Don’t know who to vote for? Policy.nz is the complete guide to the 2026 general election. Compare the parties, candidates and policies to see where you stand.

NZ Election 2026

Get across the policies, candidates and parties to decide who to vote for.

The complete guide to the NZ Election 2026

New Zealanders of all backgrounds deserve the right to live freely and express themselves fully. But many feel that proposed legislation around the “definition of a woman” and “move-on orders” for homeless people put these rights at risk. In many cases, questions about belonging, equality and recognition have been set against the right to free speech. 

Community and inclusion

Key policies

With much of NZ's export sector relying on the use of animals for meat and dairy products, few parties have policies on animal welfare. Rising interest in veganism and vegetarian fake meat products have sparked debate about the future of farming animals.

Animal welfare

People with disabilities face unique barriers to inclusion in society. The government recently removed a law that limited payments to people who provide care to relatives with disabilities, but the provision of adequate resources for everyone to participate in the community is an ongoing issue.

Disability

Contest over the rights and responsibilities of speech has become controversial in recent years, with social justice movements seeking to deplatform speakers and boycott events considered problematic. Recently, debate has flared up over what to do with statues and other public symbols celebrating colonial governments.

Free expression and hate speech

The largest Pacific nation, New Zealand is home to diverse communities from across the region. As the impacts of climate change increase in frequency and intensity, NZ's responsibilities to its neighbours and Pasifika communities at home are becoming more pressing.

Pasifika

After same-sex marriage became law, political controversy has increasingly shifted to trans rights. An attempt to extend laws against discrimination to cover gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics failed in the last parliament. The rainbow community still faces challenges others don’t, including high rates of suicide.

Rainbow community

As NZ's population ages, the challenge of housing and caring for older people grows. Recent incidents of seniors being poorly cared for or abused by care providers have undermined trust in the system.

Seniors

Care and support workers won historic pay equity settlement in 2017, paving the way for workers in other female-dominated industries to achieve equitable pay. But implementation of pay equity remains controversial, as does parliament's decision to decriminalise abortion earlier this year.

Women

The schools climate strike marked a recent highpoint for youth political action, as young people across the world took to the streets to demand climate action. The events highlighted the fact that young people are affected by government action as much as any adult – even though they lack political representation.

Young people

Conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine and Iran have made themselves felt in NZ, with the government maintaining alignment with European and American powers. But new trade deals in Asia show that proximity, not just historical ties, inform which countries NZ is connected to. Meanwhile, NZ continues to focus aid funding and diplomatic partnerships with neighbouring Pacific countries, as questions about which powers reign in this region continue. 

Defence and foreign affairs

New Zealand gives aid to various countries and international organisations. Some say NZ should use its aid budget to secure best political advantage, and others that aid should be spent on areas of greatest need.

Aid, development and institutions

Some say New Zealand’s involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and membership of the five eyes surveillance network is inconsistent with the values of peace that NZ stood for in opposing nuclear weapons. A recent inquiry into the conduct of NZ forces in Afghanistan has recommended greater civilian oversight of the defence force.

Defence and veterans

Many take pride in New Zealand's reputation abroad, which is shaped as much by trade and diplomacy as it is by positive media coverage. Although allied with the US militarily, NZ is reliant on trade with China and is increasingly oriented toward Asia and the Pacific, a position which becomes more difficult as tension between the US and China rises.

International relations

New Zealand is a small economy impacted by global trends - like conflict causing a crunch in the oil supply chain - far beyond the government’s control. Inflation in New Zealand is high, despite efforts by the Reserve Bank to control the flow of money through interest rates. Big questions remain about the structure of supermarkets and electricity retailers: should there be more competition in these sectors to lower prices? Some think that artificial intelligence can grow NZ’s economy or improve productivity but many are doubtful that this technology will bring the promised changes.

Economy

NZ's exports account for nearly a third of the economy, and 40 percent of all exports are dairy and meat products. But the environmental impacts of intensive agriculture and ongoing exemptions for agriculture from emissions reduction rules have made the industry a site of political conflict.

Agriculture

Artificial intelligence (AI)

During the lockdown, the government helped many businesses pay wages while they were closed. As businesses attempt to recover from the crisis, there is widespread agreement on the need for further support. Some parties propose subsidies to hire workers, while others favour providing businesses greater flexibility at the expense of security for workers.

