David Seymour wants the credit. He must take the questions too

Video: ACT leader David Seymour used his 2026 State of the Nation speech to argue his party was delivering measurable gains across government, with claims now tested against official evidence. (Narrated by Samuel Hudson / Quiet Pact Network)

OPINION: David Seymour has never lacked confidence in the power of a number. His 2026 State of the Nation speech was packed with them, each offered as proof that ACT is delivering and that its influence inside Government is producing measurable results.

The problem is some of the conclusions built around those figures are much bigger than the evidence underneath them.

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Image: ACT leader David Seymour delivers his 2026 State of the Nation speech at Rydges Latimer in Christchurch on February 15, 2026. (Supplied / ACT Party)

Take school lunches.

Seymour said more than $300 million had been saved and the number of lunches sent back by students each day had not changed.

Ministry of Education monitoring paints a less comfortable picture.

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Untouched meals returned to external suppliers rose from 10.39 percent in 2025 to 15.06 percent in Term 1 of 2026, while the programme’s school survey rating fell from 3.87 to 3.76.

Those figures do make Seymour’s claim about unchanged returns something he should explain. Then there is the claim every person who gave ACT their party vote effectively saved taxpayers $57,000.

It is a striking line, which is exactly why it remains questionable.

Treasury says changes around pay equity produced $12.8 billion in fiscal headroom over the forecast period. It also says $1.8 billion from the current year was used to increase the Budget 2025 capital package, while later savings were applied against the operating package.

That is real fiscal policy. It is not the same thing as an individual ACT voter personally saving the country $57,000.

Image: A clear gap remains between David Seymour’s headline claims and the official figures behind them, raising serious questions about whether New Zealanders are being shown the full picture. (File./)

Seymour is entitled to argue ACT has pushed the Government towards lower spending or faster decision-making. What he cannot reasonably expect is for an eye-catching calculation to pass as proof simply because it sounds good from a lectern.

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That standard cuts both ways.

If a politician makes a claim capable of shaping how New Zealanders judge his performance, he should be prepared to show the workings behind it.

New Zealanders should not have to choose between accepting a politician’s headline number or doing their own forensic accounting.

He should front up for the questions as well.

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