Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds has framed the upcoming election as a choice between two contrasting economic futures for New Zealand.
Speaking at Labour's annual congress at Tākina convention centre in Wellington on Saturday, Edmonds told delegates the election "will define this country for years to come".
She characterised the choice facing voters as one between "a country that cuts or a country that grows. A country that sells what it owns or a country that backs what it could become. A country that watches its young people leave or a country worth staying in and worth coming home to".
Edmonds criticised National's economic approach, claiming the party's numbers do not add up. She claimed that National's approach involves cutting services, which she said would lead to economic shrinkage and job losses, and argued National would implement further service cuts and job losses after the election. She said "every cut makes life tougher, and here is what they will not tell you before the election. They're not finished. In fact, they're only just getting started".
Edmonds outlined her economic vision, saying she is "determined to change the economic direction of this country, to rebuild ... to back New Zealanders to back themselves, and to make sure that once again in this country hard work gets you ahead". She pledged "I'll make the numbers add up, I assure you of that. Not just on a spreadsheet but in every home around this country".