Business support

Research and development credits or subsidies for the private sector have been the favoured approach to economic development in recent decades. But parties are increasingly proposing support for particular industries to shape NZ's economy. And the money put towards the Covid-19 recovery has raised questions about what kind of economy we should rebuild.

Economic development and industry

NZ is regarded by some as a world leader in fisheries management but others say local fisheries are in crisis and blame industrial fishing. Recent regulations required installation of monitoring cameras on some fishing boats but implementation has been interminably delayed.

Fisheries

In the last three years, the government restricted foreign ownership of residential property and land. Limits were imposed on foreign purchases of business assets as part of the response to Covid-19. But some argue NZ should welcome more foreign investment including in reside to increase access to capital.

Foreign investment

Planting more trees to absorb emissions is a core part of the government's climate change response and carbon credits have encouraged the purchase of land for forestry. But conversion of agricultural land has been controversial, with farming interests arguing that conversions will destroy small towns. 

Forestry

The government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a big increase in borrowing. Opposition parties say NZ must quickly reduce debt or future generations will be unfairly burdened, even if that means cuts to some public services. Parties on the left say cuts to services would make the crisis worse.

Government revenue and finance

Transport infrastructure is expensive but lasts a long time and benefits many generations. Competing approaches to funding transport — whether its the use of fuel taxes or general government borrowing — ultimately boil down to the question of who pays. 

Infrastructure funding and planning

The current government stopped issuing offshore oil and gas exploration permits, but exploration continues onshore. As climate change worsens, there is growing pressure to stop extraction altogether. The question remains how to achieve a just transition to a zero-carbon economy. 

Oil, gas and mining

The current government established a $3 billion fund for regional development, called the provincial growth fund, which it says has created many jobs. Opponents say the fund is wasteful and the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Regional development

With the closure of the borders, the tourism sector is in crisis and domestic tourism is unlikely to make up for the lack of international visitors. The current government has provided some support for tourism businesses, but opposition parties say there are better ways to help the industry weather the crisis.

Tourism

New Zealand relies on international trade, and negotiators have recently begun work on an agreement with the UK post-Brexit. While opening up new economic opportunities, trade agreements have been controversial and some say rules about investment protection undermine democracy.

Trade and exports

The third biggest chunk of government spending, after benefits and health, goes to education. Schools and universities shape the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders, and the learning and research that happens there flows far beyond each institution. But what should be taught in school curriculums, and how does the government balance supporting trades education in polytechs and academic learning in universities?

Education

Early childhood education (ECE) is outside of the NZ public education system and is funded by a patchwork of subsidies. Pay for ECE teachers and staff is a perennial issue. People who argue for comprehensive funding say that high quality ECE for all children is a public good.

Early childhood education

Soon after the last election, the current government got rid of charter schools, which critics argued were an attempt to privatise the education system and undermine teacher unions. Parties on the right continue to advocate greater involvement of private enterprise in education and say it will increase choice for parents and teachers.

Schools

Closure of the border cut off income from foreign students, causing a funding crisis in tertiary education. These shortfalls highlight longer-term controversies about the way tertiary education and research gets funded and prioritised.

Tertiary education and research

Currently, the first year of tertiary education  and up to two years of training are free under the current government's fees-free policy. Critics of the policy say it's extravagant and too generous to students who don't need the support.

Tertiary fees and student support

The vocational education sector is undergoing big changes, with the current government merging sixteen institutes of technology and polytechnics to form the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. In the wake of Covid-19, the current government has also made some trades training free for the next two years.

Trades and vocational education

The current government has drafted a replacement to the Resource Management Act and established “Fast-track” consent for major projects, saying it is important to balance economic needs with protecting the environment. About a third of NZ is public land, and debates about hunting access and economic activity in these areas have been prominent in the last three years. Meanwhile, agricultural emissions are not treated like other industrial emissions - yet the climate crisis continues to exacerbate natural disasters in Aotearoa and beyond. 

Environment

The New Zealand way of life will change as extreme weather events and other effects of climate change become the new normal. Cities and towns across the country will need to adapt to deal with droughts and rising sea levels.

