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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.

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For the 2026 New Zealand general election: What are parties offering on job creation, wages, retraining and employment rights?

New Zealand 2026 election: Jobs, wages and workers’ rights

For the 2026 New Zealand general election, the key questions are what parties propose to do about creating jobs, lifting pay, helping people retrain and changing employment laws.

It helps to compare four distinct areas:

  • Job creation: business investment, infrastructure, public-sector employment and support for hiring.
  • Wages and living standards: minimum wage, collective bargaining, pay equity and the cost of living.
  • Retraining: apprenticeships, vocational education, skills shortages and support for workers changing careers.
  • Employment rights: sick leave, holidays, dismissal protections, union rights, contractor status and workplace safety.

One important distinction: a party’s announced policy, an existing government measure and a proposal that has actually become law are not the same thing. The comparison should separate those carefully.

1. Job creation and employment

National

National’s approach centres on private-sector growth, investment and infrastructure, with less regulation for businesses. Its September 2026 economic plan highlights trade, tourism, construction and investment in infrastructure. It also proposes more intensive employment support for 30,000 jobseekers who have been on a benefit for over a year. National’s Economic Plan backs Kiwis to get aheadA firm, fair and affordable welfare system

Approach: grow the economy and help people move into existing vacancies, alongside stronger benefit obligations.

Labour

Labour’s Start Work Now plan proposes bringing forward essential construction and repair work: improving more than 2,000 schools, repairing hospital buildings and building more social housing. It says the work could begin within a year of taking office and create jobs for local firms and tradespeople. Start Work Now

Approach: create work directly through public investment and construction, with local businesses and apprentices benefiting.

Green Party

The Greens announced on 11 October a Jobs for Young People guarantee: a pathway into local community work for every 16–24-year-old who has been out of work for six months. Proposed work includes infrastructure maintenance, environmental restoration and community services. Greens announce jobs guarantee for young people

Approach: government-supported jobs for people who cannot find work through the ordinary labour market.

ACT

ACT emphasises business investment, productivity and reducing compliance costs. Its September small-business package proposes changes to employment rules and tax treatment of digital investment, alongside a freeze in the adult minimum wage for three years. ACT New ZealandACT New Zealand

Approach: encourage employers to hire by reducing the cost and risk of employing people.

New Zealand First

The party emphasises opportunities for young New Zealanders, trades training and limits on immigration. Its 2026 Budget announcements include funding to double Trades Academy places and add 1,000 Youth Guarantee places for young people with low or no qualifications. Budget 2026: Common sense wins for NZ FirstNZ First Announces Immigration Reform Policies

Approach: develop local skills and give New Zealanders greater access to job opportunities.

2. Wages and take-home pay

The parties differ on whether wage growth should be driven primarily by productivity and employers, or supported through minimum-wage increases and collective bargaining.

Party Main position in the 2026 campaign
National Focuses on economic growth, investment and keeping taxes down. It has also committed to gradually increasing KiwiSaver contributions to 6% each for employers and employees by 2032, and making KiwiSaver compulsory for workers from July 2028. National to further boost Kiwis’ financial securityNational’s Economic Plan backs Kiwis to get ahead
Labour Has pledged to restore pay-equity legislation and give care and support workers an immediate $4-per-hour pay increase. It also supports restoring Fair Pay Agreements, which set minimum terms across industries. Labour's Fiscal Plan 2026Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU
Greens Support Fair Pay Agreements and stronger collective bargaining. Their approach includes using public policy to improve pay and employment conditions, alongside a proposed youth jobs guarantee. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTUGreens announce jobs guarantee for young people
ACT Proposes freezing the adult minimum wage for three years, arguing that mandated increases can outpace productivity and discourage hiring. It also proposes a lower training wage for workers under 20 during their first 12 months with an employer. ACT New Zealand
New Zealand First Has pledged to increase the minimum wage annually in line with inflation and make a temporary increase in the Working for Families in-work tax credit permanent, raising it by $70 per week from the existing temporary boosted level. NZ First vows to permanently raise Working for Families payments

A useful distinction: a higher minimum wage sets a legal pay floor; Fair Pay Agreements would allow industry-wide minimum pay and conditions; KiwiSaver changes affect retirement savings rather than immediate take-home pay. Tax credits can increase a family's disposable income without changing its hourly wage.

