Don’t know who to vote for? Policy.nz is the complete guide to the 2023 general election. Compare the parties, candidates and policies to see where you stand.

NZ Election 2023

Year founded

Times in government

Current MPs

Number of electorates held

2023 donations

2023 polling average

The ACT Party (Rōpū ACT) is a right-wing libertarian and populist party that advocates free-market policies and reducing the role of government. It currently has 10  seats in parliament. ACT was formed in 1994 from the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers by former National MP Derek Quigly and former Labour minister of finance Roger Douglas. It has had seats in parliament since 1996 and has held the Epsom electorate since 2005. ACT gave support to the fifth National government from 2008 to 2017 through a confidence and supply agreement.

ACT Party

'HRC Doesn't Need Two CEOs, It Needs To Go', 12 August 2023 (accessed 12 August 2023)

'Honest Conversations - Law and Order' (PDF), undated (accessed 25 July 2023)

'Hate speech laws 2.0 will be defeated as well', 2 June 2023 (accessed 19 August 2023)

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand (Te Rōpu Kākāriki o Aotearoa, Niu Tīreni) is a left-wing party focused on environmental and social justice issues and honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It currently supports the government through a confidence and supply agreement, holds two ministerial portfolios and has nine MPs. The Green Party formed in 1990 from the Values Party and first entered Parliament in 1996 as a part of the Alliance. It stood candidates independently at the 1999 election, and supported the Labour government from 1999 to 2002,  2005 to 2008 and 2017 to 2023. 

Green Party

'Green Party Manifesto 2023' (PDF), undated (accessed 25 July 2023)

'Justice Policy' (PDF), 17 April 2023 (accessed 26 July 2023)

The New Conservative Party is a traditionalist conservative party. It was founded in 2011 as the Conservative Party but rebranded after the 2017 election. The party is socially and economically conservative and has campaigned on specific issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. The party has never been in parliament but had two candidates elected to Auckland’s Upper Harbour Local Board in 2013.

New Conservatives

'Democracy', undated (accessed 28 August 2023)

'Education', undated (accessed 25 August 2023)

'Make the Bill of Rights 1990 Supreme Law', undated (accessed 11 August 2023)

The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party is a single-issue party dedicated to the legalisation of marijuana for medical, recreational and industrial use. It has contested every election and by-election since it was founded in 1996. Although it has never been in parliament, a number of its candidates have gone on to become MPs or mayors after leaving the party, including mayor of Invercargill Tim Shadbolt and former Green Party MPs Metiria Turei and Nándor Tánczos. 

Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party

The New Zealand National Party (Rōpū Nāhinara) is currently the main opposition party in parliament. A centre-right party, National tends to be economically liberal and socially conservative but is a broad church, promoting individual freedom, personal responsibility and competitive enterprise. National formed in 1936 as a combination of the Reform and United parties to oppose the growing labour movement. It has been in government five times and had eight leaders become prime ministers.

National Party

Te Pāti Māori is a Māori-led and Māori-focused  party. Since changing leadership in 2020, the party has moved from the centre to become a left-wing, progressive party. It was formed in 2004 in a split from the Labour Party following the passing of the controversial Foreshore and Seabed Act. The party supported the fifth National government from 2008, holding a number of cabinet portfolios, until its departure from parliament at the 2017 election. It returned to Parliament at the 2020 election, winning two seats. The party aims to uphold te Tiriti o Waitangi, achieve mana motuhake (self-determination) for whānau, hapū and iwi, and represent Māori with an independent voice.

Te Pāti Māori

The Freedoms New Zealand party is a right-wing, populist political alliance founded in 2022 by religious leader Brian Tamaki following the anti-vaccination and anti-mandate occupation of parliament. The political alliance consists of the Outdoors & Freedom Party, Vision NZ, Rock The Vote, and Yes Aotearoa. Freedoms New Zealand is campaigning for the party vote. It is anti-establishment and anti-vaccine mandate. 

Freedoms NZ

The NewZeal party is a socially conservative party with Christian fundamentalist roots led by former National Party MP Alfred Ngaro. Founded in 2019 as ONE Party, it unsuccessfully contested the 2020 election before changing its name to NewZeal in 2023. Its priorities include supporting families and farmers and protecting freedom of expression.

NewZeal

New Zealand First (Aotearoa Tuatahi) is a nationalist populist party. NZ First was formed in 1993 after Winston Peters resigned from the National Party. The party has been in government twice, once with National and once with Labour from 2017 to 2020, and had a confidence and supply agreement with Labour after the 2005 election. In 2020, the party exited Parliament after its vote share fell below 5 percent.

NZ First

The New Zealand Labour Party (Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa) currently leads the government. It is a centre-left political party, which describes its founding principle as democratic socialism. Labour formed in 1916 out of various socialist parties and trade unions and is the country's oldest political party still in existence. Labour has been in government six times and had 10 leaders become prime minister. 

Labour Party

The DemocracyNZ party was formed in 2022 by former National party MP Matt King following the anti-vaccination and anti-mandate occupation of parliament.  The party describes itself as centrist with a focus on freedom, families and farming, while its public statements have focused on NZ’s pandemic response and opposition to climate change regulations.

DemocracyNZ

The Opportunities Party (TOP) is a centrist party with a focus on supporting young people and addressing housing affordability. TOP was founded by businessman Gareth Morgan to contest the 2017 election but has had electoral success only at the local government level, with one candidate being elected to the Featherston Community Board in 2022. This election, it is focusing on winning an electorate seat in Christchurch.

The Opportunities Party (TOP)

The Leighton Baker Party was formed by politician and businessman Leighton Barker in 2023 to contest the upcoming election. Baker was leader of the New Conservative Party from 2017 to 2020. Baker supports Christian family values.

