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Evidence · NZ Election 2026 · Edition 3

Every question, every answer, every source

All 174 questions and the 793 answers produced on 16 October 2026. The 27 remaining cells produced no AI Overview.

questions
174
answers saved
793
collected
16 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. Parties covers all 17 tracked parties; displayed parties covers the seven charted parties.

    result id, prompt id, draft id, scenario id, platform, region, words, parties, displayed parties, literal url 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

    4,275rows

    Download sources by answer (CSV)

  • Checks against official sources

    nz-election-2026-checks.csv

    One row per reviewed claim and assistant, including cells where the assertion was not stated.

    checkId, claimToTest, category, answerId, questionId, assistant, assertionPresent, assertion, verdict, whatTheSourceSays, checkedOn, evidence

    18rows

    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 in this edition.

    edition, prompt id, platform, city region, national result id, city result id, same party names, same text

    123rows

    Download location and national answers (CSV)

  • Changes between editions

    nz-election-2026-comparisons.csv

    All 17 tracked parties; one row per identical question, assistant and location across the 12 and 16 October collections. Earlier coding restated after the 20 October identity correction.

    earlier edition, prompt id, platform, region, draft id, block, scenario id, scenario, issue, priority, earlier result id, current result id, same party set, added, removed, earlier parties, current parties

    792rows

    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.

    questionId, assistant, collectionSetting, askedFrom, availability

    27rows

    Download no ai overview produced (CSV)

  • Party-identity corrections

    nz-election-2026-party-identity-corrections.csv

    Ten reviewed false matches removed from the restated Edition 2 and current Edition 3 comparisons; original answer text is unchanged.

    edition, result id, party, before present, include, reason, reviewer, reviewed on

    10rows

    Download party-identity corrections (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 a tertiary student renting a room, working part time and using a student loan. I am struggling to fit paid work around study. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What differences are there in parties' plans for affordable mental health support for students?

New Zealand 2026 election: affordable mental health support for tertiary students

If you're renting a room, working part-time and relying on a student loan, the cost of getting mental health support is only one part of the problem. Appointment fees, waiting lists, transport and finding time around classes and paid work can all make getting help harder.

When comparing parties ahead of New Zealand's 2026 general election, it helps to separate three questions:

  • Cost: Would you be able to get counselling or other mental health care free or at a lower price?
  • Access: Would there be more counsellors, psychologists and other services available, with shorter waiting times?
  • Financial pressure: Would changes to student support, housing costs or income support give you more time to study and less pressure to work?

These are related, but they are not the same policy. A party could propose expanding mental health services without changing your living costs, while another could focus on financial assistance without promising more counselling.

How the main parties differ

The election is on 7 November 2026. The key distinction in the policies published so far is between expanding publicly funded mental health care, continuing to build up existing services, and tackling the financial pressures that can affect students' wellbeing. The main parties vying to form New Zealand's next governmentPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

Green Party NZ (@NZGreens) on X

Green Party

System-wide access and student financial pressures

The Greens' 2026 manifesto calls for safe, accessible and culturally relevant mental health care, addressing workforce shortages and long waiting times. Its tertiary education policy also recognises student poverty and cuts to university and polytechnic services as problems. This connects mental health support with the affordability of studying, rather than treating it as an isolated health issue. Manifesto 2026Manifesto 2026Manifesto 2026

What to check: The detailed commitments on counselling fees, additional practitioners, and whether support would be available to every tertiary student.

Read the Green Party's 2026 manifesto

South Island Election Conference 2026

Labour Party

Lower everyday health costs and student debt

Labour's published 2026 policies include three free GP visits per year through its proposed Medicard, free prescriptions from July 2027, and a 10% reduction in eligible student loan balances. For current students, the loan reduction would generally require remaining in New Zealand for three years after study, with the first current or future students qualifying from 2031. Labour's 2026 Election PoliciesLabour's 2026 Election Policies

These measures could reduce some healthcare or financial costs, but free GP visits are not the same as free ongoing counselling or specialist psychological treatment. The student-loan policy also would not provide immediate extra money for rent or counselling.

Read Labour's 2026 policies

Will National Party Finish 2nd in New Zealand's 2026 Election?

