As of 4 October 2026, the 2026 New Zealand general election is on 7 November. I’ve focused on the six parties currently represented in Parliament — National, Labour, Greens, ACT, NZ First and Te Pāti Māori — and on policies they have actually published or announced, rather than trying to infer positions from ideology. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026 - Policy.nz

At a glance

Party	Childcare / ECE	Schools	Learning support	Tertiary
National	Continue/expand FamilyBoost; new school-readiness measures	Basics, structured literacy/numeracy, replace NCEA, attendance, new classrooms	Major $646m boost; Learning Support Coordinators, teacher-aide hours, earlier intervention	Lower loan repayments for NZ-based graduates; tougher overseas recovery; priority-subject funding
Labour	No specific 2026 ECE policy published yet	$450m school building/grounds programme; apprenticeships; has campaigned to restore fuller school lunches	No major new 2026 package identified	10% student-loan cut for eligible borrowers who stay in NZ
Greens	Free ECE, moving toward 35 hours/week; non-profit/community model	Reverse current curriculum changes; inclusive, culturally grounded education; free lunches	Expand eligibility; single agency for specialist support	Universal student income; paid placements; lower repayments; work toward fees-free and debt write-off
ACT	No specific new 2026 ECE commitment published	Standards, school choice/charter schools, teacher powers over disruption, uniforms/buses	No major new package published	Voluntary student-services fees; oppose ethnicity-based university support
NZ First	ECE funding/access reforms; rural/Playcentre focus; $5k Kiwi Kids Grant	Core skills; learning-support coordinators; counselling; trades pathways	Specific focus on dyslexia/autism etc.; more ORS/early intervention	Strong vocational focus; Trades Academy doubled; previously proposed skill-debt/student-allowance reforms
Te Pāti Māori	No dedicated 2026 ECE package yet	Māori Education Authority; te reo Māori core to Year 10; mātauranga Māori; lunches/counselling/transport	Māori-led education and removing barriers	Universal student allowance and substantial loan relief/write-off proposals

There are some important differences underneath that summary.

1. Childcare and early childhood education

National

National is not proposing universal free childcare. Its approach is principally to subsidise families through FamilyBoost. The existing scheme has been expanded to reimburse up to 40% of eligible ECE costs, with the maximum increased to $120 a week and eligibility extended to households earning up to $229,000. Wedd's Weekly - 30 July 2026 | National Party

Its new 2026 ECE proposal is more about school readiness:

• end screen and individual-device use in ECE;
• introduce a School Start Check before children enter school;
• introduce developmental milestones and reporting to parents;
• identify children needing additional help and connect them with early intervention. Screen use to end in ECE and limits set in primary | National Party

Labour

Labour has not published a specific 2026 ECE/childcare package as of the latest available material. An independent ECE sector policy tracker confirms that its 2026 commitments had not yet been released. Election 2026: Early Childhood Education NZ Policy Guide

That means I wouldn't treat older Labour commitments on ECE teacher pay parity or funding as current 2026 promises unless Labour formally carries them into its platform.

Greens

The Greens have the most extensive ECE proposal.

They would:

• make ECE free as a public good;
• provide a network of community ECE centres offering 35 hours a week, from six months to school age;
• move toward zero parent cost, with the eventual free entitlement from 2029;
• stop public funding going to for-profit ECE centres, while allowing them to operate if licensed;
• expand community/non-profit provision;
• directly fund ECE teachers, including pay-parity commitments;
• strengthen kaupapa Māori ECE and restore government planning of where services are provided. Election 2026: Early Childhood Education NZ Policy Guide

ACT

ACT doesn't currently have a specific new 2026 ECE election package. Its recent approach has emphasised reducing ECE regulation and compliance and treating ECE partly as infrastructure enabling parents to participate in the workforce. Election 2026: Early Childhood Education NZ Policy Guide

NZ First

NZ First's current headline family policy is the Kiwi Kids Grant: $5,000 tax-free per year for each of the first three children, for their first three years, where at least one parent is a New Zealand citizen. NZFirst Announces Policy to Encourage Kiwis To Have More Kids - New Zealand First

That's a cash-to-families approach rather than a free-childcare approach. NZ First's more detailed ECE policy has historically emphasised rural access, Playcentre, ECE learning support and improving early intervention. 2023 Election Policies - NZ First

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori hasn't released a dedicated 2026 ECE policy, but its broader education approach emphasises Māori-led decision-making, mātauranga Māori, tino rangatiratanga and removing financial/structural barriers to education. Election 2026: Early Childhood Education NZ Policy Guide

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2. Schools

This is probably where the parties have the clearest differences.

