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Evidence · NZ Election 2026 · Edition 2

Every question, every answer, every source

All 174 questions and the 793 answers produced on 12 October 2026. The 27 remaining cells produced no AI Overview.

questions
174
answers saved
793
collected
12 Oct 2026

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 unchanged question.

    id, draft, text, voterCode, issue, towns

    174rows

    Download questions (CSV)

  • Answers

    nz-election-2026-answers.csv

    One row per produced answer, with its complete original text.

    result id, prompt id, draft id, scenario id, platform, region, words, parties, literal url answer, associated source answer, temporal pair, common four platforms, response text

    793rows

    Download answers (CSV)

  • Sources by answer

    nz-election-2026-sources.csv

    One row per website associated with an answer; repeated citations count once.

    answer id, question id, assistant, region, domain, publisher

    4,137rows

    Download sources by answer (CSV)

  • Checks against official sources

    nz-election-2026-checks.csv

    One row per reviewed proposition, retaining both answers, extracts and the reviewed change.

    check, draft id, platform, claim, verdict, assessment, source url, source label, source date, checked date, old result id, new result id, old excerpt, new excerpt

    15rows

    Download checks against official sources (CSV)

  • Who to vote for: coding

    nz-election-2026-guidance.csv

    One row per manually reviewed guidance answer. Codes overlap; original answers supply the evidence.

    draft, assistant, q, voter, a, declined, matched, shortlist, asked, chose, extract

    31rows

    Download who to vote for: coding (CSV)

  • Location and national answers

    nz-election-2026-towns.csv

    One row per matched national/location pair, with both editions.

    prompt id, draft id, scenario id, issue, platform, city, edition 1 same party set, edition 1 national result, edition 1 city result, edition 2 same party set, edition 2 national result, edition 2 city result

    124rows

    Download location and national answers (CSV)

  • Changes between editions

    nz-election-2026-comparisons.csv

    One row per identical question, assistant and location across the two collections.

    prompt id, draft id, scenario id, scenario, issue, platform, region, old result id, new result id, old words, new words, same party set, old parties, new parties, added parties, removed parties, literal same domains, literal old domains, literal new domains, literal added domains, literal removed domains, associated same domains, associated old domains, associated new domains, associated added domains, associated removed domains

    793rows

    Download changes between editions (CSV)

  • No AI Overview produced

    nz-election-2026-coverage.csv

    One row per planned cell where no AI Overview was produced.

    prompt id, platform, region, draft id, block, scenario id, scenario, issue, priority, question, cause, availability

    27rows

    Download no ai overview produced (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 retired, own my home and rely mainly on NZ Super. Rates, insurance and power bills are rising in importance for my budget, and I need regular healthcare. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on access to GPs, specialists and healthcare for older people?

New Zealand 2026 election: healthcare for retirees

For someone who owns their home, relies mainly on NZ Super and needs regular healthcare, three issues are worth separating when comparing political parties:

  • Access to a GP: whether you can get an appointment when needed, afford the consultation and obtain repeat prescriptions and ongoing care.
  • Access to specialists: waiting times for public hospital appointments, diagnostic tests and planned treatment, and whether private care is a realistic alternative.
  • Healthcare as you age: prescriptions, chronic-condition management, cancer screening, elective surgery, home support and aged residential care.

There is also an important household-budget connection: healthcare costs compete with rates, house insurance, electricity and food for the same retirement income. A party's promise to improve healthcare access is not necessarily the same as a promise to reduce your out-of-pocket costs.

I'll compare the main parties' documented policies and records, distinguishing existing measures from proposals for the 2026 election. Where a party has not yet published a specific commitment, that matters too.

1. How the main parties compare

The 2026 election is on Saturday 7 November, with advance voting from 26 October. The comparison below reflects published policies and announcements available as of 12 October 2026. It is not a ranking of parties. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026Manifesto 2026

Labour

Direct cost reductions

Labour's published policy offers three free GP visits a year for everyone through a new Medicard, and removal of the $5 prescription charge from 1 July 2027. It also proposes loans to help GPs buy into practices and remain in their communities, starting in July 2027, plus jobs for eligible NZ-trained graduate nurses from 2027. Labour's 2026 Election PoliciesLabour's 2026 Election Policies

For your situation: the free visits and prescriptions could reduce recurring healthcare bills. Three free visits would not necessarily cover someone who needs frequent consultations, and the policy does not itself guarantee faster specialist appointments.