National Party

Existing service expansion and early intervention

National's record in government includes a mental health and wellbeing strategy launched in August 2026, additional funding for community mental health organisations, and more funding for telehealth support services such as Lifeline and Youthline. The government has also announced continued growth in the frontline mental health workforce. Promised Mental Health Strategy launchedTelehealth investment to deliver faster access to supportBacking our frontline community organisationsGrowth of frontline mental health workers to continue

These initiatives may improve access to support, including outside normal clinic hours. However, the announcements cited here do not establish a universal entitlement to free, ongoing counselling specifically for tertiary students.

Read National's 2026 election policies

POLICY TRACKER: TOP wants to fund cheaper doctor visits with junk-food tax | New Zealand Doctor

ACT New Zealand

Efficiency, accountability and a mixed-provider health system

ACT's published health position emphasises measurable outcomes, reducing waste, and having public, private and community providers work together to improve access. ACT New ZealandACT New Zealand

This is a different emphasis from a specific promise to make student counselling free. In the published material reviewed here, I could not verify a dedicated 2026 policy guaranteeing free or subsidised counselling for all tertiary students.

Read ACT's health policy

New Zealand legislative election winner? Predictions & Od... 2026 | Polymarket

New Zealand First

Check for specific youth and student commitments

New Zealand First's published policy page highlights economic and public-service priorities, but the material I verified did not establish a specific 2026 promise for free tertiary-student counselling. Our PolicyNZ First announces party list for the 2026 General Election

Its general positions should not be mistaken for a confirmed commitment to cover counselling fees or expand campus services.

Read New Zealand First's policy page

These are not exhaustive assessments of every party. I have distinguished published policies and government actions from proposals that I could not verify; an absence of a verified commitment here does not prove a party has no relevant policy.

A closer look at what matters for your situation

Issue What to look for in each party's plan
Free counselling A clear commitment to free or subsidised sessions, including eligibility rules and number of sessions
Campus services More funding for university and polytechnic counsellors, not just general health services
Waiting times Specific funding, workforce targets and delivery dates
Student living costs Changes to student allowances, living-cost loan limits, rent support or other financial assistance
Flexible access Evening appointments, online counselling and support outside standard working hours

The financial-support distinction is particularly important for you. Policy.nz's 2026 election guide lists proposals including universal student allowances and fees-free tertiary education, as well as Labour's student-loan reduction. These are different approaches to the costs of studying, and their practical effects depend on eligibility and implementation. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026Labour's 2026 Election Policies

You can compare the full set of policies here:

Questions worth asking candidates

Before deciding how much weight to give each party's promises, I would look for specific answers to these questions:

  1. Will tertiary students be able to access free counselling even if they do not meet the threshold for specialist public mental health care?
  2. Will funding increase the number of appointments available, or will it mainly support existing services?
  3. Can students who work during the day get appointments in the evening or online?
  4. Will student financial support be enough to reduce the need to take on paid work during study?
  5. When would the policy take effect, and how would the party measure whether access had improved?

One useful distinction: a policy announcement is not the same as a funded commitment, and a funded commitment is not the same as a service already available.

My overall suggestion is to compare mental health access and student financial support as two separate issues. That will help you see which parties have explicit plans for counselling costs, which focus on expanding the wider health system, and which propose changes that could ease the financial pressure contributing to your situation—without assuming one policy automatically solves the others.

In the meantime, you do not need to wait for the election to seek support. Your tertiary provider may offer free or subsidised counselling, and Health New Zealand's Access and Choice wellbeing services can be another starting point for finding support.

Ask anything

ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.

Captured 16 October 2026 · shown as ChatGPT gave it, not a verified account

Gemini · No location

I'm a tertiary student renting a room, working part time and using a student loan. I am struggling to fit paid work around study. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What differences are there in parties' plans for affordable mental health support for students?

Balancing part-time work, tenancy costs, and tertiary studies is a significant pressure point, and it is completely understandable why affordable mental health support is front of mind.