Climate adaptation

Around a third of all land in New Zealand is publicly owned and protected, most of it by the Department of Conservation. The department's use of 1080 to control pests has long been controversial, but a new issue has arisen this election with a proposed cull of tahr, a favourite among some hunters.

Conservation

Last year the government passed the Zero Carbon Act with support from all parties in parliament except ACT. The law sets NZ a target of limiting global warming to 1.5C – the threshold at which the worst effects of climate change start to kick in. But some say that current measures aren't enough to even curb heating below 2C. An ongoing dispute is how agriculture should be treated – the country's main export-earner is also a major source of emissions.

Emissions reduction

There is little dispute between the parties that New Zealand's rivers and lakes are in crisis, with most no longer fit for swimming. But with a major export-earner, agriculture, the main factor in this problem, there are powerful interests at play and rules to protect waterways have been resisted. 

Fresh water and pollution

An island nation, New Zealand has one of the largest exclusive economic zones in the world. As our oceans come under increasing pressure from overfishing and a changing climate, many argue that further intervention is needed to protect ocean ecosystems.

Oceans

As it becomes increasingly difficult to dispose of New Zealand's waste overseas, domestic recycling and waste management has become a pressing issue. The current government banned plastic bags and increased spending on recycling programmes. Some parties advocate incineration to deal with the growing waste problem.

Waste management

The current government has announced a new medical school in Waikato and created a ministerial portfolio for mental health. But many people still feel that the health system isn’t meeting their needs. Parties on the left want to make GP visits and pregnancy scans free. Parties currently in government want to make current health funding go further, by adding more medicines to the list the government subsidises and increasing the scope of work that can be done by roles like physician associates and pharmacists.

Health

In 2018, the current government legalised medicinal cannabis. But New Zealand may be about to go a step further, with the country asked to vote this election on a referendum to legalise and control the recreational use of cannabis. But while the focus for now is on cannabis, alcohol remains a major cause of harm.

Alcohol and drugs

New Zealand's 20 elected district health boards are responsible for delivery of most health services. A recent review recommended halving the number of DHBs and replacing elected members with government appointees, creating a new entity to oversee operational delivery of services, and a greater focus on population health.

Health funding and workforce

Some think of healthcare as being free in New Zealand, and it is, at least compared to countries like the US. But users do pay a contribution to doctor's fees and prescriptions, for example, while specialist treatment isn’t always free. Services vary greatly across the country and some are only available in main centres.

Health services

Medicines

New Zealand’s suicide rate is among the highest in the world, especially among young people. While nearly half of New Zealanders will experience mental illness or distress at some point in their lives, many go without services or treatment. An inquiry into mental health and addiction set up by the current government produced a long list of recommendations, including to increase publicly funded mental health services.

Mental health

Covid-19 has raised consciousness about the importance of strong public health systems, and several parties are proposing changes to beef up New Zealand's public health agencies. But while the pandemic rages on, other lingering health challenges remain, from smoking to obesity.

Public health

For many New Zealanders, buying a home is an out-of-reach aspiration. Efforts to make housing more dense in cities and fast-track consents for big developments are part of how the government has tried to make housing more accessible and affordable. But how should housing as an investment people want to increase in value be balanced with housing as a vital place to live? Who should pay for the infrastructure to accompany new developments? How can the rights of renters and those in social housing, who may not be able to afford a house, be protected?

Housing

Consensus has emerged that there is a shortage of affordable housing. New policy this last term included Kiwibuild, turning Housing NZ into Kainga Ora and tasking the entity with building state and affordable housing, and most recently the progressive home ownership scheme. Nearly all parties agree that the Resource Management Act is a barrier to affordable housing development.

Housing affordability

The current government increased quality standards for rental properties, requiring insulation and basic heating. But it's still the case that many homes in New Zealand aren’t properly insulated. Cold and damp housing is a major cause of illness, especially in winter and among young children.

Housing quality

The current government increased quality standards for rental properties and made tenancies more secure, limiting the situations in which a landlord can evict tenants. But rents remain high as incomes are under increasing pressure from the Covid-19 crisis.

Renting

The government has been building state houses in what it claims is the biggest government house building programme in decades. Opposition parties say this approach is too government-led, and that the government has missed opportunities to partner with private organisations to provide social housing.

