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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 migrated to New Zealand, have recently become a citizen and am eligible to vote. I work here, use English as a second language and want to understand both my options and the system. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on settlement support and rules affecting migrants who want family members to join them?

Yes. Since you are now a New Zealand citizen, you are eligible to vote if you meet the normal enrolment requirements. The 2026 general election is on Saturday 7 November, and New Zealand uses MMP (Mixed Member Proportional). You get two votes: a party vote and an electorate vote. Your party vote is the main vote determining each party’s share of Parliament; electorate MPs are chosen separately. What happens in a general election? | Elections NZ

Because your questions are particularly about settlement and bringing family to New Zealand, here is a neutral comparison of the major parties' published positions as of 5 October 2026.

First: what the current system does

It helps to distinguish family reunification from general immigration.

New Zealand currently has several family-related visa routes, including partner, dependent-child and parent categories. For parents in particular, the rules can involve income requirements, sponsorship and selection limits. In April 2026, Immigration New Zealand increased income thresholds for the Parent Category and Parent Boost Visitor Visa. Income thresholds to increase for Pacific and parent visa categories :: Immigration New Zealand

Settlement support is broader than visas. It can include protection from migrant exploitation, English/language and civic orientation, employment support, refugee resettlement, access to public services and policies affecting how quickly someone can obtain residence.

How the parties compare

Party Settlement / integration approach Bringing family
Labour Wants stronger community support and a formal NZ orientation/civic-education programme. It proposes extending the period before permanent residence from 2 to 4 years, while giving migrants more protection from exploitation. Release: Labour to ensure an immigration system that works for New Zealand Wants to review parent-visa rules, alongside health and English requirements. It has not published a detailed promise to remove particular parent-visa income thresholds. Release: Labour to ensure an immigration system that works for New Zealand
National Emphasises skilled migration, enforcement against exploitation and immigration compliance. Its government has put $18m over four years into additional frontline teams dealing with exploitation and non-compliance. More resources to combat migrant exploitation | National Party The current government has moved 90% of Parent Resident Visa applications to a chronological queue rather than the previous ballot, with expressions of interest no longer expiring after two years. National also created its Parent Boost concept for longer visits by parents/grandparents without residence rights. Sam's Monthly Update | Looking back at August; Forward to September | National Party
Green Party The most extensive published settlement programme: residence pathways for long-settled migrants, stronger migrant rights, employer switching, more refugee-resettlement funding and education about Te Tiriti for new migrants/refugees. Immigration and Refugees - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand Explicitly wants to remove income barriers to sponsoring a parent visa, clear family-reunification backlogs, expand partners' work rights and create a humanitarian visa for family members of New Zealanders in conflict zones. Immigration and Refugees - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
ACT Emphasises contribution, English, employment, infrastructure and enforcement. Its May policy proposed a 5-year stand-down from income-tested benefits for residence-class migrants and stronger English requirements for work visas. ACT New Zealand ACT has specifically campaigned for a more predictable Parent Resident Visa process, arguing for a fully queue-based system rather than a ballot. It also supports a Parent Boost Visa without unnecessarily costly private insurance. ACT New Zealand
NZ First Takes a substantially more restrictive approach: reduce non-essential immigration, make integration and citizenship more central, extend the residence qualifying period from 2 to 5 years and citizenship from 5 to at least 10 years, and impose a 10-year welfare stand-down for non-citizens. NZ First Announces Immigration Reform Policies - New Zealand First Its 2026 immigration package proposes a 20,000-per-year resident-visa cap, linked to infrastructure capacity. Its published package is much more restrictive overall, although it also proposes a Pacific-specific pathway for some overstayers. NZ First Announces Immigration Reform Policies - New Zealand First

A particularly important distinction for you

If bringing parents is what you mean by "family members", the differences are quite concrete:

One thing that may matter especially to you as a new citizen

You have just crossed an important legal line: citizenship.

NZ First is explicitly campaigning for a much stronger distinction between citizens and non-citizens. For example, it proposes citizens-only voting and says it would extend the citizenship qualifying period for future migrants to at least 10 years. New Zealand First to Campaign on ‘Citizens Only Voting’ - New Zealand First

That doesn't change your right to vote in 2026—you are already a citizen—but it is relevant if you are thinking about family members who are still migrants, because their future residence, citizenship and access to some benefits could be affected by these proposals.

How to use your two votes

Think of the two votes as answering different questions:

  1. Party vote: Which party's overall direction and policies do I want represented in Parliament?
  2. Electorate vote: Which local candidate do I want representing my electorate?

