Compare the parties.

Party proposal

ACT proposes removing tax on qualifying investment earnings within KiwiSaver. It would also stop the annual government contribution for members who receive employer contributions, and add safeguards against using KiwiSaver to shelter existing investment portfolios.

Who it covers

KiwiSaver members, subject to qualifying-investment rules and safeguards. The government-contribution change applies to members receiving employer contributions.

Timing

The cost tables cover 2027/28–2030/31; the reviewed paper does not state a precise commencement day.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The standalone paper nets to $2.396bn over 2027/28–2030/31. The consolidated fiscal plan’s tax-loss and subsidy-saving lines instead imply $2.772bn, a $376m source difference not reconciled in those papers.

The paper extends relief to non-KiwiSaver superannuation schemes. Different source editions are not automatically errors; the scope and changed assumptions need explanation. Individual gains and losses are not estimated here.

Party proposal

ACT proposes increasing the medicines share of the health budget by one percentage point each year, aiming to match Australia by 2033. It would set future Pharmac increases in advance and seek other parties’ support for the same path.

Who it covers

Patients who could benefit from additional publicly funded medicines. Pharmac would retain its assessment role; this is not a guarantee of a particular treatment.

Timing

The full paper’s allocation path begins in 2027/28 and reaches a 12% medicines share in 2033/34.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The paper projects medicines budgets rising from $2.0–2.2bn to $5.4–6.1bn, reallocating expected health-budget growth rather than increasing total health spending. Its 2025 Treasury model inputs predate PREFU; annual allocation increases are not a net policy cost to add together.

Party proposal

ACT proposes excluding purely religious or spiritual effects as grounds for consent restrictions and prohibiting compulsory religious observances in consent conditions. It would replace Te Mana o te Wai with measurable freshwater standards.

Who it covers

Applicants for covered planning consents. The party says physical heritage, urupā, archaeological sites, customary physical uses and Treaty settlement rights would still be addressed.

Timing

No implementation date specified in the reviewed source.

Cost & funding stated by the party

No total cost or funding source specified in the reviewed source.

Party proposal

ACT would limit state schools to three compulsory branded uniform items and require generic options for everyday clothing such as trousers and socks. Families could buy those items from ordinary clothing retailers.

Who it covers

State-school families. Sports strips, kapa haka uniforms and tracksuits would be excluded from the proposed rules.

Timing

No implementation date specified in the reviewed source.

Cost & funding stated by the party

This is a proposed change to education law. The reviewed page does not provide a programme cost or quantified household saving.

Party proposal

ACT proposes letting households sell power to a different provider from the one they buy from, allowing more solar exports where networks have capacity, and opening eligible connection work to competition. It opposes forced break-ups of major electricity companies.

Who it covers

Households generating electricity, new generators and electricity customers. Technical standards, metering, network charges and consumer protections would apply.

Timing

No implementation date specified in the reviewed source.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Investors would finance private transmission lines, with users paying through voluntary agreements. No total public cost is specified in the reviewed page.

Party proposal

ACT proposes freezing the adult minimum wage for three years and a training wage at 60% for under-20s during their first year with an employer. It also proposes protected exit negotiations, filing Authority proceedings within three months of raising a grievance, voluntary employer collection of union fees and clearer digital-investment deductions.

Who it covers

Employers, employees, unions and workers under 20. The proposed training wage is tied to an employer's first 12 months of employment.

Timing

A three-year wage freeze; no commencement date is stated in the accessible summary.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The summary gives no total cost. ACT's consolidated fiscal schedule has no separately named small-business-package line; some initiatives remain unannounced.

The official summary was reviewed. Its linked full business paper could not be retrieved; it may contain further safeguards and cost details.

Party proposal

ACT would let teachers send seriously or persistently disruptive students to a supervised room, with escalation before reasonable physical removal. It proposes mandatory stand-down or suspension after assaults, parent meetings, fines for unexplained non-attendance and recovery of deliberate property-damage costs.

Who it covers

Schools, students and parents. Removed students must stay supervised; empty or lockable rooms and corporal punishment would remain prohibited.

Timing

No implementation date is specified in the accessible summary.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The summary gives no staffing or implementation cost. The fiscal plan has no separately named behaviour-policy line and retains unannounced initiatives.

The linked full behaviour paper could not be retrieved. The summary caps missed-meeting fines at $300 initially and $3,000 for later offences, with a reasonable-excuse exception.

Party proposal

ACT would end the Waitangi Tribunal's contemporary jurisdiction, retain historical claims lodged by 1 September 2008 and disestablish the Tribunal once that work finishes. It also proposes adding property-rights protections to the Bill of Rights Act, with claims against the Crown pursued through ordinary courts.

Who it covers

Historical Treaty claimants, people raising contemporary Crown grievances, property owners and the Tribunal.

Timing

Closure depends on completing eligible historical claims, with no fixed calendar deadline.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The full paper says funding would reduce with the remaining workload, but quantifies neither savings nor transition costs. The consolidated plan has no separate Tribunal line.

Party proposal

The Greens propose higher benefits, individual entitlements and an end to benefit sanctions. Their tax paper sets a $10,000 tax-free income threshold, a 45% rate above $160,000 and a 2.5% wealth tax above $10 million, with family homes exempt.

Who it covers

Taxpayers and people receiving income support. Wealth thresholds are $10m per individual or $20m per couple, with family homes and other specified assets exempt.

