New Zealand 2026 election: trade access and agricultural exports

For a farming business outside a main centre, the key question is not simply which party promises more exports. It is how each party proposes to protect access to overseas markets, keep production costs manageable, meet environmental requirements and sustain the rural communities and services your farm depends on.

New Zealand's general election is scheduled for Saturday 7 November 2026. Parties have begun publishing their election policies, so it is important to distinguish specific, announced commitments from broader aspirations. Candidate and party lists releasedElection policy tracker: what the parties are promisingNew Zealand election scheduled for Nov. 7 with the costs of living and housing the top issues

The main differences at a glance

The following is a comparison of documented policies from the major parties, focusing on the issues most relevant to a farming operation.

Party	Trade access and export growth	Implications for farming
National	New trade agreements, more export markets, streamlined customs and targeted trade missions.	Emphasis on growing export revenue and reducing trade barriers. New Zealand's Next Billion Customers
Labour	Supports expanding free-trade opportunities and developing productive, higher-value industries.	Consider its approach to agritech, export development and the compliance costs associated with environmental policy. Release: Hipkins sets out plan to grow NZ economyLabour's 2026 Election Policies
ACT	Focuses on reducing regulatory costs and protecting New Zealand producers from climate-policy costs not faced by overseas competitors.	Proposes less farm red tape, no agricultural emissions pricing and more flexible rural workforce arrangements. ACT New ZealandACT New ZealandACT New Zealand
New Zealand First	Emphasises retaining more value from primary production within New Zealand, including investment in domestic dairy processing.	Proposes expanded opportunities for independent dairy processors and measures to strengthen local food producers' bargaining position. Winston Peters: “Adding Real Export Value – Use It or Lose It”NZ First Campaign Policy Announcement: NZ First Will Break Up the Supermarket Duopoly, Bring Food Prices Down for Kiwis
Green Party	Its broader economic approach prioritises environmental sustainability and a transition to a greener economy.	Its agricultural and climate policies are particularly relevant when weighing environmental obligations against export production costs. Manifesto 2026Complete Party Policy

These are different policy approaches, not a ranking of parties. In particular, trade access and domestic farm regulation are two separate issues: a party can support free-trade agreements while proposing substantial changes to the environmental rules governing production.

What each approach means for your farm

1. National: new markets and greater production capacity

National's current trade policy proposes negotiations with seven additional economies over five years, at least 23 trade missions over the next parliamentary term, more digital customs processes, and a renewed commitment to doubling export value by 2034. New Zealand's Next Billion Customers

Its separate agricultural policy addresses costs and production capacity more directly. It proposes:

• $300 million in concessional loans for water-storage projects.
• Easier consenting for lower-risk on-farm water storage and irrigation.
• A long-term water infrastructure pipeline developed with farmers, councils and iwi.
• Fertiliser security agreements with supplier countries.
• A $10 million Critical Agri Inputs Fund for fertiliser production, processing, storage and distribution. Securing water and fertiliser to back NZ farmers

What to examine: whether new trade agreements deliver meaningful improvements for your particular products, and whether your farm could access the proposed water and input-security measures.

2. Labour: export opportunities alongside climate and market reforms

Labour has confirmed that it will support the New Zealand–India free-trade agreement, while criticising aspects of its investment commitments and calling for careful implementation. Its stated position is that the agreement offers tariff reductions and greater market access, but businesses should understand the risks. Release: Labour to support India free trade agreement

Labour also proposes reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Its September 2026 announcement commits to reviewing the scheme, reconsidering forestry incentives, pausing new forestry registrations while the review is completed, and developing rules to prevent whole-farm conversions. Labour says it wants emissions reductions and a stronger sustainability reputation for New Zealand exporters. Release: Labour to accelerate climate action

What to examine: how changes to emissions policy and forestry incentives would affect your farm's costs, land-use options and ability to demonstrate environmental performance to overseas customers.

