National leader Bill English says the Government's free fees policy "has 18-year-olds planning their holidays" and will be "soaking up staff out of McDonalds".

Mr English took the opportunity to have a go at the Government during his adjournment speech at Parliament on Wednesday evening.

He said paying for free education for 80,000 to attract another 2000 into the tertiary sector was "sheer dumbness".

Mr English said Labour's "moral awesomeness and self-congratulation" about its families package is rich because "They opposed every single measure that it took to generate the surpluses that they are handing out."

He said the Government are "a bunch of people who found the lolly bag and ran the lolly scramble without having any idea where it came from."

A spokesperson for McDonald's New Zealand said "We don't expect to see much impact as a result of the Government's free fees policy."

They said McDonald's have a number of staff members working part-time while studying, as the company offers flexible hours that can fit around school and university classes.

"Our training is also NZQA accredited, so many of our staff are working towards a diploma in hospitality while they work."

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters took a dig back at the National party in his adjournment speech, offering odds on who the next leader would be.

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