Timing

No implementation date specified in the reviewed source.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Wealth, inheritance and large-company tax changes would fund income reforms and public services. The full paper costs the tax package; a complete manifesto-wide spending reconciliation was not located in the reviewed sources.

Party proposal

The Greens would work towards publicly delivered, free primary and dental care, including Māori-led community clinics. The manifesto also calls for mobile rural services, more sustained Pharmac funding, safer staffing and pay parity for primary-care nurses and hauora providers.

Who it covers

People using primary, dental and public health services, with particular provision for rural communities and Māori-led care.

Timing

The chapter describes a direction to work towards; it does not set a completion date for fully free primary and dental care.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Additional public funding is proposed for these services and Pharmac. This chapter does not state a total cost or a dedicated funding source.

Party proposal

The Greens propose tens of thousands of additional public homes, more papakāinga on Māori land, and an annual rent-increase limit of 2%. They would link rent in a new tenancy to the previous tenancy and strengthen rental quality checks.

Who it covers

Renters, people needing public or accessible housing, and papakāinga developments. The chapter also proposes same-day accommodation for people experiencing homelessness.

Timing

No delivery timetable for the proposed homes or rent changes is specified in this chapter.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The chapter proposes reversing tax advantages for landlords and property speculation. It does not provide a total housing-package cost or ring-fenced revenue amount.

Party proposal

The Greens propose publicly owned Kiwipower to invest in renewable generation and dry-year security; zero-interest solar and battery loans; renter solar rights; and expanded Warmer Kiwi Homes. They would invest in community and Māori renewable energy, put solar on more than half of public homes within four years, establish a single energy regulator and Ministry for Energy, ban new fossil-fuel extraction, end fossil-fuel subsidies and cancel the LNG terminal.

Who it covers

Electricity users, public-housing tenants, renters, low-income households and Māori/community energy projects, alongside generators and industry.

Timing

The announcement targets solar on more than half of public homes within four years. No calendar rollout or fiscal period for all other elements is stated in the reviewed announcement and chapter.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The announcement specifies $200m for community-owned renewable energy and $80m for Māori housing renewables, without labelling either amount annual. It proposes funding through corporation and high-wealth tax changes. No total package cost or Kiwipower capital allocation is given in those sources; solar loans would be repaid.

The renewable infrastructure agency in the manifesto and Kiwipower in the announcement may describe overlapping roles; their institutional relationship is not defined in those two sources. The $200m and $80m commitments must not be shown as annual costs.

Party proposal

The Greens propose voting from age 16, voting rights for everyone in custody, election-day enrolment, entrenched Māori seats and a constitutional conversation grounded in Te Tiriti. Their September package sets a $30,000 donor cap per party and its candidates per election cycle, individual-only donations, disclosure above $1,000 a year and professional-lobbyist registration with four-monthly reporting and a two-year stand-down for former ministers.

Who it covers

Voters, parties, donors, professional lobbyists and constitutional discussion participants. Ordinary MP contact, submissions, petitions, union bargaining and Treaty settlement negotiations are excluded from the lobbying regime.

Timing

The donation draft would commence after Royal assent and the lobbying draft six months after assent; both require Parliament to enact them. No calendar timetable for the wider voting or constitutional changes is stated.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The manifesto proposes public resourcing for constitutional discussions and campaigns without a total amount. The lobbying draft permits fees and levies on registered lobbyists to fund its commission; no levy rate or programme budget is set.

The bills are consultation drafts, not enacted law. The newer announcement specifies the donor cap that the broader manifesto chapter leaves open.

Party proposal

The Greens propose free early childhood education delivered as a public good, ending for-profit provision; wider learning-support eligibility; and expanded locally made school lunches towards universal coverage. They would reset curriculum reforms and co-develop a long-term educator workforce plan.

Who it covers

Children, families and educators, including learners needing disability or health support and Māori-medium education communities.

Timing

The chapter describes these commitments without a dated implementation or transition schedule.

Cost & funding stated by the party

No total package cost or annual funding path is specified in the reviewed education chapter. Free early learning, support services and a wider lunch programme require public funding.

Party proposal

The Greens propose a universal student income, including postgraduates, and at least living-wage pay for required work placements. They would expand free apprenticeships, reduce loan repayments and work towards fees-free tertiary study and a student-debt write-off, alongside stronger local polytechnic funding and governance.

Who it covers

Tertiary students, including postgraduates, placement students and apprentices; tertiary staff and local communities would also be affected.

Timing

No dated rollout. Fees-free study and debt relief are directions to work towards, without an immediate universal entitlement.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The reviewed tertiary chapter does not quantify the student income rate, total reform cost or annual financing schedule.

Party proposal

The Greens propose default union membership with an opt-out, wider strike rights, a right to disconnect and stronger protections for gig workers. They would guarantee minimum-wage increases at least matching inflation, pay publicly funded roles a living wage and extend primary-caregiver paid parental leave to 15 months with additional partner leave.

Who it covers

Employees, platform workers, employers and parents. Worker representatives on listed-company boards would be explored, rather than immediately required.

Timing

The workforce chapter gives no dated implementation sequence for these changes.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Publicly funded wage changes and longer parental leave would require public funding. No total or annual cost is specified in the reviewed chapter.

Party proposal

The Greens propose a pathway into work, education or training for 16–24-year-olds out of work for six months. A Jobs for Young People pilot would fund additional community jobs, while expanded Mayors Taskforce for Jobs support would target 32,000 placements across all 67 councils.