3. ACT: reducing regulatory and climate-policy costs

ACT's published farming programme proposes initial national standards for ten routine farming activities, including farm plans, fertiliser application, effluent management, on-farm water storage and drain maintenance. It argues that consistent rules and less reliance on consenting would reduce costs and uncertainty. ACT New ZealandACT New Zealand

ACT also proposes keeping agriculture outside the ETS, opposing agricultural emissions pricing, repealing the Zero Carbon Act and linking New Zealand's emissions cap to the actions of major trading partners. Its argument is that New Zealand producers should not face costs that competing overseas producers avoid. ACT New Zealand

Its rural workforce policy also proposes a dedicated Rural Workforce Visa to give farms and other rural businesses a more predictable source of workers. ACT New Zealand

What to examine: whether reduced consenting and emissions-related costs would materially help your operation, and how the proposed changes would interact with environmental requirements in your export markets.

4. New Zealand First: keeping more value from primary production

New Zealand First has proposed a “Use It or Lose It” dairy policy designed to encourage investment in value-added dairy manufacturing within New Zealand.

Under the proposal, qualifying independent processors could access up to 500 million litres of Fonterra milk annually during the first six years, with access tapering over the following four years. The intention is to encourage domestic processing, product development, jobs and export value. The proposal would be advanced through the existing review of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act, with a report due in 2027. 'Use It or Lose It' dairy policy

The party has also proposed breaking up Foodstuffs into two nationwide cooperatives and strengthening competition rules to improve suppliers' bargaining position. That policy is principally about the domestic grocery market, rather than access to overseas markets. NZ First Campaign Policy Announcement: NZ First Will Break Up the Supermarket Duopoly, Bring Food Prices Down for Kiwis

What to examine: whether you sell milk into a processing system that could be affected by the proposed changes, and whether more domestic processing capacity would improve your options for selling higher-value products.

5. Green Party: sustainability, environmental protection and food production

The Greens' 2026 manifesto places environmental protection, freshwater health and sustainable food, fibre and forestry production at the centre of its agricultural approach. It argues that healthy ecosystems and viable rural communities are necessary for long-term food production. Manifesto 2026Complete Party Policy

The party has also announced a publicly owned supermarket chain, KiwiMart, as part of its domestic food-affordability policy. That is a proposal about competition and food access within New Zealand, not a new overseas trade agreement. Greens launch plan to break up the supermarket duopoly and bring down the price of food

What to examine: the specific agricultural, freshwater and climate rules in the manifesto, including their likely compliance requirements for your farm, alongside any opportunities associated with producing to high environmental standards.

What about protecting access to overseas markets?

For an exporting farm, signing a free-trade agreement is only part of the job. Four issues are worth comparing across party policies.

• Tariffs and quotas: Will the policy improve the terms under which your particular products enter markets such as China, the EU, India or the UK?
• Non-tariff barriers: How will the government address sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, certification, traceability and other rules that can restrict agricultural exports?
• Input costs: What is proposed for fertiliser, energy, water, transport and farm labour? These costs influence your ability to compete on export prices.
• Environmental market access: Will your farm be able to meet the sustainability and emissions requirements demanded by buyers, and what will compliance cost?

New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade also identifies the relationship between trade, environmental protection and climate policy as an important part of trade policy. Trade, Environment and Climate Change Framework and the Trade and Labour Frameworks | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

A practical checklist for comparing party policies

You could use these questions when reading manifestos or speaking to candidates.

My farming priorities

0 of 6 reviewed

Specific trade agreements or market-access improvements for my main products

Farm compliance costs, freshwater rules and consenting requirements

ETS, agricultural emissions and forestry incentives

Fertiliser, water security, fuel and other operating inputs

Rural health care, roads, connectivity and workforce availability

Funding, eligibility and implementation dates for announced policies

Copy checklist

For rural services, also look beyond agricultural policy. A party's commitments on rural health care, transport infrastructure, telecommunications and workforce training may affect your household and the long-term viability of your farm even if they are not explicitly described as export policies.

Where to check the full policies

• National — trade policy
• National — water and fertiliser security
• Labour — 2026 policies
• ACT — farming policy
• New Zealand First — dairy policy
• Green Party — 2026 manifesto
• Policy.nz — 2026 party policy comparison

One useful distinction when assessing promises: a proposed policy is not the same as a funded programme already operating, and an announced trade negotiation is not a completed agreement.

To make the comparison more relevant to your situation, what type of farming do you primarily run — dairy, sheep and beef, arable, horticulture, or a mixed farm? The export markets, environmental obligations and operating costs differ substantially between these sectors.