Compare the parties.

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

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 $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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

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

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.