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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'm an eligible voter who finds political jargon difficult and hasn't voted before. I want clear explanations without being talked down to. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. I don't know which party to choose. How can I compare them without you guessing what I believe?

Absolutely. A good way to do this is to separate “What do I care about?” from “What does each party propose?” That lets you make the judgment rather than having me infer your politics.

For the 2026 election, there are also two separate choices to understand: party vote and electorate vote. Under MMP, your party vote largely determines how many seats a party receives, while your electorate vote chooses the candidate representing your local electorate. You can vote for different parties/candidates with the two votes. What to do | Vote NZ

The election is Saturday 7 November 2026. Key election milestone reached | Elections NZ

A neutral way to compare parties

I'd suggest a four-step process:

  1. Identify your own priorities — without naming a party.
    For example, you might independently decide that these questions matter to you:

    • How much should taxes change?
    • How much should government spend on health, education and welfare?
    • What should happen with housing and rents?
    • How should New Zealand address climate change?
    • What approach should immigration take?
    • What role should the Treaty of Waitangi have in government?
    • How should crime and punishment be handled?
    • What should happen with Māori policy?
    • How much regulation should businesses face?
    • What should New Zealand's foreign and defence policy look like?

    You don't need to know the political terminology. We can translate every question into ordinary language.

  2. Look at what the parties actually propose.

    Rather than relying on descriptions such as "left-wing", "right-wing", "moderate" or "radical", we can compare their current 2026 policies, preferably using party manifestos and primary sources. For example, Labour currently publishes its 2026 policies with details about proposed costs and implementation, while the Greens have published a 2026 manifesto. Labour's 2026 Election Policies

  3. Separate promises from records.

    For each important issue, I'd distinguish:

    • What the party says it would do
    • What it has actually done in government
    • What other parties or independent sources dispute
    • What is uncertain or depends on future events

    That matters because a manifesto tells you what a party proposes, not what will necessarily happen.

  4. Make your own comparison.

    I can give you a table such as:

    Issue Party A Party B Party C Party D
    Tax What it proposes What it proposes What it proposes What it proposes
    Health … … … …
    Housing … … … …
    Climate … … … …
    Immigration … … … …

    Importantly, I won't turn that into a score, ranking, or "best party" recommendation. You can decide which differences matter to you.

One especially useful thing about MMP

Don't feel that you necessarily have to think of your two votes as a single package. Your party vote is principally about the composition of Parliament; your electorate vote is about your local MP. What is MMP? | Elections NZ

And you don't need to understand everything before voting. The Electoral Commission says you don't need ID to vote, and voting-place staff can explain the process. What to do | Vote NZ

We can make this very easy

If you'd like, I can take you through a neutral 10-question questionnaire, one question at a time.

You don't have to tell me your political ideology or which party you're considering. For each question, I'll explain the issue in plain English, give you a few genuinely different positions to choose between, and then—only after you've answered all of them—show you how the 2026 parties' documented policies compare with your stated answers. That way I'm not guessing what you believe or trying to persuade you.

Official Elections NZ information for the 2026 election

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'm an eligible voter who finds political jargon difficult and hasn't voted before. I want clear explanations without being talked down to. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. I don't know which party to choose. How can I compare them without you guessing what I believe?

Comparing political parties when you are a first-time voter—and when political language feels like a foreign language—can be overwhelming.

The best way to do this without anyone guessing what you believe is to use independent, non-partisan tools. These tools let you input your own opinions or look at policies side-by-side without a chatbot or a political party telling you what you should think.

Here is how you can break down the process step-by-step:

1. Use Interactive Match Tools (Quiz-Style)

Instead of forcing you to read dense policy manifestos, several independent New Zealand tools ask you plain questions about everyday issues (like health, housing, or the economy) and match your answers to the parties' actual published platforms.

  • Vote Compass (via 1News): Developed by political scientists, this tool asks you to rate statements (e.g., "The government should spend more on public services") and plots your views against where the political parties actually stand.
  • NZ Vote Check / Policy.nz / Know Your Part: These are independent, non-partisan platforms designed specifically for New Zealand elections. They allow you to look at issues topic-by-topic, strip away the marketing spin, and see what different parties pledge to do.

2. Focus on Plain-English Policy Comparisons

If you want to look at specific topics without navigating jargon, use Policy.nz.

  • It lets you pick topics you actually care about—like the cost of living, renting, health, or the environment.
  • It features a handy hide/show party names toggle, allowing you to read raw policy proposals anonymously first. This helps you figure out what solutions you prefer before bias creeps in about which party is offering them.

3. Understand Your Two Votes in New Zealand

Under New Zealand's MMP (Mixed Member Proportional) voting system, you get two distinct votes, which makes comparing parties a bit more flexible:

  • The Party Vote: This is your most powerful vote. It determines the overall share of seats each party gets in Parliament. You give this to the party whose general direction you prefer.
  • The Electorate Vote: This is your vote for a local MP to represent your specific home area, regardless of whether you like their party overall.

