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Evidence · NZ Election 2026

Every question, every answer, every source

Everything the study collected, as it was collected on 5 October 2026. Read any answer in full, or download the tables behind every figure in the study.

questions
174
voters the questions were written as
32
answers collected, of 820 planned
815
answers compared like for like
800
pairs of national and town answers
124
answers with sources recorded
774
answers that showed a link
304

01

Every question, with its answers

Each question was written as a voter would ask it and went to all four assistants. Some were also asked from a town. Open a question to read every answer to it in full.

Showing 20 of 174 questions

Show all 174

02

The tables behind the study

Every figure on the study page comes from these tables. They are CSV files, which open in any spreadsheet.

  • Questions

    nz-election-2026-questions.csv

    One row per question.

    Question id, report reference, question, voter, issue, towns it was also asked from, answers per assistant

    174rows

    Download questions (CSV)

  • Answers

    nz-election-2026-answers.csv

    One row per answer, with its full text.

    Answer id, question id, assistant, town, words, parties named, showed a link, websites recorded as sources, compared like for like, full text

    815rows

    Download answers (CSV)

  • Sources by answer

    nz-election-2026-sources.csv

    One row for each website recorded as a source of an answer.

    Answer id, question id, assistant, town, website, publisher type

    4,216rows

    Download sources by answer (CSV)

  • Checks against official sources

    nz-election-2026-checks.csv

    One row per statement checked.

    Check, answer id, assistant, what the answer said, verdict, what the source says, source, date

    17rows

    Download checks against official sources (CSV)

  • Who to vote for: coding

    nz-election-2026-guidance.csv

    One row per answer to the eight questions that asked who to vote for.

    Answer id, question id, assistant, what the answer did, the words that show it

    32rows

    Download who to vote for: coding (CSV)

  • Location and national answers

    nz-election-2026-towns.csv

    One row per question asked both nationally and from a location, for each assistant.

    Question, town, assistant, both answer ids, parties named nationally and from the town, same parties

    124rows

    Download location and national answers (CSV)

Use these tables to trace findings back to the original questions and answers. The full text of each answer is also on this page, under its question.

03

Read in full and checked

Some answers were read in detail or checked against official sources. Those appear on the study page, beside the findings they support.

ChatGPT · No location

I've recently been made redundant after years in the same industry. I have rent to pay, and I'm unsure whether to retrain or keep looking for similar work. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What are parties offering people who lose their job: employment support, retraining, or measures to create new jobs?

Being made redundant after a long time in one industry puts you right at the intersection of several election issues: income security while you transition, access to training, and whether the economy is creating enough new roles. New Zealand’s 2026 campaign is taking place with the economy, unemployment and cost of living among major issues. New Zealand Parliament dissolved ahead of tight November vote

Below is a comparison of what the main parties are proposing in areas relevant to someone who has lost a job and is weighing retraining versus finding similar work. Policies can change during the campaign, so it is worth checking final party releases before voting. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator

Party Employment support after job loss Retraining / skills Job creation approach
Christopher Luxon’s New Zealand National Party Emphasises moving people into work through employment services, labour-market participation and expectations around work. Focuses on skills linked to employer demand, including vocational pathways. Emphasises private-sector growth, investment, and reducing barriers for businesses to hire. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator
Chris Hipkins’s New Zealand Labour Party Proposes active government involvement to support people into work. Has highlighted apprenticeships, trade training and skills investment. Proposes public investment and an infrastructure/innovation fund approach to support jobs. Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand Places more emphasis on worker protections and income security. Supports expanding training and pathways connected with economic transitions, including green industries. Focuses on government investment in climate-related industries and a broader wellbeing approach to economic policy. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator
ACT New Zealand Emphasises a flexible labour market and reducing regulation affecting employers. Generally favours employer-led training and skills matching. Focuses on business growth, lower regulation and private-sector job creation. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator
New Zealand First Focuses on employment, economic nationalism and support for domestic industries. Supports trades and skills initiatives, with emphasis on practical workforce needs. Emphasises investment in New Zealand industries and infrastructure. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator
Te Pāti Māori Supports targeted employment and economic programmes, particularly kaupapa Māori approaches. Supports Māori-led training and employment pathways. Emphasises Māori economic development and community-led investment. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026 - Policy.nz
The Opportunities Party Focuses on economic reform and improving systems that affect people’s ability to participate. Supports education and skills investment as part of productivity reforms. Emphasises structural economic changes rather than only short-term job programmes. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator

How the differences may matter for someone in your position

If your priority is “help me get income and back into work quickly”

Look closely at:

  • Whether a party supports wage subsidies, job placement help, or targeted employment programmes.
  • How it treats people between jobs (for example, benefit settings, obligations, and support services).
  • Whether support is aimed at getting any job quickly or helping people move into a new career.