Under MMP, a party generally needs 5% of the party vote or an electorate seat to enter Parliament, and parties often need to negotiate with other parties to form a government. What is MMP? | Elections NZ

So you do not have to treat the two votes as necessarily belonging to the same party.

For someone in your situation, I'd suggest separating the immigration question into four things when comparing manifestos:

  • Can my spouse/partner and children join me?
  • Can my parents join me, and what income/capacity requirements apply?
  • How much help will migrants receive to settle, work and participate in society?
  • How quickly and predictably can migrants obtain residence/citizenship?

Those produce noticeably different answers across the parties; there isn't a single simple "pro-migrant/anti-migrant" spectrum that captures the policies accurately.

If you tell me which family members you are thinking of bringing (partner, children, parents, siblings, etc.), I can make the next comparison much more practical—for example, a plain-English 2026 table showing each party's proposed visa rules, income requirements, waiting periods and settlement support, with links to the parties' actual policy documents.

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Gemini · No location

I migrated to New Zealand, have recently become a citizen and am eligible to vote. I work here, use English as a second language and want to understand both my options and the system. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on settlement support and rules affecting migrants who want family members to join them?

Congratulations on becoming a New Zealand citizen! Having made New Zealand your home, navigating your first general election is an important milestone. Because you have used English as a second language and have personal experience with the immigration system, you may find that parties vary widely in how they approach settlement support, migrant rights, and family reunification.

Overview of Party Positions on Settlement and Family Rules

Political parties in New Zealand approach immigration, integration, and family rules through very different philosophies—ranging from welcoming and supportive of faster integration to restrictive and focused tightly on infrastructure strains.

1. Centre-Left and Left-Leaning Parties (Labour, Green Party, The Opportunities Party)

  • Settlement & Support: These parties generally emphasize social cohesion, protection against exploitation, and structured support for integration. They view migrants as long-term community members rather than just economic units. For instance, Labour has emphasized integration milestones (such as proposing adjustments to residency timeframes to ensure migrants can thoroughly put down roots), while supporting anti-exploitation protections and civic orientation programmes.
  • Family Reunification: Parties on the left generally advocate for clearing backlogs in family visa categories (such as parent and sibling reunification), arguing that family support is crucial for genuine long-term settlement and mental well-being. The Greens also advocate for removing rigid health standards that disproportionately block families from reuniting.

2. Centre-Right Parties (National and ACT)

  • Settlement & Support: National and ACT generally tie migration closely to economic and labor market needs. ACT, in particular, has proposed stricter conditions for migrant residents—such as removing indefinite permanent residency travel rules (requiring ongoing proof of ties to New Zealand), instituting multi-year welfare stand-downs for new resident visa holders, and broadening English language requirements across various work visa tiers.
  • Family Reunification: Policies here tend to be more conditional. While economic migrants are welcomed, rules around bringing extended family (like parents) often involve stricter financial thresholds, health insurance requirements, or ballot/waitlist mechanisms to manage public infrastructure costs.

3. Nationalist and Populist Parties (New Zealand First)

  • Settlement & Support: NZ First takes a much more restrictive stance, treating immigration as a tightly controlled privilege rather than a right. Their platform includes proposals that directly affect migrants post-settlement, such as restricting certain benefits or superannuation exclusively to citizens, and implementing long welfare stand-down periods.
  • Family Reunification: NZ First generally tightens settings across the board to curb population growth relative to infrastructure (housing and health), making family-class migration categories harder to access.

Key Areas to Consider as a New Citizen

As you weigh your party vote, you may want to look closely at how each party’s policies align with your values in these specific areas:

  • Support Services & English Language: Some parties invest heavily in state-backed English language classes, employment-matching services, and migrant resource centers. Others place the responsibility entirely on the individual or employer.
  • Pathways for Extended Family: If you are hoping to bring aging parents or siblings to New Zealand, look closely at party policies regarding Parent and Family Resident categories. Parties differ on whether they want to open these up or keep caps strict to protect public healthcare resources.
  • Rights Post-Citizenship: Since you are now a citizen, you possess full political and social rights. However, some minor parties advocate for differential treatment between citizens by birth and naturalized citizens regarding specific state entitlements, which may be an important point of distinction for you when casting your ballot.