A helpful note: You don't have to agree with a party on everything to give them your vote. Most voters look for the party that aligns with them on their top one or two priorities (for instance, housing costs or healthcare access) and accept that they might disagree on smaller details.

Your Next Step

To get started, would you like to explore how the New Zealand voting system works, or would you prefer a plain-English breakdown of one specific issue (like housing or health) to see how the major parties approach it differently?

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'm an eligible voter who finds political jargon difficult and hasn't voted before. I want clear explanations without being talked down to. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. I don't know which party to choose. How can I compare them without you guessing what I believe?

Comparing political parties without anyone assuming what you believe is entirely doable, and it is a great way to approach your first election. Instead of relying on someone else's opinion or trying to decode heavy political language, you can use independent tools designed to match your actual views with what the parties are promising.

Here are the best neutral, plain-English tools and steps to help you compare the parties yourself for the 2026 New Zealand general election:

  • Use Policy.nz to browse side-by-side comparisons. This platform breaks down what every political party is promising, organized cleanly by topics (like housing, health, education, or the economy). You can look at a specific issue that matters to you and see plain-English summaries of what each party plans to do, without any spin.
  • Take the WhichParty NZ quiz. This is an independent, anonymous 5-minute quiz where you answer a series of plain statements about current issues. It then shows you how closely your answers align with each major party, and crucially, it explains the reasoning behind each party's position in writing so you can see why you matched the way you did.
  • Explore Vote Compass on 1News. Developed by political scientists, this interactive survey asks you about 30 questions on major social and economic issues. When you finish, it plots where your views sit on a map relative to the political parties and lets you click through individual topics to see where you agree or disagree.
  • Check official enrollment and voting information at the Electoral Commission (Vote.nz). This official site helps you confirm your enrolment details, find out where and when you can vote, and understand the basics of how New Zealand's MMP voting system works (including your two votes: one for your local MP and one for your preferred party).

A simple way to start:
Pick one issue you care about in your everyday life—such as the cost of living, renting/housing, healthcare wait times, or public transport. Look up that single topic on Policy.nz and read just what the different parties want to do about it. Seeing how they differently propose to solve a problem you already understand is usually the clearest way to figure out where you stand.

Ask anything

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

AI Overviews · No location

I'm an eligible voter who finds political jargon difficult and hasn't voted before. I want clear explanations without being talked down to. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. I don't know which party to choose. How can I compare them without you guessing what I believe?

AI Overview

The best way to compare political parties without an AI predicting your beliefs is to use independent, non-partisan comparison tools. In New Zealand, several platforms are designed specifically to present party policies in plain, jargon-free English without pushing you toward a specific choice.

📋 Interactive Policy Comparison Tools

These digital tools allow you to explore policies at your own pace. You can either look at topics blindly or complete short, confidential questionnaires to see how different ideas sit with you:
- Policy.nz: A comprehensive guide for the 2026 election. Its best feature is a “dark mode” or blind policy viewer. It allows you to select a topic (like housing, health, or education) and read what each party plans to do without showing you the party’s name. You choose the ideas you like best, and the tool reveals which parties they belong to.

  • Know Your Part: An independent tool where you choose at least three priority areas that matter to you. You then select your preferred approach under each topic to see a clear summary of how different parties align with your priorities.

  • Vote Compass 2026: Run in partnership with 1News, this tool asks you a series of simple questions regarding major issues. It acts as a neutral starting point to map out where your views naturally sit compared to the published positions of the political parties.

  • NZ Vote Compass (NZVoteCheck): A free, non-advertising tool that asks questions across six main policy areas. It plots your answers on a simple chart alongside the parties so you can visually compare your positions.

🗳️ Understanding the Two Votes (MMP)

Because this is your first time voting, it helps to know that New Zealand uses the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system. When you go to vote, your ballot paper will ask for two separate selections:

Vote Type What it is Why it matters
1. The Party Vote You choose the political party you want to lead the country. This is the most important vote. It decides the total share of seats each party gets in Parliament.
2. The Electorate Vote You choose one specific person (a local candidate) to represent your area. The candidate with the most votes wins a seat in Parliament to look after your local electorate.

🗓️ Key Dates to Keep in Mind

The 2026 New Zealand General Election is locked in for Saturday, 7 November 2026. You do not have to wait until election day to cast your vote; advance voting opens on Monday, 26 October 2026, making it easy to vote early when lines are shorter.

Make sure you are enrolled to vote by midnight on Sunday, 25 October 2026. You can quickly check your status or register online through the official Vote NZ Enrolment Portal.

Ask anything

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