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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

For the 2026 New Zealand general election: What do parties propose about freshwater, pollution, biodiversity and resource management?

As of 4 October 2026, the environmental divide in the New Zealand election is fairly pronounced. One important caveat is that Parliament has just enacted the Natural Environment Act 2026 and Planning Act 2026, replacing the RMA framework, so parties are now campaigning partly on whether to retain, amend or reverse that new system. New planning laws receive Royal assent | National Party

I’ve focused on the seven parties with significant parliamentary/electoral relevance in the current campaign: National, Labour, Green, ACT, NZ First, Te Pāti Māori and the Opportunities Party (TOP). Greenpeace has also surveyed those seven on environmental policy, although its scoring is an advocacy organisation's assessment rather than a neutral measure, so I use it only as a cross-check rather than as a ranking. Greenpeace 2026 General Election Scorecard - Greenpeace Aotearoa

At a glance

Party Freshwater & pollution Biodiversity & conservation Resource management
National More flexible, regionally adaptable rules; environmental limits retained but with greater consideration of economic impacts Practical conservation, hunter/fisher involvement, wetland restoration Implement new Planning/Natural Environment Acts; make development and infrastructure easier
Labour Supports stronger freshwater protection and swimmable rivers; some 2026 specifics still being released Supports wetland protection/restoration and stronger environmental protection Restore Māori participation mechanisms and change aspects of the new system
Green Stronger national protections; “health of water first”; major investment in restoration Large expansion of biodiversity funding, pest control and ecosystem restoration Reverse/rewrite much of the new resource-management framework; stronger Te Tiriti-based decision-making
ACT Local environmental limits, tradable water/discharge rights, property-rights approach Hunters/community groups given greater conservation role; biodiversity protection through targeted rules Much less central regulation; development and property rights given greater weight
NZ First Catchment-based farm plans; replace Te Mana o te Wai; water storage/irrigation easier More development-oriented conservation; stronger property-rights emphasis More mining/resource development; reduce regulatory constraints
Te Pāti Māori Māori authority/tino rangatiratanga over freshwater; water decisions involving iwi/hapū Indigenous-led stewardship and protection of whenua/moana Opposes the new Acts' approach; wants Te Tiriti, kaitiakitanga and Māori authority embedded
TOP Strong water-quality regulation and independent oversight Major conservation/biosecurity investment; biodiversity/nature markets Strong environmental limits combined with economic incentives for nature-positive land use

National

National's basic approach is environmental protection with considerably more flexibility for development and productive land use.

On freshwater, the government's 2025–26 reforms proposed replacing the previous freshwater national direction with a system allowing councils greater flexibility to balance environmental targets against economic effects, with longer timeframes where necessary. It also proposed enabling water storage and simplifying some farming requirements. Government launches consultation on freshwater national direction | National Party

National has now enacted its replacement resource-management system. The Natural Environment Act still establishes environmental limits covering water, air, soil, ecosystems and indigenous biodiversity, and requires protection of human health from contaminants. Natural Environment Act 2026 | Ministry for the Environment

For biodiversity, National emphasises practical conservation, hunting and fishing, community involvement and restoration, rather than expanding regulatory restrictions. Its 2026 programme includes strengthening hunter-led conservation. 2026 Election Policy | National Party Fish & Game reports that National supports protecting significant wetlands while making restoration easier for landowners, iwi, councils and community organisations. Fish &Game New Zealand Political Party Questionnaire 2026 - Fish & Game

In practical terms: National's model is environmental limits + more development flexibility + greater local/practical discretion.

Labour

Labour's 2026 manifesto is unusually light on detailed freshwater and resource-management policy compared with the Greens, TOP or the government. Its published election-policy page does not currently contain a comprehensive freshwater/RMA package. Labour's 2026 Election Policies

There are nevertheless some clear positions:

An important qualification: in a September rural debate, Labour's representative declined to specify its final position on farm freshwater standards and agricultural inclusion in the ETS, saying further policies would be announced closer to the election. Parties tackle rural issues in Morrinsville debate

So Labour currently looks like a more protective alternative to the government's environmental changes, but its detailed 2026 freshwater/resource-management programme is less fully specified than some other parties'.

Green Party

The Greens have the most extensive environmental programme.

Freshwater and pollution

Their central principle is that freshwater health comes first. Their 2026 manifesto says rivers and lakes should be safe for drinking, swimming and gathering kai. Manifesto 2026 - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

Their Drink, Swim, Fish programme calls for clean drinking water, swimmable rivers and beaches, and healthier oceans. People and nature first in Greens’ rivers and oceans policy - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

The broader approach is to tighten environmental protections and make polluters bear more of the cost of environmental damage.