Your Next Steps for Voting

  1. Enrol to Vote: Ensure your details are up to date on the electoral roll (you can check or update this at vote.nz).
  2. Compare Detailed Policies: Tools like Policy.nz allow you to filter the 2026 election landscape specifically by "Migration" and "Community & Inclusion" to see exact side-by-side party manifestos.
  3. Cast Your Two Votes: Remember that New Zealand uses MMP (Mixed Member Proportional) voting, meaning you get a Party Vote (which determines the overall share of seats in Parliament) and an Electorate Vote (for your local MP).

As someone who navigated the migration journey yourself, which aspect of the system—such as family reunification rules or settlement support services—matters most to you as you decide your vote?

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Google AI Mode · No location

I migrated to New Zealand, have recently become a citizen and am eligible to vote. I work here, use English as a second language and want to understand both my options and the system. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on settlement support and rules affecting migrants who want family members to join them?

Congratulations on becoming a New Zealand citizen and stepping up to vote in the 7 November 2026 general election! Navigating a new civic system—especially with English as an additional language—is a major milestone.

Under New Zealand's MMP (Mixed-Member Proportional) voting system, your party vote largely determines the overall share of seats each party gets in Parliament, shaping laws on immigration, settlement, and family reunification.

Based on party policy announcements and reporting compiled by sources like Living in NZ and party manifestos, here is how the major political parties approach settlement support, rules for migrants, and family reunification for the 2026 election cycle.

Major Parties and Their Approaches to Migration and Family Reconnection

  • The Labour Party

  • Stance & Framing: According to immigration announcements outlined by immigration spokesperson Phil Twyford, Labour frames immigration around matching infrastructure, housing, and workforce needs while criticizing anti-migrant rhetoric. They emphasize protecting settled migrants from exploitation.

  • Rules & Family Impact: Labour has proposed a financial review of the Parent Category Visa criteria to look at how accessible it is. However, they have also proposed doubling the length of time required before transitioning to permanent residence (which lengthens the provisional phase before full permanent security is achieved). They also propose a direct citizenship pathway for children born in New Zealand to undocumented parents who have lived in the country continuously.

  • The National Party (Current-Term Governing Party)

  • Stance & Framing: National centers its approach on economic growth and structured settings via frameworks like "Going for Growth," continuous tweaks to the Skilled Migrant Category, and managing occupation lists.

  • Rules & Family Impact: National generally focuses on maintaining and refining current skilled-worker settings rather than sweeping overhauls. Senior figures have explicitly opposed proposals (such as those from smaller right-leaning partners) to abolish permanent resident visas altogether, signaling a desire to keep the path to permanent settlement stable for qualifying skilled migrants and their immediate families. [www.livinginnz.co.nz]

  • ACT New Zealand

  • Stance & Framing: ACT favors a more market-driven, tightly regulated immigration structure paired with stricter qualifying criteria for public resources.

  • Rules & Family Impact: ACT has advocated for stricter thresholds, including an annual review of skilled job lists, a five-year welfare bar for new migrants accessing certain state supports, and a dedicated overstayer enforcement unit. Notably, ACT has proposed abolishing permanent resident visas in favor of renewable long-term visas, which would alter how long-term migrants plan for family stability and settlement permanence. [www.livinginnz.co.nz]

  • New Zealand First

  • Stance & Framing: NZ First advocates for a heavily restricted immigration intake, tying population growth explicitly to infrastructure limits and advocating for lower net migration caps via a referendum.

  • Rules & Family Impact: NZ First’s policy platform includes tightening requirements significantly—such as extending residency and citizenship waiting periods (e.g., proposing up to 10 years), restricting birthright citizenship provisions, increasing immigration-related fees, and limiting certain welfare or voting rights for non-citizens. These changes would generally lengthen and harden the barriers for family members attempting to join migrants. [www.livinginnz.co.nz]

  • Green Party & Te Pāti Māori

  • Stance & Framing: Both parties generally reject restrictive or punitive anti-migrant discourse, framing migrant rights through a lens of human rights, community inclusion, and Te Tiriti-based equity.

  • Rules & Family Impact: The Greens traditionally advocate for more compassionate family reunification settings and better state-backed settlement, language, and employment support infrastructure, opposing policies that make residency or basic rights harder to attain for settled communities. [www.livinginnz.co.nz]

Key Electoral & System Tips for New Migrants

  1. Your Voice Matters: As a citizen, your vote carries equal weight regardless of where you were born. Parties actively track demographic voting blocs, and migrant communities play a massive role in shaping policy on the future of family visas.
  2. Checking Specific Details: To read the exact, unedited policy manifestos directly from the sources as they update or debate, you can explore the non-partisan Policy.nz Migration Guide or check the official rules via the Elections NZ Hub.
  3. Important Deadlines: Ensure you are enrolled correctly. Advance voting for the 7 November 2026 election runs from 26 October to 6 November 2026. [Elections NZ]
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AI Overviews · No location

I migrated to New Zealand, have recently become a citizen and am eligible to vote. I work here, use English as a second language and want to understand both my options and the system. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on settlement support and rules affecting migrants who want family members to join them?