National: "fix the basics"

National wants schools centred on:

• reading, writing and mathematics;
• structured literacy/numeracy;
• an hour a day of reading, writing and maths;
• regular assessment;
• cell-phone restrictions;
• a new national curriculum;
• replacing NCEA with New Zealand Certificates of Education at Years 12 and 13;
• more classrooms and school infrastructure;
• stronger attendance measures. Tom Rutherford - The Week That Was | National Party

It is also investing in practical maths intervention, writing resources and maths checks. Tom Rutherford - The Week That Was | National Party

Labour: schools as infrastructure + broader curriculum approach

Labour's clearest new school commitment is around $450m to improve the physical environment of more than 2,000 state and integrated schools, including classrooms, heating, plumbing, drainage, playgrounds and sports facilities. It says this would begin within a year of taking office. Start Work Now - NZ Labour

Labour is also supporting nearly 30,000 apprentices, including a $1,000 toolbox grant, and has campaigned to restore a fuller version of the school-lunch programme. Labour's 2026 Election Policies

Greens: inclusive and less standardised

The Greens want to:

• reverse what they describe as the Government's rushed curriculum and assessment reforms;
• restore the original direction of Te Mātaiaho;
• put Te Tiriti, te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori at the centre;
• strengthen teacher pay and staffing;
• expand school lunches;
• make schools, kura and ECE centres places of belonging and inclusion. Education - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

So the broad philosophical difference is fairly stark: National puts much greater emphasis on standardised knowledge, basic skills and measurable achievement; the Greens put more emphasis on inclusion, curriculum breadth, teacher expertise and culturally grounded education.

ACT

ACT supports:

• clear national standards;
• transparent reporting of student progress;
• more autonomy for schools;
• charter/partnership schools;
• greater school choice;
• stronger powers for teachers to remove disruptive students from class;
• allowing children to use available seats on passing rural school buses;
• reducing the cost of compulsory school uniforms. ACT New Zealand

NZ First

NZ First's education philosophy puts considerable weight on core skills — reading, writing, maths and science — alongside life skills, creativity and critical thinking. It also wants stronger links between education and employment. 2023 Election Policies - NZ First

Its most concrete 2026 achievement/commitment is vocational: Budget 2026 doubled Trades Academy places from 10,000 to 20,000 and added 1,000 Youth Guarantee places for young people with low or no qualifications. NZ First explicitly highlights these as its priorities. Budget 2026: Common sense wins for NZ First - New Zealand First

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori's education platform is substantially different:

• establish a Māori Education Authority;
• make te reo Māori a core subject through Year 10;
• integrate mātauranga Māori into teaching;
• strengthen Māori governance;
• expand school lunches;
• provide free public transport and counselling for students. Te Pāti Māori: policies and record 2026 | PartyMap

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3. Learning support and children with additional needs

This is an especially important area because National has made a substantial funding commitment already, while the Greens are proposing a structural change.

National

National's Budget 2025 package provides $646 million for learning support, described by the Government as its largest boost in a generation. It includes:

• more than 2 million additional teacher-aide hours annually from 2028;
• Learning Support Coordinators for schools with Years 1–8 students;
• expanded early intervention through the end of Year 1;
• an overhaul of the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme;
• $100m for additional maths intervention/support. Budget 2025 | National Party

National's 2026 messaging is therefore largely about implementing and expanding the learning-support investment already announced, rather than replacing it with a new model.

Greens

The Greens propose a more systemic redesign. They would:

• broaden eligibility for learning support;
• create a single agency coordinating specialist support for learners with health and disability needs;
• implement the recommendations of the Framework for Action: A quality education for all;
• strengthen teacher/educator staffing and workforce support. Education - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

NZ First

NZ First's published education policy is unusually explicit about particular learning difficulties. It supports:

• completing the rollout of Learning Support Coordinators;
• consistent school-entry assessment;
• better screening, funding and resourcing for children with dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism/Asperger's and other learning difficulties;
• stronger ORS funding;
• moving from a "refer out and wait" approach toward getting specialists into early-learning settings. 2023 Election Policies - NZ First

Labour, ACT and Te Pāti Māori

I haven't found a comparable new, fully specified 2026 learning-support funding package from Labour or ACT. Te Pāti Māori's approach is primarily through Māori-led education and removing barriers to participation rather than a detailed national learning-support funding formula. Te Pāti Māori: policies and record 2026 | PartyMap

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4. Tertiary education, university and student debt

This may be the sharpest financial divide between the parties.

National

National's new tertiary-related election commitment is its Back Pocket Boost for Graduates.

