Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): The scale of support provided by the Government to businesses and workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented: 1.65 million jobs have been supported by the almost $11 billion paid out under the original 12-week wage subsidy scheme. The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) estimates that around 58 percent of all jobs in New Zealand were supported during this time. This includes $3.5 billion in support of 528,000 jobs in Auckland alone. The original wage subsidy injected cash into firms across multiple industries, including the construction sector, which received nearly $1.4 billion, supporting 203,000 jobs; the accommodation and food services sector, over $1 billion, supporting 164,000 jobs; and the retail trade sector, $1 billion, supporting 156,000 jobs. In response to this one-in-100-year shock, the Government has stepped up with unprecedented levels of investment to cushion the blow to the economy and help keep businesses afloat and workers employed.