Social and public housing

New Zealand’s unemployment rate is currently 5.6%, an 11-year high. Layoffs in the public sector and major industry have some people questioning what kind of working future is available in NZ. With more than 100 people leaving NZ for Australia each day, supporting those who are looking for work and growing productivity and employment is a focus for all political parties. 

Incomes and employment

As part of the Covid-19 response, core benefits were increased by $25. But the government also created a special higher rate of benefit for people who lose their job because of Covid-19, leading to criticism that the benefit system is no longer adequate. Recommendations from a working group established by the government have been largely ignored.

Benefits

New Zealand has so far avoided the scale of unemployment seen in other countries as a result of Covid-19, down in part to the wage subsidy. But many predict it is only a matter of time. Some parties promote the private sector and small business as the key to economic recovery and others say that government needs to step in to create jobs directly.

Jobs and employment

Prices

New Zealand has provided some kind of payment to older people since 1898 but the cost has increased as the population has aged. One approach has been to save money in the government's Super Fund, but some parties say payments should stop during the recovery. Others say it's time for the retirement age to be increased.

Superannuation and savings

New Zealand uses progressive taxation to redistribute wealth, though tax rates are at an historic low and the government ruled out a capital gains tax, despite recommendations from a working group it established early in the term. Aside from benefits, many people receive income support in the form of Working for Families tax credits.

Tax and income support

Along with recent increases to the minimum wage, the government has proposed fair pay agreements that would fix wages and conditions across whole industries. Critics say increases to the minimum wage will increase unemployment, and industry agreements would give too much power to workers and unions.

Wages and working conditions

New Zealand has one of the highest imprisonment rates in OECD countries, and Māori are hugely overrepresented in the system. Those statistics represent not just how crime is punished, but also what causes crime. Making sentencing tougher and banning gang patches is one response from right-wing parties, but left-wing parties say that addressing poverty and inequality should be a focus, to prevent crime happening in the first place. 

Law, justice and government

Access to justice is under threat as the cost of legal action grows and legal aid shrinks, but few parties have any policy on the topic. 

Civil justice

The current government began a programme of criminal justice reform, convening a summit and tasking a working group with planning an approach to changing the system. But the prison population has exceeded 10,000 and continues to grow, driven largely by changes to bail laws in 2014 that remain in place.

Criminal justice

There is political consensus that family violence is one of the most pressing social issues in New Zealand, but parties differ on how to reduce violence and keep people safe. Some favour the criminal justice system and others favour say better social services are part of the solution.

Family justice and safety

Following the Christchurch terror attacks, the government responded quickly to tighten New Zealand's gun laws and undertake a nationwide buy-back of certain firearms. But despite widespread support for these measures across parliament, many firearms owners say they have been unfairly scapegoated.

Firearms

Local government is responsible for a great deal of public services people deal with on a day to day basis: public transport, water, parks, recycling, library and art galleries, as well as well as issues of national significance such as issuing building consents and managing the resource management process.

Local government

The election there are two referendums on the ballot and some parties say New Zealand should have more direct democracy. Recent scandals have challenged public respect for democratic institutions and politicians remain among the least trusted professions in New Zealand.

Parliament and democracy

The number of police officers has increased under the current government, but some parties say more are needed, especially in rural areas. Police say the job is increasingly dangerous, but trials of armed police were met with protest and anger from parts of the community who fear arming police will lead to avoidable deaths.

Policing

A government carries out its work through the public service. Which new inquiries, ministries and commissions a party proposes to create, and which it promises to close down, speaks to its political priorities.

Public sector

Media, culture and recreation Sports, music and film are some of the ways New Zealanders have fun - and the sector employs thousands of people. Some people think the government should be attracting more major events to NZ, while others think this money is better spent supporting local sports and music events. Financial cuts have impacted funding for creative institutions, and many media outlets have closed down - how do political parties ensure that NZ’s culture and entertainment has options available for all people? 

Media, culture and recreation

Many events were cancelled or postponed for the lockdown and the creative sector received emergency funding from the government. One initiative has been to pay artists to work in schools and sector advocates say Covid-19 is an opportunity to fund the sector on a more sustainable basis. 

Arts, culture and heritage

New Zealand's media sector is in trouble after years of job losses and outlet closures. As competition from tech giants for ad revenue intensifies, some say the government needs to step in to support the industry, which many consider vital to the health of the democracy.