New Zealand already has employment assistance programmes that can include job-search support, wage subsidies and some employment-related training for eligible people. Schedule - Map

If your priority is “I may need a new career”

Compare:

  • Funding for apprenticeships and vocational education.
  • Whether training is designed with employers in shortage areas.
  • Whether mature workers changing careers are specifically supported.

Labour has highlighted apprenticeships and trade pathways, while other parties place more emphasis on employer demand and private-sector skills matching. Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising

If your priority is “create more jobs so I’m not competing for fewer roles”

The divide is broadly:

A useful way to compare parties in your situation may be to ask each one:

  1. “If someone aged 40–60 loses a career job after 15–20 years in an industry, what practical help do they get in the first six months?”
  2. “Will retraining be funded, and for which courses?”
  3. “How will your policies create jobs in regions and sectors where displaced workers actually live?”
  4. “How will I pay rent while I retrain?”

If you tell me your former industry, approximate career stage (for example early/mid/late career), and whether you’d prefer to retrain or stay in the same field, I can map the party policies more specifically to your situation without telling you how to vote.

Ask anything

ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.

Captured 5 October 2026 · shown as ChatGPT gave it, not a verified account

Gemini · No location

I've recently been made redundant after years in the same industry. I have rent to pay, and I'm unsure whether to retrain or keep looking for similar work. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What are parties offering people who lose their job: employment support, retraining, or measures to create new jobs?

Assuming you are looking at how New Zealand's political parties approach the rising pressure on job security, income support, and retraining ahead of the 2026 general election.

Finding yourself made redundant after a long tenure is a stressful position—especially with rent and living costs to manage. With employment and economic shifts driving debate this election year, New Zealand's political parties are offering distinct approaches to supporting displaced workers, managing retraining, and stimulating job creation.

The main approaches offered across the political spectrum focus on several key areas:

1. Employment Support and Income Safety Nets

  • Centre-Left and Progressive Parties (e.g., Labour, Greens, Te Pāti Māori): Typically focus on strengthening traditional safety nets for those out of work. They generally advocate for higher baseline support through benefits, increasing or protecting minimum employment standards, and opposing measures that make dismissals easier. They also emphasize bolstering public employment services and ensuring strong union representation during industrial transitions.
  • Centre-Right Parties (e.g., National, ACT): Generally lean toward economic strategies focused on business confidence, tax relief (such as adjustments to tax brackets or independent earner rebates), and cutting red tape to encourage private-sector hiring. Their philosophy is that the most effective way to help someone who has lost a job is to stimulate overall economic growth so businesses have the capital to expand and create new roles quickly.

2. Retraining and Upskilling Initiatives

  • Targeted Industry Training: Parties frequently pitch targeted support for sectors facing acute labor shortages (such as health, construction, and green energy technologies). This often includes subsidized vocational training, targeted apprenticeships, or industry-specific upskilling packages.
  • Just Transitions: For workers displaced by broader structural shifts (such as automation, artificial intelligence, or climate-related economic transitions), progressive groups champion structured "just transition" frameworks. These aim to couple regional economic changes with guaranteed access to ongoing vocational education and income protection.

3. Measures to Create New Jobs

  • Infrastructure and Green Jobs: Parties on the left often propose state-backed or incentivized job creation programs—such as investments in public infrastructure, regional development, or conservation-focused work programmes (like ecosystem regeneration)—to rapidly absorb displaced labor.
  • SME and Business Incentives: Parties on the right focus on easing regulatory and tax burdens on small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) to foster an environment where private businesses feel confident taking on new staff.

Practical Steps While You Decide

While you weigh your vote and consider your next career move, remember that immediate practical support is available right now:

  • Work and Income (MSD): If you are newly unemployed, check your eligibility for the Jobseeker Support benefit or emergency housing supplements to help cover your rent while you look for work. MSD also provides employment placement assistance and training subsidies.
  • Skills and Study: Check out Careers New Zealand or local polytechnics/Te Pūkenga networks for short courses or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathways that can translate your years of industry experience into credentials for a new sector.

Are you leaning more toward looking for a direct equivalent to your old role, or are you actively interested in transitioning into a completely different industry?

Ask Gemini

Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.

Captured 5 October 2026 · shown as Gemini gave it, not a verified account

Google AI Mode · No location

I've recently been made redundant after years in the same industry. I have rent to pay, and I'm unsure whether to retrain or keep looking for similar work. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What are parties offering people who lose their job: employment support, retraining, or measures to create new jobs?

Navigating a redundancy is a stressful pivot, particularly when balancing immediate financial pressures like rent with long-term career decisions. In New Zealand's current economic climate—with unemployment reaching higher levels—the major political parties approach job losses, welfare, and retraining through distinct ideological lenses.

Current assistance and party stances generally break down across the political spectrum:

  • The National-Led Government (National, ACT, NZ First):

  • Employment Support & Welfare: Focuses heavily on moving people back into work via active work incentives and tighter obligations for benefit recipients. National has implemented stricter settings and sanctions for the Jobseeker Support system, emphasizing mutual obligations and engagement with job-matching services.

