The Finance Minister's defended the 11.7 million dollars shelled out to Taranaki's Green private school

The money came from the government's Covid recovery fund and has caused a storm within the Greens, given the building grant was announced by co-leader James Shaw.

The party's always been opposed to taxpayers' money going to private schools.

However, Grant Robertson says it was all above board coming out of the infrastructure programme - and will create 200 construction jobs.

Robertson says $23 million dollars has also just been spent upgrading New Plymouth's Spotswood College.