Election promises from Labour candidate Kieran McAnulty

Pat Walshe, left, the deputy chairman of the Dannevirke Community Board, with Labour candidate for Wairarapa Kieran McAnulty.

The Labour Party will inject an additional $8 billion into health if it's elected into Government in September, Wairarapa candidate Kieran McAnulty revealed in Dannevirke on Wednesday night.

Speaking at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, Mr McAnulty said if the MidCentral District Health Board had been funded appropriately, services such as our cancer nurse would not have been cut.

"There's been a $2.7b underfunding of health nationally in the last nine years of National," Mr McAnulty said.

"Government has a role in helping district councils such as Tararua, which has a reducing and ageing population and a lower ratepayer base. If we want to ensure rural communities are sustainable, we need to attract businesses to Dannevirke. But how do we do that without access to services?"

Inquiries by the Dannevirke News to Parliamentary Services has revealed the National Government has spent $74b on health over the past five years and more than $15b in the past year.

MCI and Associates accountant Moira Paewai asked how Labour would balance the books, with the additional spending they were promising.

"Long term what is the cost if we don't," Mr McAnulty said.

"We'll have priorities and we won't implement National's proposed tax cuts."

And Labour will keep $10b aside for coalition costs.

"If we have to make a deal with Winston Peters, it's not going to be cheap," Mr McAnulty said.