Who it covers

Young people meeting the six-month unemployment criterion, with councils, iwi, businesses and community organisations involved. The page says programme jobs must not replace existing workers.

Timing

Announced 11 October 2026. A dated pilot rollout and the period for the 32,000-placement target were not verified from the available web sources.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Detailed funding and costings remain unverified: the official full-policy link could not be read during this review. The accessible web announcement and summary do not state a dollar amount; that is a source-access limit, not evidence the full paper lacks costings.

The guarantee includes education or training pathways; it should not be described as an immediate unconditional job for every young person. The placement target is not verified as annual.

Party proposal

The Greens would expand Buy Kiwi Made and origin labelling, direct more government purchasing to local firms, widen small-firm technology grants and rebates, and support sustainable regional industries. They also propose stronger competition rules and better-resourced enforcement.

Who it covers

Small local enterprises, technology firms, regional communities and Māori-led businesses, alongside consumers affected by competition changes.

Timing

No implementation date or staged programme schedule is specified in this manifesto chapter.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The reviewed chapter does not give grant amounts, procurement targets or a total cost for regional support and enforcement.

Party proposal

Labour proposes a $20 weekly fare cap in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and $10 elsewhere. Once a person reaches the cap, further covered trips that week would be free.

Who it covers

Bus and train users nationwide, plus some ferries in the three main centres. Scenic and interregional trains, commercial interregional transport and other ferries are excluded.

Timing

In place by 1 July 2027.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Labour’s fiscal plan identifies the National Land Transport Fund: it would reprioritise 1% of the fund for the fare cap. The reviewed fare-cap page does not give a total dollar cost.

Party proposal

Labour proposes a 28% tax on gains made after 1 July 2027 when residential investment or commercial property is sold. Its policy exempts the family home, farms, KiwiSaver, shares, business assets, inheritances and personal items.

Who it covers

People selling covered property for a taxable gain. The page also provides an exemption when a small business sells its premises to buy larger premises.

Timing

Only gains accruing after 1 July 2027, with tax payable on sale.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Labour says all revenue would go to health. Its fiscal plan forecasts $2.8 billion of capital-gains-tax revenue across 2027/28–2030/31; this is a party estimate of future receipts, not a guaranteed amount.

The revenue estimate is from the party’s Fiscal Plan 2026 table, reviewed in the fiscal-plans section below. Transaction volumes, realised gains and implementation affect receipts.

Party proposal

Labour proposes a Medicard providing three free doctor or nurse appointments each year at a person’s enrolled general practice. Clinical phone triage would not use up the allowance; unused visits would not carry into the following year.

Who it covers

People eligible for healthcare and enrolled at a practice. Already-free services, after-hours care and ACC visits are outside the three-visit allowance.

Timing

The page describes the full entitlement from July 2028, with programme spending starting in 2027/28.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Labour publishes $393.3 million for 2027/28, $553 million annually in 2028/29 and 2029/30, and $548 million in later years. It proposes funding the plan through its targeted property capital gains tax.

The standalone paper’s free-doctor line is $323m/$490m/$490m/$490m; the fiscal plan’s line is $297.8m/$464.8m/$483.6m/$503.1m. The different scope or assumptions need explanation; this does not establish an error or unfunded programme.

Party proposal

Labour would restart Kāinga Ora construction; its fiscal table identifies 6,000 state houses. Community housing providers would receive more predictable funding and a government borrowing guarantee.

Who it covers

People needing social housing, community housing providers and construction workers. The 6,000-state-house figure comes from the fiscal table, rather than the shorter web announcement.

Timing

Start within a year of taking office; the official fiscal summary spreads Kāinga Ora capital across four years. No exact completion date for all homes is given.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The announcement gives $2.9bn capital and $745m operating support; the fiscal table separately shows $760m IRRS and other housing adjustments. That source difference is not reconciled. These are not annual programme costs.

Party proposal

Labour proposes government-backed solar finance, grants of up to $3,000 for eligible households, rules enabling plug-in solar for renters and a community battery fund. The loans would be repaid over time rather than making the equipment free.

Who it covers

Homeowners, renters and communities. The kickstart grants are for lower- and middle-income households; the page does not give exact income thresholds.

Timing

Advice, subsidies and the two loan schemes operating within 12 months of taking office.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Labour publishes $160 million over four years, repurposed from the Gas Security of Supply fund. This includes $77 million for household subsidies and $30 million for community batteries.

Party proposal

Labour proposes limits on compulsory branded uniform items and cheaper generic alternatives, locally made school lunches funded at $5 per meal ($6.50 for Years 9–13), and restoring cancelled rural school bus routes where possible.

Who it covers

School families, participating school-lunch students and affected rural communities. The page does not promise every rural route can be restored.

Timing

Uniform changes and fresh school lunches from Term 1 2028. No fixed date for rural bus restoration is given.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The fiscal PDF lists $590.8m for school lunches in 2028/29–2030/31. Its first allocation is later than the web page’s Term 1 2028 start; scope and timing need reconciliation. Separate uniform and rural-bus amounts were not identified in that table.

The fare cap is covered separately under Living costs & tax. A timing or source-edition difference does not establish an unfunded programme.

Party proposal

Labour would reduce qualifying graduates’ outstanding student loans by 10%. Existing graduates qualify on 1 April 2027; current and future students qualify after three years based in New Zealand following study. Balances of $2,000 or less would be cleared under that three-year route.