National

Funding and service targets

National's government points to additional health funding, waiting-time targets, expanded medicine access and reforms intended to increase primary-care capacity. Budget 2026 provides more than $5.8 billion in new operating funding across the forecast period, according to the Government. National also proposes no new taxes and has policies on keeping council rates affordable. Record health funding with patients at the centre2026 Election Policy

For your situation: the key question is whether investment and service targets translate into appointments and treatment when you need them. Its published election-policy approach differs from Labour's universal free-visit and free-prescription proposals; check the detailed health commitments for any further changes.

Green Party

Universal access and prevention

The Greens' 2026 manifesto calls for a properly supported, accessible and equitable health system, with better access to timely care and support for the health workforce. Its wider platform emphasises public services and reducing cost-of-living pressures. Manifesto 2026Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

For your situation: examine its detailed commitments on GP fees, prescriptions, public specialist services and funding. The manifesto's broad direction is not, by itself, a guarantee of a particular specialist waiting time or an individual saving on medical bills.

ACT

More services through pharmacies

ACT's Pharmacy First policy would let pharmacists treat more everyday conditions, provide funded annual medication reviews for people with stable hypertension, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol, order appropriate blood tests, and help identify skin-cancer risks. It proposes pharmacy consultation fees capped at $20 for most people and $5 for Community Services Card holders. ACT New ZealandACT New Zealand

For your situation: pharmacy-based care could be useful for some routine needs and might free GP appointments for more complex problems. It is not a substitute for a GP who knows your history or for specialist assessment when needed.

New Zealand First

Prevention and GP support

In its 20 September 2026 health announcement, NZ First proposed prioritising prevention of chronic illness, reducing GP administrative burdens, bringing health coaches into general practice and researching nutritional interventions. The party says medicine funding remains important but should not be the sole focus of health policy. NZFirst Campaign Announcement: The Plan to “Make NZ Healthy”

For your situation: the GP-support and prevention proposals are relevant to long-term health, but the announcement does not set out a specific promise to make GP visits free or a quantified plan to shorten specialist waiting lists.

Te Pāti Māori

Māori-led and community care

Its published health policy focuses on rebuilding and strengthening Māori-led health services, prevention, whānau wellbeing, culturally safe care and community accountability. Policy

For your situation: the relevant details to compare are how its model would expand local primary care, improve access to public specialists and fund ongoing care. The broad policy statement alone does not establish a specific saving for an individual retiree.

These are the main parties' different approaches, rather than a complete list of every party contesting the election. For the full, regularly updated policy comparison, see Policy.nz's 2026 health guide.

2. What matters most for your healthcare budget?

Here is how the policy differences translate into practical questions for someone living mainly on NZ Super.

Your priority Policies to examine What to check carefully
GP appointments Labour's three free visits; ACT's expanded pharmacy services; National's primary-care reforms Whether your regular GP visits are covered, and whether appointments will be available promptly
Specialist appointments Hospital capacity, specialist workforce, diagnostic services and waiting-time targets Whether commitments cover first specialist assessments as well as surgery and treatment
Prescriptions Labour's proposed removal of the $5 prescription charge; National's expanded medicine funding; ACT's medicines policies Whether your particular medicines are funded, including costly cancer or chronic-condition medicines
Ongoing conditions GP continuity, nurse-led care, pharmacist monitoring and community health services Who coordinates your care and whether you still need to pay for GP follow-ups
Healthcare as you age Home support, rehabilitation, aged residential care, dementia services and palliative care Eligibility rules, personal contributions, staffing and availability of local services

Sources: Labour's 2026 policies, National's policies, ACT's Pharmacy First proposal, and Policy.nz's health comparison. Labour's 2026 Election Policies2026 Election PolicyACT New ZealandPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

GP access and cost

For you, the difference between free visits, subsidised visits and simply having more clinics available could be substantial.

Labour's proposal is particularly straightforward to calculate: if you currently pay for three eligible GP visits each year, the consultation savings would equal the fees you would otherwise pay for those three visits. If you need six or ten visits, you would need to establish what you would pay for the additional appointments.

ACT's approach is different: some problems could be handled by a pharmacist instead of requiring a GP appointment. The benefit depends on whether your health needs are suitable for pharmacy care and what the consultation costs.