When looking at New Zealand's political landscape, different parties propose distinct frameworks for addressing student and youth mental health. Because approaches vary based on whether parties focus on workforce expansion, universal age-based care, community-led support, or primary health integration, here is how the primary parties generally approach the issue:

Overview of Party Approaches to Student and Youth Mental Health

  • National Party
    • Focus: Workforce pipeline, clinical capacity, and structured accountability.
    • Approach: National has emphasized establishing a dedicated Minister for Mental Health and scaling up the mental health workforce—specifically aiming to increase training numbers for clinical psychologists and psychiatrist registrars. Their strategy typically relies on building overall system capacity and funding community and non-governmental mental health organisations rather than universal free care models, intending to cut wait times for specialized support.
  • Labour Party
    • Focus: Integrated primary care, school/tertiary linkages, and emergency response pathways.
    • Approach: Historically, Labour has focused on embedding mental health practitioners into primary care settings (like general practices and community health centers) and exploring localized support pathways. Their policies often lean toward strengthening public health infrastructure and expanding access to frontline mental health professionals so that cost is less of a barrier for low-income earners and students.
  • Green Party
    • Focus: Universal free access and specialized youth support.
    • Approach: The Greens advocate for making mental health services free and accessible as part of the public health system. For students and young people, they have historically championed targeted free mental health care for children, youth, and students, alongside expanding school and tertiary-hub health services to meet students directly where they study.
  • The Opportunities Party (TOP)
    • Focus: Age-targeted universal primary and mental healthcare.
    • Approach: TOP has promoted policies providing free primary healthcare—including basic mental health care—specifically tailored to younger demographics (such as free care for under-30s). For a tertiary student renting and working part-time, an age-based universal model is designed to completely remove point-of-service cost barriers at the GP or counselor's office.
  • ACT Party & New Zealand First
    • Focus: Structural delivery, mental health agency reform, and targeted community/charitable funding.
    • Approach: ACT has favored structural changes, such as specialized administrative and mental health agencies, focusing on efficiency and contracting out service delivery. NZ First has historically leaned toward supporting frontline community initiatives, such as funding external charities that provide free youth counselling and specialized mental health emergency response units.

What This Means for Your Situation

If you are trying to weigh these options based on your position as a student trying to make ends meet:

  1. Cost-Reduction Models: Parties on the left and minor parties like TOP tend to lean toward direct subsidies or free universal care (e.g., free mental healthcare for youth/under-30s or expanded campus/primary care funding), which directly targets out-of-pocket costs when cash flow is tight.
  2. Capacity-Building Models: Parties on the right lean toward workforce training and community organization funding, arguing that lowering costs does not help if there are long waitlists, and that the primary bottleneck is a shortage of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists.

To help narrow down what matters most to your day-to-day reality as a student: Would you prefer a policy focused heavily on making counseling completely free at the point of access, or one focused on training more professionals to shorten current public waitlists?

Ask Gemini

Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.

Captured 16 October 2026 · shown as Gemini gave it, not a verified account

Google AI Mode · No location

I'm a tertiary student renting a room, working part time and using a student loan. I am struggling to fit paid work around study. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What differences are there in parties' plans for affordable mental health support for students?

Navigating the pressure of renting, part-time work, and study on a student loan is a heavy load, and finding affordable mental health support is a critical piece of the puzzle. For the 2026 New Zealand General Election , political parties approach student and youth mental health through distinct lenses—ranging from broader primary care and frontline funding to specialized institutional wellbeing support.

While comprehensive party manifestos continue to roll out via platforms like Policy.nz, the general approaches and distinctions among the major parties regarding mental health and youth/student support include:

  • National Party: Focuses heavily on strengthening frontline primary health services (such as introducing primary care navigators in general practices) and funding community-based or rural mental wellbeing and suicide prevention initiatives. For educational environments, their approach leans toward resilience training and structured programs, while emphasizing that schools and tertiary institutions should focus primarily on education rather than expanding into clinical treatment hubs.