Who it covers

New Zealand-based borrowers who have finished study, meet their loan obligations and did not receive Fees Free. Repayments remain income-based.

Timing

Existing eligible graduates: 1 April 2027. Labour expects the first three-year-route reductions in 2031.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The fiscal plan sets aside $420m capital for the initial write-off and $163.1m operating over 2026/27–2030/31. The policy estimates nearly $40m annually once fully running from 2031; costs use loan fair value rather than the face value owed.

Party proposal

Labour proposes $500 monthly employer payments for two years, a $1,000 starter toolbox grant, five additional training areas and a mentoring pilot. New areas include road construction, water and sanitary engineering, personal services, sales and marketing, and sports and recreation.

Who it covers

Employers and apprentices in accredited programmes, with expanded eligibility. Grants cover starting tools, kit, uniforms and course materials.

Timing

New areas, grant and mentoring pilot: 1 July 2027. Two-year employer payments: 1 July 2028.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The fiscal plan allocates $21m/$64m/$69.5m/$71.5m in 2027/28–2030/31: $226m total, or $56.5m annually on average. It is funded within Labour’s Budget allowances.

Party proposal

Labour would restore pay-equity legislation within its first 100 days and recognise previous claim work. Care and support workers would receive an immediate $4 hourly increase; other settlements would follow negotiation.

Who it covers

An estimated 65,000 care and support workers receive the immediate increase. Other pay-equity claimants would use the restored process rather than an automatic immediate settlement.

Timing

Care/support increase: 1 January 2027. Legislation: first 100 days. Future settlement dates depend on negotiations.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The fiscal table costs the immediate rise at $279m in 2026/27 and $558m each year from 2027/28–2030/31: $2.511bn total. Labour says later negotiated settlements would be funded through future Budgets; those amounts are not quantified here.

Party proposal

Labour proposes a 15-day payment rule for large firms’ small-supplier invoices, a $10,000 immediate asset deduction and an $80,000 GST-registration threshold. Its separate Small Business First plan targets 15% of government contracts for local small firms and start-ups, with smaller tender lots and simpler information requirements.

Who it covers

Small firms: asset deduction for annual revenue below $10m; payment rule for invoices up to $25,000. Large payer tests and voluntary GST registration apply.

Timing

Payment legislation: first 100 days. Asset deduction: 1 July 2027. GST threshold: 1 July 2028. No exact procurement-target start date is stated.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The fiscal table allocates $1.354bn to the asset deduction and $210m to the GST change over 2027/28–2030/31 ($1.564bn combined), funded by refocusing Investment Boost. The policy page rounds the package to $1.56bn and gives $1.355bn for the asset deduction.

The asset write-off is a deduction from taxable income, not a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. The $1m difference between source editions does not establish a material funding shortfall.

Party proposal

Labour proposes a Parliamentary Budget Office to independently examine government finances and cost parties’ election commitments on a consistent basis, giving voters information about fiscal trade-offs.

Who it covers

Voters, Parliament and political parties using or scrutinising independent costings.

Timing

The fiscal plan allocates operating funding from 2028/29. The policy does not specify the exact establishment date or whether every service would start then.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The fiscal table provides $3.5m annually in 2028/29–2030/31: $10.5m total, within Labour’s operating allowances.

Party proposal

Labour proposes a contestable fund for Māori providers, including marae and iwi trusts, to deliver employment-focused training linked to local employers and recognised qualifications. Programmes would combine practical skills with mentoring and support to complete training and remain in work.

Who it covers

Māori of all ages seeking a first job, retraining or more secure work; Māori providers would apply to deliver programmes shaped around local skills needs.

Timing

As soon as possible after Budget 2027; no exact commencement day is given.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The policy specifies $21m annually through reprioritisation and existing baselines in Budget 2027. The fiscal table separately includes $21m in each of 2027/28–2030/31: $84m over four years. This is separate from Apprenticeship Boost.

Party proposal

National says it would introduce no new taxes if re-elected. This is not an explicit blanket freeze on existing taxes or levies. It separately promises no increase in the International Visitor Levy for at least three years.

Who it covers

Taxpayers generally. The specific levy commitment covers overseas visitors who pay the International Visitor Levy.

Timing

The proposed next term of government; the visitor-levy freeze is for at least three years.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The visitor-levy reset starts 1 July 2027; its $105.1m net operating effect over 2027/28–2030/31 is included in the new fiscal schedule. The 12 October plan does not allocate a costed income-tax cut or an indexation timetable; it leaves future relief conditional on growing surpluses.

The fiscal paper explicitly acknowledges bracket creep as wages and prices rise. The visitor-levy freeze is not a guarantee about every existing tax, levy, fee or charge. Extra receipts from existing tax rules are not the same as a new tax rate.

Party proposal

National proposes an additional $604 million for Pharmac over four financial years, more clinical trials and earlier cancer screening. It would lower bowel screening to age 50 and extend breast screening to age 74 by 2029, with free cervical screening from March 2027.

Who it covers

Patients eligible for funded medicines and screening programmes. The cervical-screening proposal covers women aged 25–69; Pharmac would decide which medicines receive funding.

