Every question, every answer, every source

If your main question is “which parties would most directly reduce my weekly food and transport costs while I’m studying and working part-time?”, there is a fairly clear policy divide in the 2026 campaign.

The election is 7 November 2026, and because you're a student renting and relying partly on a student loan, I’d look at three things separately: groceries, getting to study/work, and whether your income/student debt changes. Reuters

At a glance

Party	Food/groceries	Transport	Particularly relevant to a student
Labour	Strong competition rules; ban price-gouging on essentials	$20/week cap in Auckland/Wellington/Christchurch, $10 elsewhere; freeze fuel-tax increases for 3 years	10% student-loan reduction under eligibility rules
Greens	Most interventionist: publicly owned KiwiMart, price controls, food grants/community food funding	Free bus/train travel for students; $2 cap for most others	Free public transport is especially significant; broader tertiary support
National	Separate New World and PAK'nSAVE to increase competition	Emphasis on roads/infrastructure; no equivalent nationwide fare cap	Graduate “Back Pocket Boost”; no new taxes
NZ First	Break up Foodstuffs and the supermarket duopoly; stronger Commerce Commission powers	More focused on transport infrastructure/fuel affordability than cheap public-transport fares	Less directly targeted at students
ACT	Competition/free-market approach rather than direct grocery subsidies	Roads, cheaper vehicle supply and infrastructure; no comparable student fare subsidy	Would make compulsory student-services fees voluntary

Labour: probably the biggest direct saving on ordinary weekly expenses

For someone who uses buses or trains regularly, Labour has one of the clearest measurable offers. From 1 July 2027 it proposes a weekly public-transport cap of $20 in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and $10 everywhere else. Once you hit the cap, eligible additional trips that week would be free. Labour estimates an average saving of about $25 a week, although your actual saving would depend heavily on where and how much you travel. Labour Party

It would also freeze fuel excise tax for three years and introduce measures against fuel companies overcharging customers. That's more useful if you drive rather than rely on public transport. Labour Party

On food, Labour proposes:

• Making price-gouging on essentials, including groceries, illegal.
• Giving the Commerce Commission stronger enforcement powers.
• Requiring the major supermarkets to open up wholesale supply to smaller competitors.
• Banning certain fees charged to food suppliers.

The aim is to increase competition rather than give students a specific grocery payment. Labour Party

There's also a potentially important student-loan benefit: Labour proposes cutting eligible student-loan balances by 10%. For current/future students, the reduction would occur after three years based in New Zealand following study; the policy retains income-based repayments. Labour Party

For your situation: Labour's strongest advantage is that it targets recurring weekly costs—particularly if you use public transport—and also addresses your longer-term student debt.

Greens: the strongest direct transport offer for students

The Greens are much more aggressive on transport affordability. They propose free bus and train travel for students, as well as children, apprentices, Community Service Card holders and Total Mobility users. Most other adults would face a maximum $2 fare per journey. They also propose substantially expanding bus services and passenger rail. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

For a student who currently spends, say, $30–50+ a week travelling between home, campus and work, free public transport could be a very substantial saving. The catch is that this is a major spending programme and would depend on the Greens being able to implement and fund it as proposed.

Their food policy is also the most interventionist. The Greens propose:

• A publicly owned supermarket chain, KiwiMart.
• A ban on excessive supermarket prices.
• Greater transparency around supermarket margins.
• Stronger Commerce Commission powers and penalties.
• A $150 million Fair Food Fund.
• Doubling the Work and Income food-grant cap.
• More funding for food banks and community food initiatives. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

So if your priority is “I need my supermarket bill and bus fare down now”, the Greens have the most direct proposals.

National: lower-tax/competition approach rather than subsidising your weekly costs

National's approach is different. It is promising no new taxes, arguing that people will be better off by keeping more of their earnings and through economic growth and wage increases. National Party

On groceries, National proposes separating New World and PAK'nSAVE so they compete more directly, with the objective of producing better prices, specials and choice. National Party

On transport, National isn't offering a student fare subsidy comparable with Labour or the Greens. Its emphasis is much more on roads, infrastructure and keeping the transport network functioning. It has also already cancelled a planned 12c/litre fuel-excise increase for January 2027; the next increase is instead scheduled for 2028. National Party

National also has a “Back Pocket Boost for Graduates” aimed at people with student loans, although that's more about what happens when you graduate/work than immediate help with your current weekly budget. National Party

For your situation: National's argument is essentially that you are better helped by lower taxes, economic growth and competition, rather than government directly subsidising your bus fares or groceries.

NZ First: strong on supermarket competition

NZ First is particularly relevant to the food part of your question. It proposes breaking up Foodstuffs into separate nationwide cooperatives based around New World/Four Square and PAK'nSAVE, putting them into stronger competition with Woolworths. It also proposes tougher Commerce Commission and Grocery Commissioner powers. New Zealand First

That's broadly similar in objective to National's supermarket proposal, but NZ First proposes a more extensive structural break-up.

Its transport approach isn't as directly targeted at reducing a student's weekly public-transport bill as Labour's or the Greens'.

ACT: less direct help with food and public-transport fares

ACT's philosophy is primarily to make government spending and infrastructure more efficient rather than subsidise individual transport users. Its 2026 transport proposal concentrates on cheaper, simpler infrastructure, protecting road-maintenance funding and avoiding rules that make vehicles more expensive. ACT New Zealand

One thing that is unusually relevant to you as a student is ACT's proposal to make student-services fees voluntary, rather than compulsory. ACT says this could reduce what students pay or borrow for services they don't want, although the actual saving would depend on your institution and which services you choose. ACT New Zealand

It isn't, however, a direct answer to a $150 grocery bill or weekly bus fares in the way the Greens' and Labour's policies are.

What this means for your budget

I'd frame the choice this way:

• If public transport is a big part of your weekly expenses: the Greens have the strongest direct proposal because students would travel free; Labour is next with its weekly fare cap.
• If you drive: Labour's three-year fuel-tax freeze is more directly relevant; National has also committed to no fuel-tax increase in 2027, while ACT is particularly focused on vehicle and road costs. Labour Party
• If groceries are your biggest problem: Greens have the most aggressive intervention; NZ First and National favour supermarket restructuring/competition; Labour combines competition reforms with an anti-price-gouging regime.
• If student debt matters most: Labour's proposed 10% loan reduction is potentially significant, but it's mainly a post-study benefit for current students rather than cash in your pocket this semester. Labour Party
• If you want to work fewer hours while studying: policies that reduce recurring expenses—especially transport—may matter more to you than policies that only increase your income. That's an important distinction when comparing these parties.

One caution: a party promising cheaper groceries isn't the same as a guaranteed reduction in your supermarket bill. Competition reforms, supermarket break-ups and price-gouging laws could affect prices, but the size and speed of any saving is uncertain. The public-transport proposals are easier to translate into a personal budget because the fare itself is specified.

If you tell me roughly how much you currently spend per week on groceries, transport, rent and study-related costs, I can turn the 2026 party policies into a “what would this mean for my weekly budget?” comparison, without telling you which party to vote for.