Questioned yesterday on TVNZ's Breakfast programme about when National would begin releasing policy, leader John Key said it had already released 14 policies.
They included a planned $1.5 billion investment in a fibre broadband network, a suite of justice policies and some education policies.
Mr Key said in other areas such as tax cuts, although specific policy had not been released, the public had been given a clear signal and he did not think they were confused about National's policy direction.
But Finance Minister Michael Cullen today said that National had released little detail to back up its 14 policies.
"The truth is that National's so-called policies are just a motley bunch of vague promises, yawning gaps and gimmicks that collectively act as an insult to all New Zealanders."
He said National should cost all of its policies so the public knew how much it was planning to spend and on what.
Such costings would also clearly show how much National intended to borrow to support its spending programme.
Dr Cullen said the Government had clearly outlined the parameters of what it intended to spend over the next few years in the budget.
Mr Key has previously said National will outline the parameters of its spending programme in advance of the election.
The 14 specific policies referred to by Mr Key are:
* Education - setting national standards in reading, writing and numeracy;
* education - providing more trades and industry-based courses in schools;
* education - provide a universal education entitlement of all 16 and 17-year-olds allowing them free study towards school-level qualifications at approved institutions;
* education - the adoption of Labour's interest-free loans policy along with a sweetener of a bonus reduction of 10 percent of any voluntary repayment;
* climate change - a target of a 50 percent reduction in 1990 carbon emissions levels by 2050;
* community sector - removing the cap on tax rebates on charitable donations, zero tax on cost reimbursements to volunteers and full funding for community groups who have been asked to provide a service by government;
* police - require DNA samples from all those arrested for offences punishable by imprisonment, introduce tasers if review findings are positive, introduce instant temporary protection orders;
* justice - scrap recent bail changes, crackdown on gangs by making it easier for police to remove gang fortifications, intercept gang communications and strengthen laws making organised crime membership an offence and make gang membership a factor in sentencing;
* justice - a $50 levy on all offenders to go towards victims' costs;
* youth justice - extend residential sentences for worst offenders, send less serious offenders to army-style boot camps, extend the Youth Court's jurisdiction to deal with 12 and 13-year-olds accused of serious crimes;
* state assets - no full or partial sales in the first term of a National-led government;
* housing - reform Resource Management Act and cut red tape to free up more land for development to reduce price of land, sell high-value state houses but buy new ones in cheaper areas to keep numbers at the same level;
* foreign affairs and defence - target New Zealand's aid towards the Pacific, adopt nuclear-free policy, produce a white paper on defence spending and needs.
* broadband - put about $1.5 billion towards a public-private partnership to roll out a fibre network to homes by 2012.