Timing

Pharmac uplift in 2027/28–2030/31. Cervical screening from March 2027; bowel and breast screening targets by 2029.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The policy table shows $351.1m net operating cost and $41.5m capital over 2027/28–2030/31: Pharmac $604m plus bowel screening $178.3m less aid savings $431.2m. All appear in the new plan as separate rows. The narrative’s further $45.6m MFAT saving remains unidentified in the tables, which count fewer savings. Other screening commitments are already funded or use baselines.

Party proposal

National would raise the First Home Loan income cap to $300,000 for all applicant types. Eligible buyers could use a 5% deposit, while lenders would still decide whether they can afford the mortgage.

Who it covers

Eligible first-home buyers within the proposed income cap. A smaller deposit does not remove the lender’s affordability test or guarantee approval.

Timing

Proposed for a re-elected government; no implementation date is specified in the reviewed sources.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The party paper estimates a fiscal impact of $4–6 million, funded from existing budgets. It does not specify an annual or multi-year period for that estimate.

Party proposal

National proposes school-readiness checks, screen-use rules, consistent term dates and qualification changes. Its manifesto also describes learning-support coordinators and teacher-aide hours as already delivered or funded reforms.

Who it covers

Children, families and schools. The coordinator proposal covers schools with Year 1–8 students; students would stay until Year 11 is completed or age 16, whichever is later, with exemptions for employment or further training.

Timing

NCEA replacement begins in 2028. The coordinators and two million additional annual teacher-aide hours are part of an already funded rollout from 2028.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The ECE paper refers to existing $266m Early Intervention Service funding. Screen-use changes are primarily regulatory; checks build on existing information. A whole-package new spending cost is not stated in these papers.

Party proposal

National proposes a Home Energy Fund offering long-term loans for solar, batteries, insulation and heat pumps. Loans would be secured against the property and repaid through rates or on sale. It would also relax consent rules for small-scale renewable energy.

Who it covers

Ratepayers with at least 20% equity in their property, in participating councils. Council participation would be voluntary.

Timing

Loans repaid over ten years. The reviewed paper does not specify a programme launch date.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The paper proposes a one-off $7 million Crown equity investment for a 20% shareholding, with remaining investment from councils and the Local Government Funding Agency. Borrowers repay the loans.

Party proposal

National would make KiwiSaver or an equivalent scheme compulsory for workers, lift combined default contributions to 12% by 2032, add $1,500 at birth and fund parental-leave contributions.

Who it covers

Workers, including the self-employed at the employee rate only. Equivalent employer schemes, parental leave and hardship have specified exceptions. Compulsory employer contributions would extend to contributing workers over 65.

Timing

Baby payments, parental-leave top-ups and over-65 employer contributions from 1 July 2027. Compulsory savings from 1 July 2028; employee and employer defaults reach 6% each on 1 April 2032.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The new plan implies $784m net over 2027/28–2030/31: $1,290.1m costs less a $506.1m net tax offset. Crown-employer costs are $140.2m above the original paper; changed assumptions need explanation. The tax offset already deducts reduced income tax.

The original paper excluded uncertain tax receipts. The consolidated plan includes them without publishing the model. The separate parental top-up revision is explained by longer parental leave; a costing revision alone is not a funding hole.

Party proposal

National would extend paid parental leave from 26 to 30 weeks in stages and allow parents to share or overlap the same combined entitlement. A 40-week longer-term ambition depends on future fiscal conditions.

Who it covers

Eligible parents under existing eligibility and maximum weekly-payment settings. Sharing the entitlement does not double the total weeks available for a child.

Timing

27 weeks from 1 July 2027, 28 from 1 July 2028 and 30 from 1 July 2029, for entitlements commencing on or after each date.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Displayed extension costs sum to $327.5m over 2027/28–2030/31, matching the fiscal plan. The standalone $327.4m total differs by $0.1m, consistent with rounding. The $121.9m KiwiSaver top-up is a separate row; shared-leave administration uses existing baselines.

Party proposal

National would lower the compulsory domestic student-loan repayment rate from 12% to 10% and add penalties and enforcement for overseas borrowers. Lower repayments do not cancel the loan.

Who it covers

Domestic borrowers making income-based repayments and overseas borrowers covered by the enforcement proposals. Existing repayment thresholds remain relevant.

Timing

The domestic repayment-rate change starts 1 April 2027. The cost table covers 2026/27–2030/31.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The five-year net operating cost is $372.6m after forecast penalty revenue and enforcement recoveries, matching the fiscal plan. The $296m current-year charge is principally a loan-book valuation effect; slower cash repayments affect debt on a separate path not fully scheduled here.

The enforcement estimate assumes $25m gross annual recoveries for $10m of extra annual funding, leaving $15m net. This is a collection assumption, not a guaranteed return.

Party proposal

National would add intensive employment support, reduce Jobseeker payments after two of the previous three years, introduce random drug tests and extend the main-benefit residency requirement.

Who it covers

The employment programme targets 30,000 work-ready Jobseekers. Long-term payment reductions are smaller for households with children; Supported Living Payment is unchanged. Existing main-benefit recipients, refugees and protected persons retain specified protections from the residency change.

Timing

Long-term payment reductions and the five-year residency requirement from 1 April 2028. The employment and savings table covers 2027/28–2030/31.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The plan uses $583m net savings, including $11m initial net cost. The welfare paper’s main saving is $572m from reduced payments, with other assistance offsetting one-fifth of the reduction; it does not assume extra employment-response savings from that payment change. Drug testing uses around $1.5m annually from MSD baselines.