Broadcasting and media

The sports and recreation sector received emergency funding from the government as major events were cancelled or postponed during the lockdown. And the current government's funding for the racing industry has caused controversy.

Sports and recreation

New Zealand’s population is growing - but only because the number of people moving here is slightly higher than the number of people who want to leave. New Zealand’s population grew by 18,000 in the year to May 2026. The government makes decisions about which kinds of visas are easiest to get, with migrants filling many roles in the agriculture and healthcare sector. What rights migrants and their families receive for healthcare and education is also debated.

Migration

Immigration has been restricted by the current government but some parties say NZ should limit immigration even further. Others say skills and labour from overseas is exactly what the country needs to help the economy recover from Covid-19.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the foundational document for government in NZ and it remains central to current politics. But parties on the right want to limit its interpretation to strict parameters - something much of the public disagreed with. The current government has removed Te Reo Māori names from some government institutions and limited the use of the language in some educational contexts. The fervent response to this shows that for many, celebrating Māori culture and ensuring Māori are represented in all areas of Aotearoa is a crucial part of the country’s future.

Te ao Māori

At the heart of Te Tiriti was the Crown's guarantee of undisturbed possession of land and resources. Disputes of ownership and authority to be involved in decisions about land and resources continue and rights to freshwater, in particular, have been a key issue in recent years.

Land and resources

A foundational constitutional document, Te Tiriti o Waitangi is significant to all questions of governance, including the make-up of parliament. In recent decades the Crown has negotiated settlements for historical breaches of the Treaty. A recent development is the establishment of Te Arawhiti, the Office for Crown-Māori Relations, to facilitate the government’s work with Māori in a post Treaty settlement era.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi and governance

Te reo Māori is the first language of Aotearoa. While relatively few can speak it, more schools are teaching it, more media uses it and demand for courses for adults is increasing. The government set targets for including te reo Māori in classrooms within five years.

Te reo Māori and culture

Whanau Ora, a programme introduced by the Māori Party in 2014, aimed to put whānau and families in control of the services they need to achieve their aspirations, a departure from former, state-led approaches. Meanwhile, the Waitangi Tribunal's kaupapa inquiries are scrutinising the consistency of the state's services with the Treaty.

Wellbeing and services

Concrete, a key part of many types of infrastructure, only lasts 50-100 years before it needs to be replaced. Decades on from being built, much of New Zealand’s major infrastructure, such as water systems and bridges, needs urgent maintenance or full replacement. For the government, it’s a delicate balance of maintaining what is there already while also investing in infrastructure for the future. With a changing climate, does NZ need big new highways, or better public transport links? How can major projects like the City Rail Link or upgrading the Interisland ferries be done cost-effectively and quickly as New Zealand’s population grows?

Transport and infrastructure

This election there are many proposals for particular roading projects, big and small. With transport accounting for over 15 percent of NZ's greenhouse gas emissions there are also policies to reduce vehicle emissions, including by encouraging use of electric vehicles.

Cars and roads

Political parties of all stripes plan for more infrastructure, but the capability of the construction sector is key to anything getting built. But as well as reducing time and cost, buildings will have to deal with the challenges of extreme weather and a changing climate.

Construction

The current government aims to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 but some parties say not enough is yet being done to make that target a reality. Others say that recent decisions to ban oil and gas exploration were a mistake and waste should be burned for electricity.

Energy

The increasing market power of multinational tech companies has had big impacts on many local industries, from high street retail to news media. Some parties say the tech giants aren't paying a fair share of tax. Others are more interested in content — what you can search and what you can say online. 

Internet and digital technologies

As New Zealand's cities grow, demand for public transport has outstripped projections and the government is scrambling to catch up. Cycling and pedestrian infrastructure has become a priority for local government around the country.

Public transport, cycling and walking

Rail was once the backbone of New Zealand's transport system but recent decades have seen rail infrastructure fall into decline and funding for roads prioritised. But some parties are now turning back to rail as a way to both address climate change and reduce congestion in our cities.

Rail transport

Most parties agree that reform is needed to the Resource Management Act (RMA) – the law that governs how land and other resources can be used. Some say the focus should be on reducing development costs, while others say the priority should be on making our cities more liveable and resilient.

The complete guide to the NZ Election 2026

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