  • Job Creation & Economy: Focuses on macro-level economic management—reducing regulations on businesses, reforming the Resource Management Act (RMA), and incentivizing private-sector confidence to stimulate hiring rather than direct state-led job creation.

  • Retraining: Favours targeted industry training and apprenticeship frameworks aligned closely with employer demand and private market needs, rather than broad-based public retraining programs.

  • The Labour-Led Opposition (Labour, Greens, Te Pāti Māori):

  • Employment Support & Welfare: Advocates for stronger income security, criticising strict benefit sanctions, and pushing for enhanced safety nets for displaced workers. They tend to support higher investment in public services and direct support for sectors experiencing downturns.

  • Job Creation & Economy: Proposes active government intervention, including state-backed infrastructure projects, regional development funds, and policies targeting domestic economic growth and transition industries (such as green energy or manufacturing support).

  • Retraining: Places a strong emphasis on government-subsidized upskilling, polytechnic/vocational training support (similar to past targeted fees-free or subsidized trades training initiatives), and industry-specific transition packages for workers displaced from traditional or declining sectors.

  • Immediate Support Available Right Now:
    Regardless of election policies, if you are newly redundant, you should immediately check your eligibility for current government assistance through Work and Income NZ (WINZ), which administers Jobseeker Support , redundancy entitlements (such as checking your final pay, holiday pay, and contractual notice periods), and potential assistance with temporary accommodation or temporary accommodation supplements if rent becomes unmanageable. You can also explore upskilling options or employment matching via In Work New Zealand or Te Pūkenga / Skills Organisation pathways.

To help narrow down your voting considerations or immediate survival strategy, let me know:

  • What industry were you working in?

  • Are you leaning more toward retraining in a completely new field or staying in your current sector?

Ask anything

Captured 5 October 2026 · shown as Google AI Mode gave it, not a verified account

AI Overviews · No location

I've recently been made redundant after years in the same industry. I have rent to pay, and I'm unsure whether to retrain or keep looking for similar work. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What are parties offering people who lose their job: employment support, retraining, or measures to create new jobs?

AI Overview

Going through a redundancy can be incredibly stressful, especially with rental commitments and the tough choice between sticking with your industry or starting fresh.

Ahead of the 2026 New Zealand general election , the major political parties offer distinct approaches to supporting people who lose their jobs, split across direct employment support, retraining initiatives, and macroeconomic job creation.

1. Retraining & Education Support

If you choose to pivot and learn a new skill, the parties offer contrasting educational pathways:

  • Labour: Is focusing heavily on vocational retraining by making their Apprenticeship Boost scheme a major election promise. They plan to restore the employer subsidies to a full two years ($500/month) and expand eligibility to new trades like road construction and water treatment. They are also offering a $1,000 toolbox grant for new apprentices and investing in Māori-led training programs.

  • National-led Coalition: Continues to support sector-led and targeted industry training but emphasizes restoring stricter Budget Responsibility Rules. Their approach heavily prefers workplace flexibility, aiming to let employers take on trainees via market-driven solutions without extensive new government funding.

  • ACT: Proposes introducing a Training Wage (set at 60% of the adult minimum wage) for workers under 20 during their first year of employment to incentivize businesses to hire and train younger staff.

2. Employment Support & Welfare

For immediate relief while you look for work, income policies vary significantly:

  • The Opportunity Party (TOP): Is advocating for a $370 a week Citizen’s Income (universal basic income) as a core coalition bottom line. This would provide an un-un-targeted financial safety net regardless of employment status.

  • National / ACT: Prefer a more conditional safety net. Their active policies include monitoring spending for jobseekers who receive a benefit for more than 4 months to encourage active job hunting and reduce long-term welfare dependence.

  • Green Party: Focuses on strengthening baseline welfare payments and workers' rights, promising to reverse the 2026 Employment Relations Act changes to restore stronger protections against unjustifiable dismissal.

3. Measures to Create New Jobs

To give you more roles to apply for, the parties approach economic growth from different angles:

Party / Coalition Primary Strategy for Job Creation Key Policies
National Private-Sector & Infrastructure Led Replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA) to cut red tape, streamlining building consents, and aiming to add 220,000 jobs to the economy by 2030.
Labour Public Investment & Small Business Action Setting up a "New Zealand Future Fund" to invest in local businesses and executing a Small Business Action Plan to reduce cash flow pressures on small employers.
NZ First Resource Sector Incentives Utilizing 50% mining royalties to fund regional development and lowering the small-to-medium enterprise (SME) tax rate to 20% to encourage business hiring.
Greens Green Economy Creating a sovereign biodiversity fund and setting up a nationalized "Kiwipower" entity to create sustainable energy jobs.

If you would like to explore specific assistance available right now, let me know how long you were at your previous role or if your industry is considered a critical trade , and I can help look into current Work and Income (WINZ) support or redundancy notice rules.

Ask anything

Captured 5 October 2026 · shown as AI Overviews gave it, not a verified account