Party proposal

National would require councils to keep annual rates increases within a 2–4% target range, overseen by an independent regulator. Exemptions would cover exceptional needs or demonstrated prudent financial management, with community consultation required.

Who it covers

Councils and ratepayers; the proposed range includes a minimum increase as well as an upper limit.

Timing

Implementation in 2029, with council transition support.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The reviewed page does not separately cost the regulator or transition support.

Party proposal

National proposes support for first-time employers, simpler recurring seasonal agreements and apprenticeship records, one-time business information sharing, and faster minor employment disputes. It would also introduce a minimum employee-support test before new collective bargaining begins, retain Investment Boost, and support 200 promising exporters.

Who it covers

Small firms, their workers and exporters. Bargaining would need support from the lesser of ten employees or 20% of the covered workforce, with at least two employees.

Timing

Employment-law consolidation in the next parliamentary term; no common launch date is stated for all new measures.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The full paper includes existing programmes and new regulatory or administrative proposals. It does not give a separate total for all 47 measures. Investment Boost is an existing deduction; the GST registration threshold is proposed for review, not a promised specified increase.

Party proposal

NZ First proposes a tax-free $5,000 annual grant for each of a family’s first three children during their first three years. Payments would normally be monthly, with an upfront first-year payment option for the first child.

Who it covers

Families with at least one New Zealand-citizen parent. The party says the payment would not be means-tested and would sit alongside existing support.

Timing

Paid for each eligible child’s first three years; no programme launch date is specified.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The party estimates a $400 million cost by the third year of full operation. The reviewed page does not specify a funding source.

Party proposal

NZ First proposes reducing company tax to 20% for companies with turnover below $30 million, from the 28% rate cited in its policy.

Who it covers

Companies with turnover under $30 million. This is a company-tax proposal, not a personal income-tax cut.

Timing

No implementation date specified in the reviewed source.

Cost & funding stated by the party

NZ First estimates an initial fiscal cost of about $1 billion a year. It says subsequent growth would cover that cost in the medium term; this is the party’s forecast, not an independently verified offset.

Party proposal

NZ First proposes a stronger focus on prevention, nutrition and metabolic health. Its plan includes reviewing dietary guidance, health coaches in primary care, fewer administrative requirements for GPs and research into nutritional interventions.

Who it covers

Primary-care patients, health professionals and researchers. The page describes this as the first announcement in a broader health plan.

Timing

No implementation date specified in the reviewed source.

Cost & funding stated by the party

No total cost or funding source specified in the reviewed source.

This describes a party’s proposals. It does not establish the medical effectiveness of the proposed interventions.

Party proposal

NZ First proposes splitting major power companies into generators and retailers, changing electricity-market rules, and a national energy strategy. It would guarantee long-term fixed-price contracts for new generation and propose equal buy and sell rates for household-generated power.

Who it covers

Electricity customers, new generators and households generating power, such as rooftop solar owners.

Timing

No implementation date specified in the reviewed source.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The party proposes government guarantees for new generation. The reviewed page does not state a total cost or funding source.

Party proposal

NZ First proposes abolishing the Waitangi Tribunal and replacing it with a commission to complete claims from before 2008. It would move contemporary claims and Crown–Māori relations work to the Ministry of Māori Development.

Who it covers

Treaty claimants and the institutions handling Treaty claims, settlements and Crown–Māori relations.

Timing

Legislation tabled within the first 100 days after the election. Tabling legislation is not the same as it becoming law.

Cost & funding stated by the party

No total cost or funding source specified in the reviewed source.

Party proposal

NZ First would retain the temporary $50 weekly Working for Families boost, add $70, and increase minimum wages by at least inflation each year of the next term.

Who it covers

Eligible working families and minimum-wage workers. The page’s wording around the total credit is ambiguous; it is not treated as a settled individual entitlement here.

Timing

The minimum-wage commitment is for each year of the next term. No precise Working for Families start date is stated.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The party estimates $500–600m annually for the Working for Families change. No specific funding source or independent offset is given.

Party proposal

NZ First proposes a National Subsurface Development Survey to identify domestic resources and support fuel security.

Who it covers

The energy system, survey organisations and potential domestic resource projects. A survey allocation is not approval or funding for every later development.

Timing

Initial results within 12 months and surveys of highest-ranked basins within 24 months; the investment is over a government term.

Cost & funding stated by the party

An initial $1bn over the term is proposed. No annual allocation or funding source is specified.

Party proposal

NZ First would prioritise citizens for social housing and develop a 30-year population plan linking immigration, housing and infrastructure. A referendum would propose a 20,000 annual resident-visa cap and population growth where infrastructure exists or is funded and scheduled.

Who it covers

Citizens and non-citizens needing social housing, councils and prospective residents.

Timing

Proposed for the next government term; no housing-rule commencement date is given.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The announcement gives no cost for the housing-priority rule, population plan or referendum, and no additional house-building allocation.

The wording establishes a priority, without explaining whether eligible non-citizens would be excluded or how housing need would be weighted.

Party proposal

A signed NZ First response proposes ECE group-based supervision ratios and spot checks, retaining 20 free hours without minimum-hours loopholes, and an Independent Curriculum Council. It also proposes higher student-allowance and loan-repayment thresholds, matching repayments for graduates working here, and vocational pathways.

Who it covers

Children, families, tertiary students and trainees.

Timing

No commencement dates or new thresholds are given.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The response gives no total cost or annual funding schedule for these proposals.

