New Zealand election 2026: graduate jobs and part-time workers

The key question for you is how parties would help you earn enough to live on while studying, protect you at work, and find a job after graduation — without making your student debt harder to manage.

New Zealand's general election is scheduled for Saturday 7 November 2026. As of 11 October, parties are still announcing policies, so this is a snapshot of their published proposals rather than a final list of everything they might promise. 2026 Election Q&AElection policy tracker: what the parties are promising

I'll focus on National, Labour, the Greens, ACT, New Zealand First and Te Pāti Māori, the six parties covered in a recent student-focused election guide.

1. What parties are proposing on graduate jobs

The main distinction is between guaranteeing particular jobs, creating employment through public investment, and relying on private-sector growth to generate opportunities.

Green Party

The Greens announced a jobs guarantee for 16–24-year-olds on 11 October. Young people who have been unemployed for six months would have a pathway into a job in their local community, including work maintaining infrastructure, restoring nature and supporting community services. This is a targeted youth-employment policy, not a guarantee of a graduate job for everyone. Greens announce jobs guarantee for young people

Labour

Labour has proposed a graduate nurse job guarantee: every eligible New Zealand-trained graduate nurse would be offered a job in the health system from 2027. Its broader Start Work Now policy would support construction and infrastructure work, including homes, schools and hospitals, alongside support for nearly 30,000 apprentices. These are specific pathways into work, rather than a universal guarantee for university graduates. Labour's 2026 Election PoliciesElection policy tracker: what the parties are promising

National

National's graduate-focused proposal is to reduce compulsory student-loan repayments for New Zealand-based borrowers from 12% to 10% of income above the repayment threshold, starting 1 April 2027. Its wider economic approach emphasises business investment and economic growth as ways to create jobs. The loan change would help with take-home pay once you earn above the threshold; it does not itself secure a job. Back Pocket Boost for GraduatesWhich Party Should I Vote For? Your Guide to the 2026 Election

ACT

ACT's broader approach emphasises private-sector growth, less regulation and a smaller role for government. Its argument is that businesses operating with fewer constraints can create more employment and improve wages. That is different from a publicly funded jobs guarantee: it relies on employers creating suitable openings. Which Party Should I Vote For? Your Guide to the 2026 ElectionElection policy tracker: what the parties are promising

New Zealand First

NZ First emphasises protecting employment in New Zealand and prioritising local workers where possible, including through its approach to immigration. This is a broader jobs-and-industry position rather than a specific, universal graduate employment guarantee. Which Party Should I Vote For? Your Guide to the 2026 Election

Te Pāti Māori

Its broader approach includes economic support for Māori and greater emphasis on public investment, housing and community wellbeing. The student-focused policy comparison identifies no equivalent universal graduate-job guarantee in its published summary. Check its latest announcements for any newer, sector-specific proposals. Which Party Should I Vote For? Your Guide to the 2026 ElectionElection policy tracker: what the parties are promising

2. What parties propose for part-time workers' rights

This is particularly relevant if your shifts change around classes, exams or assignment deadlines. The key issues are minimum pay, sick leave and holidays, job security, and whether you can challenge unfair treatment.

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) published a set of election policy comparisons on 2 October, updated 9 October. It asked parties about 90-day trials, Fair Pay Agreements, leave entitlements, contractor status and access to unions. National and ACT did not answer the questionnaire, so the NZCTU based its entries for those parties on their public statements and legislative records. The NZCTU is a union organisation, so its explanations of the effects of policies should be read as its assessment, alongside the underlying law and party positions. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU

The main differences

Workplace issue	Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori	National and ACT	New Zealand First
90-day trial periods	Support abolishing them	Support retaining them	Opposes abolishing them
Fair Pay Agreements — sector-wide minimum terms negotiated between employers and unions	Support restoring them	Oppose restoring them	Opposes restoring them
Personal grievance protections for employees challenging unfair treatment or dismissal	Support reversing the 2026 changes	Have supported the 2026 changes	Opposes reversing the changes
Contractor classification	Support reversing the 2026 changes to restore workers' ability to challenge their status	Have supported the new contractor test	Opposes reversing the changes
Holidays and sick leave	Support repealing the 2026 Employment Leave Act before it takes effect	Support the new law	Opposes repealing it

