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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 a tertiary student renting a room, working part time and using a student loan. I am struggling to fit paid work around study. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What are parties proposing about graduate jobs and the rights of people doing part-time work?

If you are weighing your vote as a tertiary student who rents, works part time, and relies on a student loan, the policies most directly relevant to you are likely to be:

  • How easy it is to get a first job after graduating
  • Whether part-time/casual workers have predictable hours and protections
  • Student loan repayment settings
  • Cost pressures such as rent and wages

Below is a comparison of the main parties’ published or announced positions where they relate to those issues. Policies can continue to change during the campaign, so it is worth checking the latest party releases before voting. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator

Party Graduate jobs / early careers Part-time work and employment rights
Christopher Luxon’s New Zealand National Party National has focused on economic growth, skills, and reducing barriers for businesses hiring. It has proposed reducing student loan repayments for graduates, arguing this would leave more money with young workers. Speech to National Party 2026 Campaign Launch | National Party National’s approach generally emphasises labour-market flexibility and business hiring confidence. Critics argue some flexibility measures can reduce worker bargaining power; supporters argue they help employers create jobs. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator
New Zealand Labour Party Labour has highlighted job creation through investment, innovation, apprenticeships, and targeted employment support. It has also discussed measures aimed at improving opportunities for young people entering the workforce. 'The future scares me': why unemployment has become biggest election issue for young New Zealand voters Labour generally supports stronger employment protections and collective bargaining rights. Its employment platform includes support for workers’ protections and wage standards. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand The Greens have emphasised secure work, training pathways, and changes aimed at improving workers’ incomes and conditions. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator The Greens have proposed stronger worker protections, including banning zero-hours contracts, increasing the minimum wage, and exploring a four-day working week. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator
ACT New Zealand ACT focuses on reducing regulation and making it easier for businesses to hire and grow, arguing this supports job creation. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator ACT supports more flexible employment arrangements and opposes some forms of government-mandated wage and workplace rules. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator
New Zealand First NZ First has previously proposed incentives linked to graduates staying and working in New Zealand, particularly in areas with skills shortages. Education Policy: Where NZ Parties Stand in 2026 | WhichParty NZ NZ First has generally supported worker protections while also focusing on domestic employment and workforce priorities. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator
Te Pāti Māori Te Pāti Māori has emphasised Māori economic development, training, and employment opportunities. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator Its employment policies tend to focus on fairness, income security, and addressing inequities affecting Māori workers. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator

Issues that may matter most for your situation

1. If your biggest problem is fitting work around study
Look closely at policies on:

  • casual and part-time employment protections
  • minimum wages
  • guaranteed hours or restrictions on insecure work
  • rights to negotiate shifts

The biggest difference is generally between parties that prioritise labour-market flexibility for employers and those that prioritise greater protections and predictability for workers. Compare NZ Political Parties Side by Side | Policy Navigator

2. If your biggest concern is “Will I find a job after graduating?”
Parties differ on the route to improving graduate employment:

3. If your student loan is a major pressure
National has proposed lowering the repayment rate for student loan borrowers. Labour has proposed targeted student loan relief for some graduates who missed out on previous fees-free arrangements. Other parties have proposed different approaches, including incentives for graduates to stay and work in New Zealand. Speech to National Party 2026 Campaign Launch | National Party

A useful way to compare parties as a student worker is to ask:

  1. Do I need more secure hours and stronger workplace rules, or do I think a more flexible labour market will create more opportunities?
  2. Should government spend more directly creating pathways into graduate jobs, or focus on creating conditions for businesses to hire?
  3. Would student loan relief help me more than other cost-of-living measures such as housing or wages?

The election is being held under New Zealand’s MMP system, so your party vote especially affects the overall balance of Parliament and potential coalition negotiations. How does New Zealand's electoral system work and does it favour coalitions?

Ask anything

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Gemini · No location

I'm a tertiary student renting a room, working part time and using a student loan. I am struggling to fit paid work around study. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What are parties proposing about graduate jobs and the rights of people doing part-time work?

Navigating the balance between tertiary study, part-time renting, and earning an income is a significant challenge, and it's a central theme for many voters heading into the 2026 New Zealand General Election.

Political parties have outlined contrasting paths regarding graduate outcomes, student debt, living costs, and employment rights for part-time workers.

