Parties

Explore the political parties standing in this election. Learn more about each party, see key facts and stats, and view their candidates.

National Party

The New Zealand National Party (Rōpū Nāhinara) is a centre-right conservative party. It was founded in 1936 as a merger between the liberal Unite party and conservative Reform parties, its programmes have emphasised the incremental reduction in the role of government to support business and encourage growth. It currently leads the government with 49 seats in parliament. National has historically been regarded as the ‘natural party of government.’ Having been dominant throughout the 20th century. It has led the government 6 times and held office for longer than Labour. Christopher Luxon is the current leader, with a 2026 slogan of “Fixing the Basics, Building the Future.”

  • Year founded1936
  • Times in government6
  • Current MPs49
  • Number of electorates held43
  • 2025 donations$6,275,234.46
  • 2026 polling average30.8%

Party List

Get across the policies, candidates and parties

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.

Policies

Compare the parties’ positions on the key issues this election

Candidates

See the electorate candidates running in your local area

Parties

Learn about each political party, its leaders and candidate list

Things to know...

Your two votes shape New Zealand’s next parliament. You need to be enrolled to vote.

Read explainer
  • Enrol to vote by Sunday 25 October

    You need to be enrolled before you can vote. You can enrol online at vote.nz.

  • Voting day is Saturday 7 November

    Head to your nearest voting place on the day, or vote early from 26 October.

  • You get two votes

    One for a party (the party vote) and one for a person in your area (the electorate vote).

  • Your party vote is the most powerful

    It decides how many seats each party gets in Parliament. That’s what Policy helps you figure out.