Source: NZCTU's 2026 election scorecards. These are positions on the specific questions it asked, not a complete assessment of every party's employment policies. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU

What these differences could mean for you

• If you are new to a job: a 90-day trial can affect your ability to bring an unjustified-dismissal claim. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori propose abolishing these trials; National and ACT support retaining them.
• If you work in a low-paid industry: restoring Fair Pay Agreements could allow pay and conditions to be negotiated across a sector, rather than workplace by workplace. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori support restoration.
• If you work casual shifts or through an app: employment status matters. Employees and independent contractors do not have the same entitlements, and the parties disagree about the legal test for deciding which category a worker belongs to.
• If you depend on paid leave: the parties disagree over the Employment Leave Act 2026, which is due to replace the Holidays Act framework in August 2028. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori want it repealed before it takes effect; National, ACT and NZ First do not support that repeal. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTUEmployment Relations Act changes take effect todayWorkers will be worse off under new Leave Bill, Labour and Greens say

These are proposals and positions on law changes, not a guarantee that any party would get its preferred legislation passed. Coalition negotiations and parliamentary votes matter too.

3. What about your budget while you're still studying?

Graduate policies matter, but you need to get through your degree first. Three other proposals could be relevant to your situation.

Greens — direct student support

The Greens propose restoring Fees Free, extending the Winter Energy Payment to tertiary students and working towards debt-free tertiary education. These proposals target study and living costs, rather than only helping once you graduate. Which Party Should I Vote For? Your Guide to the 2026 Election

Labour — transport and student debt

Labour proposes a weekly cap on eligible public transport fares of $10 outside Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and $20 in those three cities, from July 2027. It also proposes cutting eligible student-loan balances by 10%, with loans under $2,000 written off completely. Eligibility conditions apply, so check the detailed policy before counting on either benefit. Labour's 2026 Election Policies

ACT — lower compulsory campus fees

ACT proposes making compulsory Student Services Fees voluntary, so students could choose which services to pay for. This could reduce your costs, depending on the fees at your institution and which services you use. It is a proposal about tertiary fees, not employment rights. Which Party Should I Vote For? Your Guide to the 2026 Election

4. What are your rights as a part-time employee right now?

Whatever party you vote for, you do not need to wait for the election to understand your current entitlements.

According to Employment New Zealand, part-time employees can qualify for the same core employment protections as full-time employees. For example:

• Minimum wage: you must receive at least the applicable minimum wage for each hour worked, subject to the relevant legal rules.
• Paid sick leave: eligible employees receive 10 days per year after meeting the qualifying service requirements. The entitlement applies to part-time workers too; it is not automatically reduced because you work fewer days.
• Written employment agreement: employees must have a written employment agreement.
• Employee versus contractor: this distinction affects entitlements such as annual holidays and sick leave. New contractor-classification rules took effect on 21 February 2026. Taking sick leaveEmployee or contractor?

Useful official resource: Employment New Zealand — employee rights and entitlements.

5. How to compare the parties for your own circumstances

Rather than trying to find one party that agrees with you on everything, consider these questions:

Your priority	Policy details to check
Keeping up with rent and bills now	Student support, tax on part-time earnings, transport costs and energy assistance
Having enough time to study	Whether employers must provide more predictable hours or stronger protections against insecure work
Being treated fairly at work	Trial periods, sick leave, holiday pay, contractor status and personal grievance rights
Finding work after your degree	Graduate job guarantees, apprenticeships, public-sector recruitment and private-sector job creation
Managing your student loan	Repayment thresholds, repayment rates and any proposed debt reductions

One important distinction: a party can support creating more jobs without promising that a job will be available in your field. Likewise, stronger legal protections do not necessarily mean that you will be offered fewer or more shifts. Those are related but separate questions.

For a fuller comparison, you can consult the 2026 election policy tracker from The Conversation and the NZCTU's workplace policy scorecards.

One question that would help narrow this down: What kind of work are you doing part-time, and what are you studying? That would help distinguish policies relevant to your current job from those relevant to your likely graduate career, without assuming which party you should vote for.