This party-signed response is hosted externally; it is not a consolidated manifesto or fiscal plan.

Party proposal

NZ First would replace the Accredited Employer Work Visa with a Skilled Work Visa tied to an occupation, region and proven shortage. Employers would need genuine domestic recruitment or training efforts. It proposes ending routine retail access, a wage floor, stronger accreditation, targeted enforcement and transparency data.

Who it covers

Employers seeking migrant staff, migrants and domestic workers. Access would depend on demonstrated shortages rather than accreditation alone.

Timing

No commencement date or transition for existing visa holders is specified.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The announcement gives no administration or enforcement cost and no funding schedule.

Party proposal

The Tax Reset paper proposes $19,400 annual citizen’s income for eligible adults, replacing many benefits with top-ups. It pairs this with 1.75% urban and 0.5% rural land-value tax and phased compulsory retirement saving.

Who it covers

Eligible adult residents, with top-ups for some groups. Land-tax exemptions include communal Māori land, conservation land and social housing; superannuitant deferrals and limited farm deferrals are proposed.

Timing

Two years of planning before the first elements; income and tax changes would extend through age cohorts over a proposed decade. Employee and employer retirement contributions would gradually reach 6% each.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The full paper gives a Tax Reset costing based on 2024 inputs. Its printed totals imply $4.081 billion extra net revenue annually at full implementation, but listed revenue components do not reconcile with the printed total.

The $68m difference is a revenue-table mismatch, not evidence of missing funding. The printed net-revenue estimate is not a government-wide surplus forecast. See Funding & checks for the calculation and limits.

Party proposal

Opportunity would seek a cross-party ten-year health plan, advocate health funding of 9% of GDP, and put more emphasis on primary, community and preventative care. Its policy also links health regulation to stronger lobbying rules.

Who it covers

Patients, health workers and community providers, including kaupapa Māori and iwi-led services with stable multi-year funding and equity goals.

Timing

A ten-year planning and funding path. No start date or annual spending schedule is specified in the reviewed web page.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The page advocates health funding rising to 9% of GDP over a decade. It does not give a full dollar cost or a dedicated funding source for the increase.

Party proposal

Opportunity proposes ten nationally consistent planning zones, pre-approval for proven modular building methods, stronger rental standards and wider access to low-cost government finance for affordable and social housing.

Who it covers

Home builders, renters, councils, iwi and community housing providers. It would also expand home-energy improvements to eligible rentals and support more papakāinga and multigenerational homes.

Timing

No implementation date specified in the reviewed source.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The page proposes government finance and GST refunds to councils for qualifying new homes. No total package cost is provided in the reviewed page.

Party proposal

Opportunity would seek cross-party agreement on 30 gigawatts of total electricity capacity by 2050, support household electrification loans and community energy projects, combine energy regulators, and consolidate management of electricity distributors.

Who it covers

Electricity customers, generators, communities and industries moving to electric processes.

Timing

The capacity target is for 2050. The reviewed page does not give a timetable for each market reform.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Opportunity proposes ring-fencing government electricity-company dividends, described as around $500 million a year, and using future emissions-trading revenue for industry electrification. It acknowledges a loss of general Crown revenue that would need replacement.

Party proposal

Opportunity proposes a public lobbying register, a one-year cooling-off period between ministerial and lobbying roles, a $30,000 donation cap per party and donor per election cycle, and an independent anti-corruption body.

Who it covers

Professional lobbyists, ministers and senior officials, political parties and donors. The policy would restrict donations to enrolled voters and exclude ordinary contact with an MP from lobbying rules.

Timing

No implementation date specified in the reviewed source.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The party estimates around $52 million annually: $40 million for an anti-corruption body, $10 million for the Electoral Commission and $2 million for policy costing in election years. It says register costs could be met from existing justice budgets.

Party proposal

Opportunity would increase science and technology funding, support small businesses, and strengthen Commerce Commission powers through the High Court.

Who it covers

Researchers, businesses, returning graduates and consumers. The July paper includes conditional student-loan interest forgiveness, rather than cancelling every returning graduate’s loan.

Timing

Longer-term R&D targets extend over a decade and to 2050. There is no full annual rollout schedule for the package.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Listed annual operating additions sum to $1,330.5m, consistent with the $1.33bn headline. The party proposes future Tax Reset revenue or a Budget allocation; the timing of funding remains a question.

Party proposal

Opportunity would seek a ten-year cross-party education plan and an independent curriculum and assessment council. Within that plan it would advocate better teacher support, tighter early-learning quality standards, more community-owned provision, and stronger connections between academic and vocational education.

Who it covers

Learners, whānau and educators from early childhood through tertiary study. Proposed early-learning ratios are 1:3 for under-twos, 1:5 at 24–36 months and 1:8 from age three, with 80% minimum qualifications in teacher-led services.

Timing

A ten-year school and early-learning plan and a 20-year tertiary Skills and Learning Accord; no commencement date or complete rollout schedule is supplied.

Cost & funding stated by the party

No total cost is provided. Opportunity would seek additional teaching and early-learning funding through the cross-party plan, rather than publishing committed annual allocations in this paper.

The paper advocates these changes within a negotiated long-term plan. It would leave qualification decisions, including the proposed NCEA replacement, to the independent council.

Party proposal

Opportunity would honour settlements, restore customary marine-title settings from before the 2025 changes, and review statutory Treaty provisions law by law. It would support a national constitutional discussion with Māori participating as a Treaty partner, improve finance options for Māori projects and devolve services where results would improve.