Leighton Baker Party

The New Zealand Loyal party is a nationalist populist party formed in 2023 by anti-vaccination activist and former broadcaster Liz Gunn. The party describes itself as opposed to “globalists’ interests”, and its policy platform focuses on opposition to the United Nations, climate change legislation, drinking water fluoridation, abortion and centralised government. 

New Zealand Loyal

The Animal Justice Party Aotearoa New Zealand is a single-issue party dedicated to animal welfare. It advocates for non-violence towards animals, conservation, the establishment of a Commissioner for Animals, and a move away from animal-based agriculture to a plant-based economy. It was registered in 2023.

Animal Justice Party

The New Nation Party describes itself as a centre-right party that opposes vaccine mandates, the ‘three waters' water services reforms, and New Zealand’s involvement in the United Nations. It was formed in 2022 and unsuccessfully stood a candidate in the 2022 Tauranga by-election. It registered in 2023 for the upcoming election and was previously a component party of the Freedoms NZ political alliance.

New Nation Party

The Women’s Rights Party describes its priority as creating a world that is safe for women and girls. The party was formed in 2023 by trade unionist and former Labour Party activist Jill Ovens and former Labour community board representative Dawn Trenberth to provide an alternative to mainstream parties which it says have been captured by "gender ideology." The party promotes the view that sex is binary and people are not able to change sex. Among other things, it opposes transwomen being allowed to use women's spaces, such as public bathrooms, a position common among anti-trans political movements internationally.

Women's Rights Party

Party vote

Policy.nz for Schools

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

New Zealand prides itself on its history of egalitarianism, from women's suffrage to marriage equality. But the struggle for fair treatment, recognition and inclusion by marginalised groups continues. In recent years, these struggles have overlapped with debates around the limits and responsibilities of 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

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

Global events have long had an impact on domestic politics in NZ, with protests against apartheid and nuclear weapons looming large in the collective memory. There is now heated debate about NZ’s place in an increasingly unstable and polarised world, as we find ourselves caught in the middle of growing tensions between our traditional security partner, the United States, and our largest trading partner, China. 

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’s economy weathered the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath better than most, but that success came at the cost of higher inflation, exacerbated by global supply shortages and other factors. The Reserve Bank has tightened monetary policy in a bid to restrain spending and price rises, pushing the economy into recession for the first time since 2010, excluding the Covid-19 lockdown period. While both major parties agree on the need for restraint, who should bear the burden of recovery? And in what direction should the economy grow?

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

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

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. Parties on the left propose expanding access to free early childhood education. Parties on the right want to introduce more targets and monitoring of student achievement.

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

Tackling climate change has been a priority of the current government since it was elected in 2017. But its climate policies have been met with resistance in some quarters, especially among farmers who say efforts to reduce emissions threaten the industry's bottom line. However, others say the government’s climate change measures don’t go far enough, as the devastating impacts of climate change become ever more visible.

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 reformed the public healthcare system, merging the many district health boards into two national entities – Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand and Te Aka Whai Ora | Māori Health Authority. Parties on the right want to disestablish the Māori Health Authority and reprioritise health spending, including towards specific cancer treatments. Parties on the left defend the reforms and propose expanding free dental access.

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

Community transmission, contact tracing and flattening the curve — Covid-19 made the language of epidemiology a part of everyday life. As a second outbreak unfolds, the country's capacity to respond is one of the defining issues of the election.

Covid-19 health response

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

Housing in NZ is among the least affordable in the world, despite a recent fall in house prices. Pressure is now growing from property investors and homeowners to allow the housing market to heat up again. While all the major parties say more needs to be done to ensure everyone has affordable housing, there are major differences in how they propose to go about it. Should the state take the lead in building more houses, or loosen the rules to encourage private investors?

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

The price of everything is rising fast, as inflation reaches its highest levels since the 1990s. The cost of living has become a major election issue with all major parties promising a raft of changes to ease the pressure on households. Some focus on increasing incomes through tax cuts or increases to benefits, some focus on reducing prices, while others maintain that the way forward is to reduce regulation to reduce costs on businesses. 

Incomes and employment

The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) provides compulsory insurance cover for personal injury for everyone in New Zealand. Some parties say the system is not working as it should.

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

Reports of ram-raids and youth offending have put law and order into the spotlight this election. Parties on the right call for tougher sentences and stricter controls on young offenders. Parties on the left say nothing will change unless the causes of crime are addressed, pointing to NZ's high rates of imprisonment and a significant over-representation of Māori. 

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

Some New Zealanders spend their free time on the rugby field, others at the museum. But even our downtime is not entirely free from politics, with government playing a role in supporting sports, arts and more. Meanwhile, concerns grow over the precarious state of NZ's media.

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

After grinding to a halt in 2020, immigration levels have now returned to pre-pandemic levels, with NZ gaining over 72,000 people in the year to April. Although not as contentious an issue as in some previous elections, there remain big differences between the parties’ stances. Some emphasise the role of immigration in boosting economic growth, while others emphasise the need to protect the rights of migrants once they’re here.

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.

Immigration

The current government doubled New Zealand's refugee quota to 1,500 refugees a year. But pressure is building on the system as the number of displaced people worldwide increases due to conflict and climate change.

Refugees

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the foundational document for government in NZ and it remains central to current politics. Te reo Māori is more widely heard in public and taught in schools, tikanga Māori is being recognised by the legal system, and many historical Tiriti claims have been settled. But political struggle continues, as recent debates over co-governance show. For parties on the left, co-governance represents the next step in honouring the commitments made under te Tiriti, while some parties on the right say it is a threat to democracy.

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