National's approach emphasises increasing capacity and making existing funding deliver more services. For this approach, look for published results on appointment access, rather than relying on funding totals alone. Labour's 2026 Election PoliciesACT New ZealandPrimary Care Tactical Action Plan

Specialist access

Specialist care needs separate scrutiny because a free GP visit does not guarantee a timely public specialist appointment.

When comparing promises, look for specific commitments on:

  • Time from GP referral to first specialist assessment.
  • Access to scans, biopsies and other diagnostic tests.
  • Elective surgery and follow-up treatment.
  • Cancer care and access to newer medicines.
  • How many additional specialists, nurses and diagnostic staff will be available, and by when.

National's current government has made waiting times and health targets central to its programme. Labour and the Greens emphasise improving access and affordability. The important distinction is whether a party has committed to a measurable improvement in the particular service you use, with a timetable and funding attached. Record health funding with patients at the centreManifesto 2026Labour's 2026 Election Policies

Healthcare for older people

Don't limit your comparison to GP visits. Ask parties how they would support older people to remain independent at home, obtain rehabilitation after hospital stays, access dementia care, and receive appropriate residential or palliative care when needed.

These services can affect both health and finances, especially if you eventually need help with everyday activities. The party policy documents linked above are a starting point, but the specific commitments on older people's care should be checked separately before drawing conclusions.

3. How to weigh the evidence

A useful distinction is between three kinds of promises:

Direct savings

Free GP visits and prescriptions can reduce the bills you pay yourself. Check eligibility, start dates, limits and whether the proposal is fully funded.

Better access

Extra staff, clinics, pharmacy services and diagnostic capacity may reduce delays. Check what is promised and how progress will be measured.

Long-term care

Prevention, chronic-condition management, home support and aged care affect how well the system supports you as your needs change.

One further point: because you own your home, it is worth examining the parties' wider policies on rates, electricity, insurance-related costs and taxes as well. A healthcare proposal might save you money on consultations but have a different effect on your overall household budget. National, for example, has separately published policies on affordable rates and power. 2026 Election Policy2026 Election Policy

4. A practical way to make your comparison

Before deciding, I would put these five questions to each party:

  1. What will I pay for a normal GP appointment and repeat consultations?
  2. What will happen if my GP refers me to a specialist and the wait is long?
  3. Will my regular medicines be funded, and what happens if my treatment changes?
  4. What support is available if I need help at home or residential care?
  5. How will your policies affect my disposable income after essential bills?

You can check the parties' detailed positions through Policy.nz and their official policy pages linked above.

One question that would help make this comparison more useful: Which healthcare cost or access problem matters most to you personally?

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Gemini · No location

I'm retired, own my home and rely mainly on NZ Super. Rates, insurance and power bills are rising in importance for my budget, and I need regular healthcare. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on access to GPs, specialists and healthcare for older people?

For older New Zealanders relying on New Zealand Superannuation, managing fixed budgets alongside increasing living costs (like rates, power, and insurance) makes healthcare accessibility and affordability critical issues.

As the major political parties approach the 2026 general election, their approaches to primary care (GPs), specialist and hospital waitlists, and aged care reflect distinct philosophies on public funding, workforce capacity, and private sector delivery.

1. General Practitioner (GP) Access and Cost

  • Labour Party: Places healthcare affordability at the centre of its platform. Its flagship policy is the "Medicard," which provides three free GP consultations each year for everyone entitled to publicly funded healthcare (funded via a proposed capital gains tax). Labour also plans to restore universally free prescriptions and introduce a "Family Doctor Loan Scheme" to support practice ownership and grow primary care capacity.
  • Green Party: Advocates for an even broader expansion, proposing unlimited free GP visits for everyone, alongside free dental care, funded through a wealth tax. They also prioritize community care clinics in high-need areas.
  • National Party: Focuses heavily on continuity, economic management, and boosting overall primary care capacity through targeted infrastructure and workforce investments (such as prior primary care funding injections) rather than universal free visits. National has critiqued universal subsidies like Labour's Medicard as untargeted, preferring to direct resources toward clinical targets and operational capacity.
  • New Zealand First: Historically sympathetic to lowering GP costs, NZ First's primary 2026 health focus leans toward a major waitlist reduction fund and strengthening coordination across primary and community care.
  • ACT Party: Opposes broad universal free schemes, favoring a model where the government acts as a purchaser rather than a direct provider, alongside mechanisms like health savings accounts to encourage private-sector alternatives.