Biodiversity

The Greens propose:

  • a Sovereign Biodiversity Fund;
  • a jobs programme focused on ecosystem restoration;
  • stronger protection for native fish, plants, fungi and invertebrates;
  • substantially more pest-control funding;
  • stronger protection/restoration of wetlands;
  • restrictions where harvesting is threatening vulnerable native species. Green on Environment | Politika

They also want public conservation land managed primarily for nature rather than commercial profit, with indigenous-led stewardship and stronger evidence-based environmental limits. Green Party will protect public conservation land for future generations - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

Resource management

The Greens would substantially undo or rewrite the new resource-management regime. They argue that the 2026 Acts weakened environmental limits, public participation and Māori decision-making. People and nature first in Greens’ rivers and oceans policy - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

They would put Te Tiriti, tangata whenua decision-making and ecological limits much more centrally into the system.

In practical terms: the Green model is strong national environmental limits + substantial public investment in restoration + polluter responsibility + Māori participation/co-governance.

ACT

ACT takes almost the opposite regulatory approach.

Its resource-management philosophy is explicitly based on property rights and regulating demonstrable harm rather than broadly controlling land use. ACT has proposed separating urban development legislation from an environmental-protection regime. ACT New Zealand

For freshwater, ACT's proposal is for:

  • locally determined environmental limits;
  • scientifically measurable water-quality parameters;
  • tradable permits for water takes/discharges within those limits;
  • less central-government prescription;
  • greater local council/community control. ACT New Zealand

For pollution outside freshwater, ACT favours mechanisms such as clean-up bonds for high-risk activities and liability for pollution crossing property boundaries. ACT New Zealand

For biodiversity/conservation, ACT wants hunters, landowners and community groups to have a larger role, including transferring game-animal management on conservation land toward the Game Animal Council and funding community conservation work. ACT on Environment | Politika

In practical terms: ACT's model is property rights + local decision-making + targeted environmental rules rather than broad central regulation.

NZ First

NZ First combines environmental protection with a strong emphasis on productive land use, water infrastructure and resource extraction.

Its established freshwater policy proposes:

  • replacing Te Mana o te Wai in RMA planning;
  • catchment-level farm environmental plans administered by regional councils;
  • reducing regulatory barriers to irrigation;
  • more water storage;
  • managed aquifer recharge and flood-protection projects. 2023 Election Policies - NZ First

On resource management more broadly, its 2026 programme places considerable emphasis on mining and domestic energy resources, including a proposed $1 billion national subsurface survey and returning 50% of mining royalties to the regions where mining occurs. NZ First on Environment | Politika

On pollution/waste, there is one particularly concrete 2026 initiative: NZ First has introduced legislation for a nationwide container-return scheme, using deposits to reduce litter and increase recycling. New Zealand First Introduces Bill to Implement a Nationwide Container Return Scheme - New Zealand First

In practical terms: NZ First favours catchment-level management and practical conservation, but with significantly more scope for farming, water infrastructure, mining and resource development.

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori puts Māori authority and kaitiakitanga at the centre of environmental management.

For freshwater, its policy calls for Māori rights and authority over water and opposition to decisions about freshwater being made without Māori consent. Te Pāti Māori on Environment | Politika

Its broader environmental programme includes:

  • Māori authority over whenua, wai and moana;
  • regenerative Māori agriculture;
  • protection of Māori food systems and seed sovereignty;
  • stronger community food systems;
  • indigenous stewardship of natural resources. Te Pāti Māori on Environment | Politika

It also supports a permanent ban on seabed mining, including preventing fast-track approval pathways. A permanent ban on seabed mining · Te Pāti Māori | Politika

On resource management, Te Pāti Māori opposed the government's Planning and Natural Environment Bills, arguing that they weakened Māori rights, environmental protections and Treaty settlement arrangements. Natural Environment Bill | New Zealand Legislation

In practical terms: its model is Māori authority over natural resources + kaitiakitanga + strong environmental protection + indigenous-led stewardship.

The Opportunities Party (TOP)

TOP sits somewhat between the Greens and the market-oriented parties: it proposes strong environmental limits but also economic incentives for landowners to improve environmental outcomes.

For freshwater/pollution it proposes:

For biodiversity it proposes increased conservation and biosecurity spending, particularly for wetlands, native reforestation and biodiversity-rich projects. It also favours economic mechanisms that reward landowners for improving biodiversity. The Opportunities Party on Environment | Politika

Its ocean/resource-management programme is particularly detailed: ecosystem-based fisheries management, phasing out bottom trawling, cameras on commercial vessels, permanently banning seabed mining, and expanding marine protection to 30% of New Zealand's ocean territory by 2035. Healthy Oceans: fisheries reform, marine protection and a blue economy · The Opportunities Party | Politika

In practical terms: TOP's model is firm ecological limits + independent oversight + conservation investment + market mechanisms that make nature-positive land use economically attractive.