1. Student Loans and Financial Support for Graduates

Because you are managing a student loan while studying, parties' stances on debt and tertiary costs directly impact your financial future:

  • Labour: Has proposed policy to cut 10% off eligible student loan balances (either immediately for those repaying or after three years in New Zealand for current/future students) and to reduce the compulsory domestic repayment rate from 12% to 10%.
  • National / Centre-Right Parties: Typically emphasize lowering repayment thresholds or adjusting settings to reward those working and paying their way, while maintaining a focus on responsible borrowing and tightening repayment enforcement for those moving overseas.
  • Green Party / Te Pāti Māori: Tend to advocate for more structural transformation, such as moving toward universal student allowances, exploring fees-free tertiary education frameworks, and addressing the underlying cost of living rather than just loan adjustments.

2. Part-Time Work and Employment Rights

As someone fitting paid work around study, your rights and protections as a part-time employee are heavily shaped by industrial relations policies:

  • Left-Bloc Parties (Labour, Greens, Te Pāti Māori): Generally favor strengthening worker protections. This includes supporting collective bargaining, exploring or defending fair pay agreements, advocating for living wage movements (especially in public sector or funded care roles), and providing strong personal grievance and health/safety protections. They also support policies aimed at easing broader cost-of-living pressures (such as public transport subsidies or health support) which indirectly relieve the squeeze on part-time earners.
  • Right-Bloc Parties (National, ACT, NZ First): Tend to focus on business productivity, flexibility, and making it easier for employers to hire. For instance, ACT and National have previously advocated for changes to employment laws—such as altering trial periods or streamlining personal grievance processes—arguing that flexible regulations encourage businesses to take on part-time and entry-level staff more readily.

What to Consider for Your Vote

When deciding which party aligns with your situation, you may want to weigh whether you prefer:

  1. Direct financial relief on student debt and cost-of-living supports (favored by the left/centre-left).
  2. Broader economic settings aimed at business growth, job creation, and flexible employment law to stimulate the job market (favored by the centre-right/right).

Are there specific issues—like accommodation costs or minimum wage settings—that are most heavily impacting your weekly budget right now?

Ask Gemini

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

Google AI Mode · No location

I'm a tertiary student renting a room, working part time and using a student loan. I am struggling to fit paid work around study. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What are parties proposing about graduate jobs and the rights of people doing part-time work?

Balancing part-time work, renting, and tertiary study under financial pressure is a heavy load. As the 2026 New Zealand general election approaches, political parties are rolling out policies addressing cost-of-living, student debt, and workforce conditions.

The major parties’ proposals relevant to your situation cover student debt relief, graduate pathways, and the broader framework for part-time workers:

1. Student Loans and Debt Relief

  • Labour Party: Has announced a policy to cut 10% off eligible student loan balances for New Zealand residents. This would apply immediately in 2027 for those already repaying, or after three years of residency in New Zealand for current and future graduates, with balances under $2,000 wiped entirely. The stated goal is to give graduates more breathing room to transition into stable housing and careers without being crushed by compounding debt.

  • National, ACT, and New Zealand First: Generally focus on maintaining or tightening settings around fiscal restraint and ensuring loan repayment enforcement (particularly for overseas-based borrowers) rather than broad-scale debt write-offs. Their approach to easing pressure on students and young workers centers more on broader economic management, income tax adjustments, and business growth to stimulate jobs.

  • Green Party / Te Pāti Māori: Tend to advocate for more foundational changes to student support, such as moving towards universal student allowances rather than relying heavily on loans, though detailed manifestos continue to roll out through the campaign. [www.salient.org.nz]

2. Graduate Jobs and Workforce Guarantees

  • Job Guarantees for Specific Sectors: Some progressive and opposition platforms (such as specific Green or Labour proposals in past/current iterations) target guaranteed placement or fast-tracked employment pathways for critical public sector graduates—such as nursing and healthcare workforce guarantees—to ensure a direct bridge from study to employment.

  • Economic Growth & Employment Policies: Centre-right parties like National and ACT focus on regulatory reform, workplace flexibility, and business incentives intended to drive private sector hiring, arguing that a strong business environment creates the most robust pipeline of graduate jobs.