3. Retraining, apprenticeships and getting into work

Party What it is offering
National More trades training, plus intensive employment assistance for 30,000 long-term jobseekers. Its welfare policy also proposes random drug testing for jobseekers as part of work-readiness planning and stronger requirements for some long-term beneficiaries. National’s Economic Plan backs Kiwis to get aheadA firm, fair and affordable welfare system
Labour Extend Apprenticeship Boost and provide nearly 30,000 apprentices with $1,000 towards tools and equipment. It has also announced $21 million a year for Māori-led trades training through marae, iwi trusts and Māori training providers. Start Work NowLabour pledges $21m for Māori-led trades training
Greens Link employment support to community jobs, environmental restoration and infrastructure work. The proposed youth jobs guarantee would give eligible young people a practical route into work. Greens announce jobs guarantee for young people
ACT Use a lower training wage for younger, inexperienced workers to encourage employers to offer entry-level jobs. Its wider strategy is to encourage private-sector hiring and investment. ACT New Zealand
New Zealand First Expand Trades Academy and Youth Guarantee opportunities, including additional places for secondary-school students and young people with low or no qualifications. Budget 2026: Common sense wins for NZ First

The main difference is what parties see as the barrier to employment: a lack of available jobs, insufficient skills and training, or the cost and risk businesses face when hiring.

4. Employment rights and workplace conditions

This is where the differences are particularly concrete. The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) published an election scorecard on 2 October, updated on 9 October, covering several significant employment-law questions. National and ACT declined to answer the union's questionnaire, so the NZCTU recorded their positions based on public statements and legislative history. The scorecard reflects the union's perspective, rather than an independent assessment of each party. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTUPolicy scorecards for working people NZCTU

Fair Pay Agreements

Industry-wide minimum pay and conditions

  • Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori: support restoring Fair Pay Agreements.
  • National and ACT: oppose restoring them; the National-led government repealed the legislation in 2023.
  • New Zealand First: does not support restoring them, according to the NZCTU scorecard. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU

90-day employment trials

Protection against dismissal during an initial trial

  • Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori: support abolishing 90-day trials.
  • National and ACT: support retaining them; the current framework was extended to businesses of all sizes under the National-led government.
  • New Zealand First: opposes abolishing them, according to the scorecard. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU

Dismissal protections and contractor status

Personal grievances and access to employee rights

  • Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori: support reversing the 2026 employment-law changes covered by the scorecard, including changes to personal grievances and the classification of contractors.
  • National and ACT: support the current direction of reform.
  • New Zealand First: opposes reversing these changes, according to the NZCTU scorecard. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU

Union membership and collective bargaining

How workers organise and negotiate together

  • Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori: support an opt-out default for union membership, under which new employees would generally be enrolled unless they opt out.
  • National and ACT: oppose that change.
  • New Zealand First: opposes it, according to the scorecard. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU

Holidays, sick leave and workplace safety

Leave entitlements and health and safety rules

  • Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori: support repealing the 2026 Employment Leave Act and the 2026 Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act.
  • National and ACT: support the current legislation.
  • New Zealand First: opposes repealing the Employment Leave Act and has no stated position on repealing the health and safety amendments in the scorecard. Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU

These differences have practical implications. For example, Fair Pay Agreements concern the minimum conditions that can be negotiated across an industry, while personal-grievance rules affect what options an employee has when they believe they have been unjustifiably dismissed.

For further detail, see the NZCTU's 2026 election scorecards.

5. What to compare if you are deciding which policies matter most

The following questions can help you examine the parties' proposals against your own circumstances without relying on campaign slogans.

Sources and keeping the comparison current

Election policies can change during the campaign. These sources are useful for checking the original announcements and comparing further proposals:

The election is scheduled for Saturday, 7 November 2026, according to Policy.nz. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

The central question across all four areas is how each party proposes to turn its employment strategy into outcomes: more jobs, better pay, skills that lead to employment, and working conditions that people can rely on. The policies above set out different approaches; their actual effects will depend on implementation, funding and economic conditions.

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For the 2026 New Zealand general election: What are parties offering on job creation, wages, retraining and employment rights?

For the 2026 New Zealand general election, political parties have drawn distinct lines around economic management, the future of work, and workplace rights. The major platforms reflect a sharp contrast between right-of-centre parties emphasizing business cost-containment and flexibility, and left-of-centre/centrist parties focusing on income support, collective bargaining, and workforce protections.

1. Job Creation & Economic Growth

  • National & Right-of-Centre Parties: Focus heavily on creating an environment conducive to business growth by easing regulatory burdens, reducing compliance costs for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), and supporting infrastructure investment to stimulate private-sector employment.
  • Labour & Left-of-Centre Parties: Emphasize targeted public investment, job-readiness programmes, and industry-specific support (such as health and construction workforce development) to create "good jobs that pay enough to get ahead".