2. Specialists, Elective Surgery, and Waitlists

  • National Party: Emphasizes utilizing the private sector to clear public backlogs. Through initiatives like the "Elective Boost" programme and multi-year contracts with private hospitals, National aims to outsource surgeries and specialist procedures to bring down wait times for older New Zealanders needing orthopaedic or joint care.
  • Labour & The Greens: Strongly oppose extensive outsourcing to private providers. They argue that government funds should instead be injected directly into rebuilding public hospital capacity, staffing, and infrastructure, claiming private contracts siphon away vital resources and clinical staff from the public system.
  • New Zealand First: Prioritizes targeted funding to slash waiting lists and fast-track diagnostics, emphasizing a well-resourced public health service.

3. Healthcare for Older People and Aged-Care Reform

  • New Zealand First: Has identified aged-care reform as a core priority for seniors, emphasizing better coordination between primary, community, and aged-care sectors, alongside a dedicated Seniors Housing Plan to support ageing in place.
  • Grey Power / Sector Advocacy: Across party responses to older New Zealanders' advocacy groups, protecting the universal nature of NZ Superannuation is widely supported, but parties differ on how best to cushion seniors against soaring household fixed costs (like local council rates and power bills). For instance, options like rates deferral schemes or targeted cost-of-living adjustments are championed by minor parties, while major parties debate the fiscal balance of broader tax and economic settings.
Ask Gemini

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Google AI Mode · No location

I'm retired, own my home and rely mainly on NZ Super. Rates, insurance and power bills are rising in importance for my budget, and I need regular healthcare. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on access to GPs, specialists and healthcare for older people?

For a retired New Zealander living mainly on NZ Super, navigating healthcare costs and access—alongside pressures like rates, insurance, and power—is a central consideration.

As the 2026 general election unfolds, political parties offer distinct approaches to primary care, specialist access, and support for older people. Below is an overview of how the major and minor parties generally compare on these key healthcare issues:

1. Access and Cost of General Practitioners (GPs)

Primary care affordability is a major point of contrast between the political blocs:

  • Labour: Proposes a flagship "Medicard" policy providing three free GP consultations per year for every person entitled to publicly funded healthcare. To combat workforce shortages and clinic capacity, they have also proposed a Family Doctor Loan Scheme to support doctors entering practice ownership.

  • Green Party: Advocates moving toward a fully free public primary healthcare system, which includes the complete removal of all GP visit and prescription charges. [greypowermag.co.nz]

  • National and Current Governing Parties: Focus on maximizing existing funding and expanding the scope of practice in primary care—such as enabling pharmacists and physician associates to take on more routine work—rather than universal free visits. They emphasize building overall workforce numbers (doctors and nurses) and increasing overall delivery within the system.

  • Te Pāti Māori / The Opportunities Party (TOP): Generally support increased direct investment into community and primary care, with TOP advocating for a long-term, stable 10-year cross-party health plan to prioritize primary and preventative access. [greypowermag.co.nz]

2. Specialists, Elective Surgery, and Hospitals

Access to secondary care (hospital specialists and waiting lists) sees a division over funding models versus capacity building:

  • National: Highlights a focus on reducing waitlists by increasing funding for elective surgeries, expanding cancer screening programs, and directing resources into frontline hospital and specialist capacity.

  • Labour and the Left Bloc: Generally argue that waitlists and specialist access are symptoms of underfunded public infrastructure, pushing for increased direct public funding and workforce retention in regional and main hospitals rather than relying on contracted private providers.

  • New Zealand First: Emphasizes better administrative and clinical coordination between primary, community, and aged care sectors to prevent secondary hospital systems from becoming overloaded ("revolving door" admissions). [greypowermag.co.nz]

3. Healthcare and Support for Older People (Aged Care & Dementia)

  • Green Party: Has specific commitments targeting older demographics, such as fully implementing the national Dementia Mate Wareware Action Plan over a five-year period. They also propose structural living support (like state-owned, not-for-profit retirement villages and insulation/solar support) to help reduce everyday household and energy bills.

  • New Zealand First: Places a strong emphasis on aged-care sector reform and improving the sustainability and integration of aged residential care with community health services.

  • National and Government Parties: Point to incremental funding adjustments for Aged Residential Care (ARC) providers—such as regular funding uplifts—and broader cost-of-living and fixed-income support mechanisms like expanded rates rebates and adjustments to the Accommodation Supplement to assist seniors with housing and associated fixed costs. [greypowermag.co.nz]

Tip: You can review detailed, non-partisan breakdowns of individual party manifestos as they are fully released on platforms like Policy.nz.