3. Rights and Conditions for Part-Time Workers

  • Minimum Wage and Income Settings: Debates around minimum wage adjustments are central to part-time work viability. Centre-right parties have previously floated freezes or more moderate adjustments to minimum wages to protect business viability, while centre-left and left-wing parties (Labour, Greens, Te Pāti Māori) favor regular increases indexed to the cost of living to support part-time workers facing soaring rents and grocery prices.

  • Employment Relations & Flexibility: Left and progressive blocks generally advocate for strengthening labor protections, collective bargaining power, and personal grievance rights for casual and part-time workers. Conversely, ACT and National emphasize maintaining or increasing flexibility in contracting and employment laws to make it easier for businesses to offer varied hours. [Policy.nz]

You can dive deeper into specific party platforms or cross-examine individual policy comparisons using tools like the Policy.nz 2026 Education Policies or independent student breakdowns like Salient's 2026 Election Guide.

Would you like to explore how specific policies affect accommodation/rent supplements (like the Accommodation Benefit) , or do you want to look into how different tax thresholds proposed by the parties might change your take-home pay from your part-time job?

Ask anything

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AI Overviews · No location

I'm a tertiary student renting a room, working part time and using a student loan. I am struggling to fit paid work around study. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What are parties proposing about graduate jobs and the rights of people doing part-time work?

AI Overview

Balancing a part-time job, a rental, and a student loan while trying to keep up with tertiary study is incredibly challenging. As you look toward the 2026 general election , New Zealand’s political parties are presenting distinct visions for managing graduate debt, boosting the job market, and adjusting workplace regulations.

Here is how the main parties stand on graduate prospects and conditions for part-time workers:

🎓 Graduate Debt and Career Entry

How parties plan to help you transition from study to the workforce largely centers on student loan relief and targeted job guarantees.

  • Labour: Has heavily focused its campaign on reducing graduate debt by proposing a 10% write-off on eligible student loan balances for graduates who stay and work in New Zealand (with balances under $2,000 completely cleared). To directly create graduate pipelines, they are pledging a $525 million Graduate Nurse Job Guarantee to secure roles for all New Zealand-trained nurses, expanding the Apprenticeship Boost program, and establishing a "Future Fund" to invest in innovative industries.

  • National: Argues that the best way to help graduates is through broader economic growth rather than targeted job guarantees. They focus on reducing regulatory "red tape" to make it easier for businesses to grow and hire, asserting that a stronger economy creates a healthier, more competitive private job market for graduates. National has also introduced policies to lower student loan repayment rates from 12% to 10% , aiming to let young professionals keep more of what they earn early in their careers.

  • The Green Party: Takes the most systemic approach to student debt, advocating for a complete write-off of student debt and a shift back toward fully fees-free tertiary education. They also propose introducing a universal student income to replace the stressed loan/allowance system, reducing the financial pressure to work heavy hours while finishing a degree.

💼 Rights and Protections for Part-Time Workers

If you are trying to fit work around class schedules, the rules around minimum wage, employment security, and tax thresholds directly affect your weekly budget.

  • Labour & The Greens: Focus heavily on worker protections. They lean toward raising or maintaining minimum wage values aligned with inflation and protecting standard sick leave and collective bargaining rights. Labour also seeks to incentivize part-time work by raising welfare/student allowance abatement thresholds , allowing you to earn more money from a part-time job before your student support begins to cut data or claw back.

  • National & ACT: Focus on workplace flexibility and reducing compliance costs for employers to stimulate hiring. They favor keeping a tight lid on minimum wage hikes to prevent inflation and give small businesses more breathing room to hire staff. ACT supports rolling back rigid workplace restrictions, preferring a flexible model where employees and businesses can negotiate hours and contracts more freely without heavy state intervention.

🗳️ Short-Term Part-Time Work Notice

If you need immediate, flexible income that fits into a student schedule, the New Zealand Electoral Commission is currently hiring thousands of paid staff for part-time, temporary roles (such as Voting Place Assistants and Issuing Officers) to run the 2026 election. Rates generally range from $26 to $36 per hour depending on the position. You can register interest directly via the Electoral Commission Work Page.

To help narrow down which party platform aligns best with your specific needs, let me know:

  • What field or industry you are studying to enter?

  • Whether reducing your future debt or maximizing your current weekly take-home pay is your top financial priority right now?

Ask anything

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