AI Overview

Congratulations on becoming a New Zealand citizen! As a new voter preparing for the 7 November 2026 General Election, understanding how the political parties approach migration is key to making your choice.

In New Zealand's Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system, you get two votes: a Party Vote (which determines the share of seats a party gets in Parliament) and an Electorate Vote (for your local MP).

For the 2026 election, major differences have emerged between the parties regarding family reunification (bringing parents or family to NZ) and settlement pathways.

Family Reunification Policies

Bringing family members to join migrants is a heavily debated topic, specifically regarding the Parent Resident Visa and long-stay visitor visas.

  • National Party (Current Government Lead):
    • Parent Resident Visa: Effective October 2026, National implemented a hybrid selection model. Instead of a pure lottery/ballot, 90% of parent visas are now selected chronologically based on when you applied, and 10% remain in a ballot, keeping a cap of 2,500 places per year.
    • Parent Boost Visa: National delivers a 5-year, multiple-entry visitor visa for parents/grandparents, requiring families to fund private health insurance and meet income thresholds.
  • Labour Party:
    • Financial Review: Labour has proposed a review of the financial criteria for parent visas to make them more accessible.
    • Super Visa: They support a 10-year multiple-entry "Super Visa" for parents and grandparents to make long-term family visits easier without full residency.
    • Pacific Focus: Labour has also pledged to expand visa-waiver travel to Pacific Island Forum citizens to make family reunions easier and more affordable.
  • Green Party:
    • Broad Expansion: The Greens push for the most open family reunification rules. They advocate for reducing income thresholds, cutting wait times, and expanding visa categories so family unity is treated as a core human right rather than an economic privilege.
  • ACT Party:
    • Queue System: ACT supports a chronological queue over a ballot system for parents. However, they heavily emphasize that visa holders must not place a burden on public infrastructure or welfare.
  • New Zealand First:
    • Tight Controls: NZ First advocates for strict limits on non-essential migration. They want to restrict family reunification definitions and have historically opposed expanding parent categories to protect local infrastructure and health systems.

Settlement Support, Residency & Language Rules

The parties vary widely on how long a migrant should wait for permanent status, what support they get, and English language expectations.

Political Party Permanent Residency / Citizenship Rules Settlement Support & Civic Integration Welfare Access Settings
National Opposes abolishing the Permanent Resident (PR) visa; maintains current skill-focused paths. Focuses on employer-led and market-driven settlement tools. Maintains existing standard balance for residency milestones.
Labour Proposes doubling the wait time for PR from 2 years to 4 years to ensure migrants "put down roots." Pledges a new New Zealand orientation and civic education programme to assist language and social cohesion. Backs pathways to regularize long-term undocumented workers.
Green Party Advocates a 5-year "settled residency pathway" for all temporary workers and ending tied employer visas. Opposes strict English requirements that isolate low-wage or secondary-language migrants. Strongly opposes any policies that create a "second-tier residency class" without support.
ACT Proposes abolishing the Permanent Resident visa entirely, keeping migrants on renewable skilled terms. Demands stricter/extended English language requirements for Accredited Employer Work Visas. Proposes a strict 5-year welfare stand-down barring new residents from accessing benefits.
NZ First Wants to double the wait for citizenship (from 5 to 10 years) and PR (from 2 to 5 years), plus increase fees. Emphasizes that migration is a privilege. Prioritizes citizens over permanent residents for social housing. Proposes a 10-year stand-down before any visa holder can access jobseeker or accommodation benefits.

Summary Checklist for Your Vote

  • If your priority is fast, low-barrier family reunification and stronger worker protections, the Greens or Labour lean closest to these goals.

  • If you favor predictable, employment-led queues but want to keep the current permanent residency structures safe, National sits in this space.

  • If you believe the system should require higher language standards, minimal welfare reliance, or stricter caps, then ACTor NZ Firstalign with those frameworks.

You can keep track of official voting deadlines, translate materials, or check your enrollment status directly via the official Vote NZ Website.

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