assault rifles.
But some of what she said was a bit misleading — the claim the Government has banned microbeads is problematic as much of the legislative heavy lifting was done by the former National Government.
And some of what she said was just wrong. “We’ve reduced the prison population for the first time in a decade” — that’s not true.
In three minutes, the Prime Minister made 50 claims — the Herald’s political reporter Jason
Walls has fact-checked them all. Here is part one, with part two tomorrow.
We have created 92,000 jobs
False: Since September 2017, the number of people employed has risen from 2.561 million to 2.635 million — a 74,000 jump. And claiming “we” (as in the Government) created 92,000 jobs is misleading. Many of those jobs would have been created by businesses and would have had nothing to do with Government policies, though Governments say they create an environment that leads to jobs.
We have built 2200 state houses
Misleading: Yes, between November 1, 2017 and August 31 this year roughly 2200 state houses have been built, but roughly 30 per cent of those were already under construction when this Government took over and 16 per cent were already contracted by November 1, 2017. The waitlist is also at a record-high — 13,966 households at the end of September.
We’ve banned off-shore speculators
Mostly true: Soon after being sworn in, the Government introduced legislation to ban foreigners, apart from people from Australia and Singapore, from buying homes in New Zealand.
We have planted 140 million trees
False: As of late October, just under 150 million trees have been planted in New Zealand, but the number of trees planted as a direct result of the Government’s funding is 25 million.
We have got better cancer care through radiation machines, Pharmac funding and created an essential cancer agency
True: Yes, in August the Government did announce it would spend an extra $25 million on new radiation machines and promised to establish a National Cancer Agency.
We’ve delivered cheaper doctors’ visits for over half a million people
True: In the 2018 Budget, the Government said it would spend $360m on making doctors’ visits up to between $20 and $30 cheaper for people with Community Service Cards — roughly 500,000 people.
We’re taking mental health seriously with mental health advisers in doctors’ clinics across the country
True: This was part of the Government’s $1.9 billion mental health package announced at this year’s Budget.
We’ve increased the minimum wage to $17.70
True: On April 1 this year, the Government increased the minimum wage to $17.70. It has promised to increase it to $20 an hour by 2021.
We’ve hired 2000 more doctors and nurses
True: Between September 2017 and June 2019 there has been an increase of 1458 nurses across hospitals in New
Zealand and 582 doctors.
We’re building more classrooms in schools for 100,000 students
True: The Government has promised to spend $1.2b to “build new schools and classrooms for up to 100,000 children by 2030”.
We’ve brought unemployment to the lowest rate in 11 years
True: The unemployment rate is 3.9 per cent — the last time it was this low was in June, 2008.
We’ve got the highest increase in wages in a decade
True: According to the latest data, on average wages rose annually by 2.1 per cent — the last time this figure was this high was in 2009.
We’ve helped one million Kiwis pay their bills with the winter energy payment
True . . . but: The Winter Energy Payment has been received by 799,000 New Zealanders — but the number of people supported by the payment (ie, the children of those who have received the payment) is closer to 1.3 million.
We have boosted incomes for 384,000 families through the Families’ Package
Misleading: The Government has said once the Families’ Package is fully rolled out by 2021, 384,000 families will be better off by roughly $75 a week — it’s not 2021 yet.
We have increased school funding so parents don’t have to pay school donations and NCEA fees
Not quite 100 per cent true: The Government said it would spend $75m to pay $150 per child in decile 1-7 schools if they agree not to ask for a donation — decile 7-10 schools don’t have that option. Roughly a third of decile 1-7 schools have opted into the scheme so far, and some have said opting in would see them worse off and threaten services like school camps. It’s true the Government has scrapped NCEA fees.
We’re breaking the cycle of sexual violence with massive boosts in funding
True: In May, the Government committed $320m to tackle family and sexual violence.
We’ve deployed 1607 new police officers
True . . . but: The most recent numbers show that 1745 new police officers have been deployed since the Government took over. But this ignores the kerfuffle over the coalition Government’s “1800 new police” target, which Police Minister Stuart Nash said for two years included staff turnover, but which Ardern last month declared applied only to new police recruits.
We’ve made state highways safer
Probably true: The Government has spent a lot of money on making state highways safer — for example installing new barriers on State Highway 3 — but time will tell how much if any impact the investment will have on the number of deaths on New Zealand’s roads.
We’ve banned single-use plastic bags
True: On July 1 this year, the Government banned single-use plastic bags less than 70 microns thick.
We’ve started the clean-up job on our rivers and lakes through planting trees and fencing waterways
True: The Government announced this clean-up programme in September.