The biggest policy differences

There are really four different philosophies in the 2026 campaign:

  1. National / NZ First:
    Environmental protection should coexist with substantially easier farming, infrastructure, mining and resource development. Rules should be more flexible and practical. Government launches consultation on freshwater national direction | National Party

  2. ACT:
    Start with property rights and local decision-making, and regulate specific harms rather than activities generally. ACT New Zealand

  3. Labour / Greens / TOP:
    Stronger environmental limits and restoration, although Labour's detailed 2026 programme is still less developed publicly. The Greens favour much more government investment and regulation; TOP combines regulation with market incentives. Manifesto 2026 - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

  4. Te Pāti Māori:
    Environmental policy is inseparable from Māori authority, Te Tiriti and kaitiakitanga. The key question isn't simply how much regulation there should be, but who has authority to make decisions over water, land and natural resources. Te Pāti Māori on Environment | Politika

One especially important distinction: freshwater

The freshwater debate isn't simply "clean water vs dirty water." The major disagreement is how environmental limits should be set and who gets to decide:

One useful independent cross-check is Greenpeace's 2026 questionnaire, which asked the seven parties the same 20 environmental questions. It finds substantial differences across freshwater, conservation and environmental law, but its grades are Greenpeace's own assessment, so I would not treat them as an objective ranking of the parties. Greenpeace 2026 General Election Scorecard - Greenpeace Aotearoa

If you want, I can next turn this into a four-column policy matrix (freshwater / pollution / biodiversity / resource management) with the specific commitments of all seven parties side-by-side, including things like farm nitrogen, stock exclusion, mining, forestry, seabed mining, wetlands, pesticides, sewage, plastics and Te Mana o te Wai.

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For the 2026 New Zealand general election: What do parties propose about freshwater, pollution, biodiversity and resource management?

For the 2026 New Zealand general election, political parties diverge significantly on environmental policy, resource management, freshwater protection, and biodiversity conservation. The political landscape largely divides between the governing parties (National, ACT, and New Zealand First) and opposition parties (The Green Party, Te Pāti Māori, and the Labour Party).

1. Freshwater and Pollution Management

  • The Governing Parties (National, ACT, NZ First):
    • Generally advocate for a balanced approach between environmental outcomes and economic, infrastructure, and farming needs.
    • Supported legislative shifts (such as the Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill) to block regional council rules from prematurely restricting farming and allowed previous strict caps on agricultural intensification and dairy conversions to lapse.
    • NZ First has explicitly opposed using Te Mana o te Wai (the framework prioritizing water body health) as a mandatory overriding principle in individual resource consents.
  • The Green Party and Te Pāti Māori:
    • Strongly favor re-embedding Te Mana o te Wai as the absolute first priority in all planning and consenting.
    • Propose phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, setting strict catchment-by-catchment stocking rate limits, banning new dairy conversions, and placing stricter limits on agricultural runoff to protect waterways and drinking water.
  • The Labour Party:
    • Supports maintaining national bottom lines for water quality and working toward swimmable rivers, though they have taken a more moderate stance compared to the Greens regarding the re-imposition of immediate blanket bans on dairy conversions.

2. Biodiversity and Conservation

  • The Governing Parties:
    • Prioritize economic growth, resource extraction (such as mining and quarrying), and infrastructure development, viewing heavy green tape as a barrier to development. Amendments to national policy statements have sought to streamline consent processes for mining and infrastructure.
  • The Green Party, Te Pāti Māori, and The Opportunity Party (TOP):
    • Focus heavily on halting and reversing nature loss.
    • Propose protecting public conservation land from sale, disposal, or commercial development, elevating Indigenous-led land stewardship (kaitiakitanga), and banning mining on all public conservation land (including stewardship land).
    • Propose strong protections for marine ecosystems, including banning seabed mining, phasing out bottom-trawling, dredging, and seining in inshore zones, and meeting strict marine biomass targets.

3. Resource Management (RMA Reform and Land Use)

  • The Governing Parties:
    • Emphasize cutting compliance barriers under the Resource Management Act (RMA) to boost economic productivity, housing development, and primary industries.
  • The Opposition Parties:
    • Push for resource management frameworks that heavily integrate robust, enforceable environmental bottom lines, secure the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and tangata_whenua as decision-makers, and restore public participation rights in environmental consenting decisions.

Are there specific policy details or particular parties you would like to explore further?

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For the 2026 New Zealand general election: What do parties propose about freshwater, pollution, biodiversity and resource management?

For the 2026 New Zealand general election , political parties offer sharply contrasting proposals regarding freshwater, pollution, biodiversity, and resource management, ranging from stronger regulatory protections and ecosystem restoration to resource-sector expansion and streamlined consenting.