Ask anything

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AI Overviews · No location

I'm retired, own my home and rely mainly on NZ Super. Rates, insurance and power bills are rising in importance for my budget, and I need regular healthcare. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on access to GPs, specialists and healthcare for older people?

AI Overview

As you weigh your options for the 2026 New Zealand general election , health care and living costs are central themes across the major parties' platforms. For retirees on a fixed income like NZ Super, the political parties offer distinctly different visions for managing GP access, specialist wait times, and senior health support.

The main political parties compare across your key areas of concern as follows:

🩺 Access to GPs & Primary Care

  • Labour: Is campaigning on its flagship Medicard proposal, which would grant every New Zealander three free GP visits per year. They have also pledged to eliminate the $5 prescription co-payment entirely by July 2027 and introduced a Family Doctor Loan Scheme to keep GPs practicing in local communities.

  • National: Focuses on expanding the workforce and primary sector capacity rather than universal free visits (which they critiqued as untargeted). They have increased funding to primary care capitation to favor higher-needs clinics, backed a new third medical school at the University of Waikato to train more GPs, and expanded nationwide telehealth infrastructure. They maintain free prescriptions for SuperGold Card holders.

  • Greens: Propose moving toward a completely free public primary healthcare system , which includes unlimited free GP visits and universal free dental care funded by a wealth tax.

  • ACT: Prefers a "government-as-purchaser" model. They previously proposed an incentive (up to $6,000) for New Zealanders who choose to opt out of the public health system entirely and purchase private health insurance.

  • NZ First: Promotes a "Make NZ Healthy" framework centering on preventative care to keep people out of clinics, alongside historic alignment with lowering primary care costs.

🏛️ Specialist Care & Hospital Waitlists

  • National & NZ First (Coalition): The current government emphasizes health targets and reducing waitlists. NZ First highlighted their $925 million waitlist reduction fund, while National focuses on using both public and private hospital capacity to clear backlogs and funding a larger volume of specialized cancer treatments and medicines via Pharmac.

  • Labour: Argues that the health system has become overstretched under the current government. They pledge to end hiring freezes at Health New Zealand to bring on more essential medical specialists, while offering a graduate nurse job guarantee to bolster hospital frontline staff.

  • Greens & Te Pāti Māori: Focus heavily on systemic public expansions. The Greens advocate for earlier specialist diagnosis protocols, whereas Te Pāti Māori supports a dedicated Māori Health Card linking funding directly to patients and scaling up Māori-led healthcare solutions.

🧓 Healthcare & Support for Older People

  • Aged Care Transfer & Strategy: National has streamlined the administrative pipeline making it easier to transfer elderly patients from hospitals to aged care facilities , which they argue ensures better community care for seniors while freeing up acute hospital beds.

  • Dementia & Aged Care Support: The Green Party has committed to fully funding and implementing the national Dementia Mate Wareware Action Plan over five years and has campaigned heavily for safer staffing conditions and pay parity for care workers to secure the future of the aged care workforce.

  • Aged Care Frameworks: The Opportunities Party (TOP) has advocated for a 10-year cross-party health plan to stabilize funding so older New Zealanders can confidently age in place within their own homes.

Direct Policy Comparison

Party GP Cost & Access Specialist & Waitlist Strategy Senior Health & Aged Care Focus
National Telehealth expansion; Waikato medical school; Free prescriptions via SuperGold. Targets public/private capacity to clear surgeries; Boosts funded cancer medicines. Smooths hospital-to-aged-care transfers.
Labour 3 free GP visits (Medicard); Free prescriptions for all; Clinic technology upgrades. Ends Health NZ hiring freezes to recruit specialists. Care worker pay adjustments.
Greens Unlimited free GP visits & dental care. Earlier diagnostic screening focus. Full funding for the Dementia Action Plan.
ACT Tax/financial incentives to opt into private insurance. Outsource-driven purchaser model. Focuses on broader fiscal spending reduction.
NZ First Prevention-led health initiatives. $925M waitlist reduction fund. Broad preventative care framework.

If you want to look deeper into a specific area to help you decide, let me know:

  • Would you like more detail on how the parties plan to address the broader cost-of-living (like local council rates rebates or power bill caps)?

  • Are you interested in the specifics of Pharmac funding and medicine access under the different political platforms?

Ask anything

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