2. Wages & Income Support

  • New Zealand First: Campaigned on cost-of-living and wage security, including guaranteeing annual minimum wage increases that keep pace with inflation and boosting support for working families via adjustments to the in-work tax credit.
  • ACT: Proposed a three-year freeze on the adult minimum wage (currently set at $23.95/hour) and the introduction of a lower "Training Wage" (60% of the minimum wage) for workers under 20 during their first 12 months of employment to encourage youth hiring.
  • Labour: Focuses on uplifting baseline living standards through fair wages, pay transparency initiatives, and countering cost-of-living pressures.

3. Retraining & Workforce Skills

  • Health and Sector-Specific Training: Parties across the spectrum have targeted workforce shortages, particularly in health and education. Proposals include increasing training slots for mental health professionals, nurses, and allied health staff, alongside funding targeted upskilling initiatives.
  • Age and Inclusivity Incentives: Minor parties and the Greens have advocated for specific measures to incentivise employers to hire, retain, and retrain older workers or those facing structural displacement due to automation and economic shifts.

4. Employment Rights & Industrial Relations

The debate over employment law heavily centres on the changes enacted earlier in the parliamentary term (such as the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2026, which altered personal grievance thresholds, high-income dismissal exemptions, and contractor gateways):

  • Labour & Progressive Parties: Have committed to unwinding recent changes that limit employee access to personal grievance remedies. They signal an intent to restore stronger employee protections, reintroduce mechanisms resembling Fair Pay Agreements for low-wage sectors, and support default union membership arrangements (opt-out models).
  • National, ACT & Coalition Partners: Support flexible contracting frameworks, trial periods, and threshold protections for high-earning employees, arguing that reducing legal friction and personal grievance risks for employers is vital for boosting confidence and hiring.

Are you interested in how a specific party's economic or taxation policies compare alongside these employment changes?

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For the 2026 New Zealand general election: What are parties offering on job creation, wages, retraining and employment rights?

As New Zealand heads toward the general election on November 7, 2026, parties have laid out distinct platforms regarding employment, job creation, wage adjustments, skills training, and workforce rights. Against a backdrop of rising unemployment rates and broader economic pressures, the major political parties approach these issues through differing economic philosophies.

1. Job Creation

  • Green Party: The Greens have proposed a targeted job creation and guarantee scheme. According to RNZ, the party pledges to cover the wages of all New Zealanders aged 16 to 24 who have been out of work for six months or more via a pilot program called Jobs for Young People. They also advocate for ecosystem regeneration and climate-focused public employment initiatives similar to previous conservation work schemes. Additionally, they advocate guaranteeing jobs for NZ-trained graduate nurses.
  • Other Parties / Coalition Context: While the incumbent coalition parties emphasize private sector growth, deregulation, and infrastructure investment to stimulate employment rather than direct state job creation, minor and opposition parties diverge on public sector retrenchment versus targeted stimulus.

2. Wages and Incomes

  • ACT Party: ACT advocates for a three-year freeze on the adult minimum wage to lower business costs and stimulate hiring, alongside introducing a training wage set at 60% of the minimum wage for young workers during their initial months.
  • New Zealand First: NZ First takes a contrasting position on baseline pay, with leader Winston Peters pledging to adjust and increase the minimum wage by at least the rate of inflation to protect low-income workers from cost-of-living increases. They also propose expanding in-work tax credits for lower-income families. [RNZ]
  • Labour Party and the Greens: Centre-left parties generally support raising the minimum wage in line with living costs and have heavily emphasized closing gender and sector pay gaps, pointing to outstanding pay equity claims (such as for care and support workers) as an urgent priority requiring direct government funding allocations.

3. Retraining and Skills

  • Parties across the spectrum tie retraining to regional economic development, transitions in manufacturing/agriculture, and public health or education sectors. While right-of-centre parties like ACT emphasize apprenticeship support through private and workplace-based models with lower regulatory overhead, left-of-centre parties advocate for expanded state-backed polytechnic and vocational training funding (such as through Te Pūkenga or targeted industry-based upskilling packages) to handle displacement from public sector and major industry layoffs.

4. Employment Rights and Workplace Rules

  • ACT Party & National-Led Regulatory Approach: The current legislative environment—influenced by ACT and coalition policies—has focused on streamlining compliance for businesses. ACT and aligned groups support measures that shorten personal grievance lodging windows (e.g., reducing the timeframe to submit non-sexual harassment personal grievances to the Employment Relations Authority) to reduce legal risk for employers. They also support making payroll deductions for union fees strictly voluntary rather than default employer-facilitated arrangements. [apex.org.nz]
  • Labour and the Green Party (supported by the NZCTU): Conversely, the Labour Party, Greens, and union movements (such as the NZ Council of Trade Unions) oppose reducing personal grievance timeframes or weakening collective bargaining frameworks. They campaign on strengthening protections against unjustified dismissal, reinforcing fair pay agreements or sector-based bargaining, and safeguarding the role of unions in the workplace.
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