Who it covers

Māori communities and asset owners, Crown agencies and people participating in constitutional discussions. Devolved providers would have operational autonomy alongside financial, rights and outcome accountability.

Timing

September 2026 paper; no implementation dates for the legislative review, constitutional process or devolution programme are stated.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Longer-term funding for proven providers and improved project financing are proposed. The paper does not give a total cost or new annual allocations.

Party proposal

Te Pāti Māori proposes a $30,000 tax-free income threshold, graduated net-wealth taxes, company tax of 33%, and a targeted kai tax rebate rather than a general GST exemption.

Who it covers

The wealth-tax paper exempts the first $2m per person, then applies 1.5%, 2% and 2.5% bands. The kai rebate’s $60,000 income boundary is worded differently in its table and prose and needs clarification.

Timing

Manifesto 2026; the paper does not state an implementation date or the fiscal period for its table.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The tax-table changes net to +$4.1bn at the displayed precision, with no stated period. Detailed tax modelling and a consolidated spending/borrowing schedule are not supplied.

Party proposal

Te Pāti Māori would re-establish Te Aka Whai Ora, transfer 25% of health and ACC funding to Māori-led systems, and invest in free primary/dental care, mental health and workforce development.

Who it covers

Whānau and Māori-led services. The paper proposes bowel-screening ages of 45 generally and 35 for Māori and Pacific peoples.

Timing

Manifesto 2026; no complete programme start date or delivery schedule is stated.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The paper commits $500m annually to kaupapa Māori mental health and $1bn annually to workforce development. These are selected allocations, not the full package cost. The 25% transfer is a reallocation, not wholly additional spending.

Party proposal

Te Pāti Māori proposes 2,000 homes on ancestral Māori land within four years, allocating half of new social housing to Māori, an initial rent freeze and a tax on long-vacant homes.

Who it covers

Whānau building on ancestral land, social-housing applicants and renters. The paper proposes a 2% annual capital-value vacancy tax for homes empty more than three months in a year.

Timing

Ancestral-land homes within four years; repeal no-cause evictions within 100 days. Rent increases would later track inflation with an improvements exception.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The paper proposes redirecting $3bn from repealing interest deductibility, without specifying the period. It does not give a complete housing-package cost or funding reconciliation.

Party proposal

Te Pāti Māori proposes a $1 billion Energy Sovereignty Fund, a national energy independence plan, Māori energy workforce development, stronger rural energy capability and regulation focused on the public interest.

Who it covers

Māori energy workers, owners and industry, rural communities and the energy system. The paper includes grants, concessional finance, guarantees and equity/co-investment mechanisms.

Timing

Energy Sovereignty objective by 2035. Quantified targets and five-year milestones would be developed through the proposed National Energy Plan.

Cost & funding stated by the party

A $1bn fund is proposed, without a specified funding source or expenditure period. Different finance mechanisms should not all be counted as grants.

Party proposal

Te Pāti Māori would make Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding and create an independent Te Tiriti Commission able to suspend seriously non-compliant executive decisions, subject to High Court override. It proposes a Mātike Mai Fund and development of a domestic UN Indigenous-rights action plan.

Who it covers

The Crown and Māori communities. The Commission could scrutinise bills and report to Parliament, but would not invalidate Acts of Parliament.

Timing

Restore and resource UNDRIP action-plan development within the first 100 days; constitutional transformation target of 2040. No complete legislative delivery schedule is supplied.

Cost & funding stated by the party

$220m for the Mātike Mai Fund over four years. The paper does not separately state the Commission’s cost or a complete funding reconciliation.

Party proposal

Te Pāti Māori supports Māori-led education authority, more Māori knowledge within learning, and greater Māori participation in education governance. It also proposes removing obstacles to whānau accessing education and training.

Who it covers

Māori learners, whānau and communities participating in education and training.

Timing

No implementation date is stated in the current official summary.

Cost & funding stated by the party

The reviewed summary does not specify a total budget or particular funding allocations.

A full current education programme paper was not located. This card is limited to the official position available now.

Party proposal

Te Pāti Māori would make te reo Māori compulsory in education with age-appropriate progression, require bilingual public institutions, and support staff to learn the language. It would fund whānau, marae, hapū and iwi revitalisation and support Māori-language broadcasting and digital content.

Who it covers

Learners, educators, public servants, whānau and Māori-language providers. The full paper does not specify a Year 10 cutoff for compulsory provision.

Timing

The Manifesto 2026 paper does not state a commencement date or complete rollout.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Stable investment in language initiatives, broadcasting and public-service capability is proposed. The paper gives no total cost or annual allocations.

Party proposal

Te Pāti Māori proposes a $4.5bn regional fund for Māori enterprise, employment and training, a 25% Māori government-procurement allocation, and trade, research and data institutions. It would replace the Overseas Investment Office with iwi-chaired regional bodies.

Who it covers

Fund activity would use 12 regional clusters. Reserved procurement would require firms to be wholly Māori-owned and Māori-governed.

Timing

$4.5bn over three years; no programme launch date is stated.

Cost & funding stated by the party

Half the fund would use Super Fund revolving loans; half Crown investments and grants. The fund allocates $90m to establishment and first-year delivery, then $45m annually to operations from year two. Separate institutional costs and a whole-package budget reconciliation are not supplied.