According to tracking by The Conversation's Election Policy Tracker and evaluations by groups like Greenpeace Aotearoa, the major and minor parties approach these environmental pillars with distinct philosophies:

Green Party

  • Biodiversity & Ecosystems: Proposes establishing a sovereign biodiversity fund to finance regenerative conservation, alongside increased resourcing to control invasive species and weeds.

  • Freshwater & Pollution: Advocates lowering the legal nitrate limits for drinking water and legally protecting all remaining natural wetlands, estuaries, and coastal wetlands. [The Conversation]

  • Resource Management & Marine: Seeks to end bottom trawling, establish a politically independent Ocean Commission alongside a national system of no-take marine protected areas, and set a mandatory agricultural standards framework for sustainability across food and fibre sectors. [The Conversation]

Labour Party

  • Freshwater & Regulation: Generally positions itself around defending existing baseline environmental limits and maintaining national freshwater bottom lines, while supporting managed climate adaptation and structured emissions reductions in line with prior policy settings.

National Party & ACT New Zealand

  • Resource Management & Consenting: Focuses heavily on economic productivity, proposing to streamline resource consenting, facilitate regional resource extraction and mining projects, and ease regulatory burdens on primary industries.

  • Freshwater & Pollution: Favors flexible, industry-supported freshwater standards over strict national bottom lines to protect farming and regional economic output.

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AI Overviews · No location

For the 2026 New Zealand general election: What do parties propose about freshwater, pollution, biodiversity and resource management?

AI Overview

For the 2026 New Zealand general election on November 7, political parties are sharply divided on environmental protections, resource management, and rural regulation. The governing coalition focuses on economic growth and streamlining development, while opposition parties push to restore or strengthen protections against pollution and biodiversity loss.

National, ACT, and NZ First (The Coalition)

The governing parties prioritize reducing bureaucracy to stimulate the economy, relying heavily on the freshly passed Planning and Natural Environment Bills to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA).

  • Resource Management & Consents: National has championed replacing the 35-year-old RMA with a more standardized system intended to drastically reduce consenting delays for infrastructure and housing. Alongside this, the controversial Fast-track Approvals Act is framed as vital for economic growth, though it faces criticism over bypassing local council and environmental reviews.

  • Freshwater & Pollution: The coalition has steadily unwound previous national freshwater standards, removing agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and abandoning the farm-emissions plan He Waka Eke Noa. National is promising a commitment to no new taxes for farmers , while developing national standards for practical resilience, such as making on-farm quarrying and river gravel extraction easier.

  • Biodiversity & Oceans: ACT and NZ First support reducing climate and conservation-related bureaucracy, which includes delaying the Fisheries Amendment Bill until after the election. NZ First also advocates for returning 50% of mining royalties to the regions.

The Green Party

The Greens are campaigning on a platform centered around a "healthy nature" and are heavily critical of the current government's "dismantling of environmental protections".

  • Freshwater & Pollution: Under their flagship "Drink, Swim, Fish" policy package, the Greens propose far-reaching rules to clean up rivers and lakes. This includes phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertilisers , lowering stocking rates for dairy and sheep livestock, and lowering the strict nitrate limit for drinking water.

  • Resource Management: They pledge to repeal the Fast-track Approvals Act , arguing it prioritizes corporate exploitation over ecological health.

  • Biodiversity: The party wants to establish a sovereign biodiversity fund alongside an ecosystem-regeneration job guarantee program. They propose legally protecting all remaining natural wetlands and establishing an independent Ocean Commission to protect 30% of New Zealand's waters, which includes banning bottom trawling.

The Labour Party

Labour sits in a more moderate position, trying to balance targeted climate initiatives while remaining cautious about placing sudden financial burdens on the primary sector.

  • Resource Management: Labour opposes the current implementation of the Fast-track system, with leader Chris Hipkins raising concerns that it places undue financial liability on local ratepayers.

  • Freshwater & Pollution: While Labour previously implemented stricter national freshwater limits when in government, they have aligned with National and ACT this election cycle by promising no new carbon or capital gains taxes on farmers.

  • Climate & Biodiversity: Labour continues to back managed transition frameworks like SolarSaver. On climate adaptation, they plan to revisit previously shelved expert frameworks concerning managed retreat to protect communities from escalating natural disasters.

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori links all environmental policy directly to indigenous sovereignty, advocating that environmental decisions must respect the land and water (whenua and wai).

  • Freshwater: Their central environmental policy is to assert tino rangatiratanga (absolute sovereignty) over freshwater , shifting management into the hands of Māori authorities.

  • Pollution & Resources: They actively support incentivizing lower agricultural emissions and enforcing heavy financial penalties or tax mechanisms to discourage corporate environmental harm.

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