From 1 April 2027, if re-elected:

• compulsory student-loan repayments for NZ-based borrowers fall from 12% to 10% of income above the threshold;
• overseas borrowers face tougher recovery measures;
• overseas-based balances would attract additional interest/penalties in specified circumstances;
• there would be restrictions on KiwiSaver withdrawals for some overseas borrowers in default. Back Pocket Boost for Graduates in New Zealand | National Party

National is not proposing to write off student debt.

Its broader tertiary policy also shifts funding toward subjects regarded as economically important. Budget 2025 increased tertiary subsidies, with additional funding for STEM, teacher education and priority health fields. Budget 2025: Tertiary study subsidy boost in priority subjects | National Party

Labour

Labour is proposing to write off 10% of eligible student-loan balances.

For existing borrowers who finished study, the first write-off would occur on 1 April 2027. Current and future students would qualify after completing study and staying in New Zealand for three years. Balances of $2,000 or less would be completely cleared. People who benefited from Fees Free are excluded. Cutting Student Debt - NZ Labour

Labour also has a significant vocational component: expanded Apprenticeship Boost, toolbox grants and Māori-led training. Labour's 2026 Election Policies

So:

• National: reduce the rate at which borrowers repay.
• Labour: reduce the amount of debt owed for eligible borrowers.

Greens

The Greens go considerably further on tertiary support. Their 2026 manifesto proposes:

• a universal student income, including postgraduate students;
• living-wage payments for compulsory work placements;
• increased tertiary funding to protect courses, student services and staff;
• stronger funding and local control for polytechnics;
• expanded free apprenticeships;
• lower student-loan repayments;
• working toward fees-free tertiary education;
• working toward a student-debt write-off;
• expanded Māori and Pasifika Trades Training. Tertiary Education - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

They would also restore default student-union membership. Tertiary Education - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

ACT

ACT's emphasis is much more on choice and limiting compulsory payments.

Its 2026 tertiary commitment is to make Student Services Fees voluntary, rather than compulsory. Students would choose which services they want and pay accordingly. ACT says this could reduce student borrowing by up to roughly $4,000 over a three-year degree. ACT New Zealand

ACT also supports equal treatment at universities and opposes universities allocating support on the basis of ethnicity; Policy.nz lists this as one of its 2026 education positions. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026 - Policy.nz

NZ First

NZ First is much more vocationally oriented. Its current government policies have:

• ended First Year Fees Free and shifted funding toward vocational education;
• doubled Trades Academy places;
• increased Youth Guarantee places. Budget 2026: Securing New Zealand's Future | Beehive.govt.nz

Its longer-standing tertiary proposals include a universal student allowance, student-debt write-offs tied to working in high-demand occupations, stronger apprenticeships and closer workforce planning. 2023 Election Policies - NZ First

I'd treat those latter proposals with some caution, though: they are in NZ First's published policy material but are not all new 2026 campaign announcements.

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori's tertiary approach is oriented around access, Māori authority and reducing student debt. Its published education platform has included a universal student allowance and proposals to write off student debt for graduates who work in New Zealand, alongside immediate relief for the living-cost component of student loans. Education Policy: Where NZ Parties Stand in 2026 | WhichParty NZ

Its broader education agenda would also establish a Māori Education Authority and strengthen Māori-led tertiary and vocational pathways.

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The underlying choice between the parties

If you strip away the campaign language, there are roughly four different models being offered:

• National: strengthen the existing system through standards, basic skills, assessment, targeted learning support, school choice and incentives for graduates to remain in NZ.
• Labour: repair and reinvest in public education, improve school infrastructure and vocational pathways, while giving targeted student-debt relief.
• Greens: treat education as a universal public service, with free ECE, much broader learning support, substantial student income support and a long-term move toward fees-free tertiary education.
• ACT: put more emphasis on school choice, autonomy, discipline, parental choice and reducing compulsory fees, with less government direction of tertiary institutions.
• NZ First: emphasise core skills, vocational education, apprenticeships, workforce planning and practical pathways into employment, alongside family support.
• Te Pāti Māori: put Māori authority, te reo, mātauranga Māori and whānau-led education at the centre, with stronger material support for students.

One caveat is important: not every party has released equally detailed policy in every one of your four areas. In particular, Labour, ACT and Te Pāti Māori have relatively thin/no dedicated 2026 ECE proposals at present, while some NZ First material dates from its broader policy programme rather than a fresh 2026 announcement. Election 2026: Early Childhood Education NZ Policy Guide

If you'd like, I can next turn this into a much more detailed side-by-side table with actual dollar amounts, eligibility rules, dates and estimated effects for a family with children in ECE/school and a university student.