Building slump under National costs jobs – Labour
New StatsNZ data shows more than $5 billion less was spent on building work between 2023 and 2025, a stark sign of the Government’s economic mismanagement.
“The Government’s stop-start approach is hammering construction and costing tens of thousands of jobs,” Labour building and construction spokesperson Arena Williams said.
“Christopher Luxon talks about green shoots, but when building slows at this scale, projects are scrapped, buildings in our cities are left unfinished, jobs disappear, and businesses go under.
“Seven hundred and fifty-one construction firms were liquidated in 2025 – that’s not a recovery, that’s a crisis.
“Construction underpins housing, schools, hospitals, and transport. When it goes backwards, the whole economy feels it.
“The sector has been clear: they need certainty. This Government is delivering the opposite.
“Labour won’t continue this damaging stop-start cycle. We’re focused on backing construction, protecting jobs and giving the industry the confidence it needs to grow.
“The Government needs to explain how it plans to turn this around before more firms close and more skilled workers head offshore,” Arena Williams said.
