Labour's Chris Hipkins accused National leader Christopher Luxon of confusion on health spending - but can't make the same pledge

Education Minister Chris Hipkins has criticised Christopher Luxon for confusion about whether National would increase health funding by inflation each year, but then admitted inflation was high and would not make the same pledge for Labour.

On the AM Show this morning, Luxon was asked if he was still committed to increasing health and education funding by inflation, as he had promised earlier.

Luxon said National would increase spending each year if in government – but would not repeat the prior commitment that it would at least match inflation.

However, later in the day Luxon went back to the earlier promise and said National would increase the education and health budgets by inflation "as an absolute minimum".

Asked about it, Hipkins said Luxon was sending confused messages and the last National government had "underinvested" in health and education.

"But the fact New Zealanders don't seem to have a clear and consistent position on what they would do if they became government again is concerning. It is more evidence that you can't really trust them."

However, when asked if Labour had committed to inflation level increases itself in the future, he would not say.

"That has certainly been our record. Now I acknowledge that at the moment we are in a high inflationary period and that is something we are working through as a Government and a country."

He said the difference was that, unlike Luxon, Labour had not made a promise to do so, although it had done so in past years.

"The issue [with National] is that you have one comment in one week, a different comment the next week. And I think New Zealanders are entitled to know what they are committing to and what they are not."

There has been similar confusion on National's position from finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis, who told TVNZ show Q+A a fortnight ago that it had not yet been decided whether funding increases would at least match inflation.

Willis also said today that it would meet inflation at a minimum – but other factors included the need to cover population growth and other pressures on the health system.

While Labour had not made a specific promise to continue to increase health spending by inflation, it has repeatedly claimed the former National government did not fund health to the level of inflation – something disputed by National - saying that amounted to an effective cut in funding.