  • Labour Party: Traditionally emphasizes direct public investment into mental health workforce expansion and community access. Their broader health framework targets universal or low-cost access to primary healthcare (like GP visits), which directly impacts student affordability, alongside ongoing rollouts of integrated mental health services in primary care and community settings. [mentalhealth.org.nz]

  • Green Party: Advocates for explicit expansion of wellbeing and mental health support within places of learning (including tertiary and secondary environments). Their policies typically champion free or low-barrier access to psychological support embedded directly within educational institutions, viewing student mental health as an extension of the educational support framework. [mentalhealth.org.nz]

  • ACT Party: Supports practical, evidence-based access to mental health services and collaborative community group models for students. However, ACT places a strict boundary on institutional scope, arguing that tertiary providers and schools should facilitate external support rather than turning educational facilities into clinical settings, prioritizing academic core focus over expanded internal clinical bureaucracies. [mentalhealth.org.nz]

If you'd like to narrow this down, let me know:

  • Are you looking for free universal access (like GP/counselling subsidies) or on-campus specific services?
  • Would you like details on how these policies intersect with student allowance/loan or cost-of-living policies?
Ask anything

Captured 16 October 2026 · shown as Google AI Mode gave it, not a verified account

AI Overviews · No location

I'm a tertiary student renting a room, working part time and using a student loan. I am struggling to fit paid work around study. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What differences are there in parties' plans for affordable mental health support for students?

AI Overview

Balancing tertiary study, rent, part-time work, and a student loan is a major stressor. For the 2026 New Zealand General Election , the major political parties differ significantly in how they plan to address healthcare affordability, financial student support, and structural delivery of mental health services.

🟢 The Green Party: Universal Support & Paid Training

The Green Party focuses on heavily subsidising healthcare costs while expanding financial support so students do not have to work excessive hours.

  • Student Financial Relief: They have proposed universal weekly payments (paid placements) via StudyLink for students doing required unpaid clinical or practical work. This includes training paths like clinical psychology, counselling, psychotherapy, nursing, and medicine.
  • Mental Health Approach: They advocate for fully funded primary, dental, and preventive care. They support early, accessible, and culturally responsive community-led mental health education and early intervention.

🔴 The Labour Party: Reducing Care Costs & Debt

The Labour Party prioritises reducing the direct cost of accessing healthcare while giving targeted relief to student finances.

  • Student Financial Relief: Labour has committed to policy measures intended to cut student debt , which includes a planned $420 million student loan write-off mechanism.
  • Mental Health Approach: Labour focuses heavily on primary care affordability. They frame mental health as a "full chain of support" spanning from early intervention in schools/universities to counselling people can physically and financially access. They propose funding these expansions by introducing a 28% capital gains tax on specific residential investments and commercial properties.

🔵 The National Party: Frontline Capacity & Continuity

The National Party approaches mental health through structural delivery, maintaining the current government's focus on clinical workforce size and targeted programs rather than universal cost changes.

  • Service Infrastructure: National is driving a 10-year Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2026–2036) overseen by New Zealand's first dedicated Minister for Mental Health. Their focus is on building frontline clinical capacity and expanding medical/psychological training places.
  • Community Initiatives: Alongside coalition partner New Zealand First, they champion targeted, community-funded initiatives like Gumboot Friday , which provides free counseling sessions for young people up to age 25. They also promote nationwide digital/media resilience initiatives like the Top Up (Five Ways to Wellbeing) campaign.

🟡 ACT New Zealand: Choice, Efficiency, and Welfare Reform

The ACT Party views mental health through the lens of reducing state bureaucracy, expanding private/NGO provider choices, and strict welfare criteria.

  • System Design: ACT campaigns on a "centralised and individualised funding model" to introduce provider competition and individual choice in mental health delivery.
  • Welfare Policy: In their 2026 fiscal plan, ACT proposes to trim state spending by implementing stricter independent medical criteria for those receiving health and disability benefits. They argue that the focus of education settings should strictly remain on education rather than expanding schools into quasi-clinics.

Summary of Party Focus Areas

Party Financial / Student Support Focus Mental Health Care Approach
Greens Paid practical placements for health/social students; lowering work barriers. Free, publicly funded primary and preventive care.
Labour Policies to cut student debt and write off specific loan portions. Targeted primary care affordability funded via structural tax changes.
National Strategic growth of regional medical/clinical training places. 10-Year strategy, Ministerial oversight, and funding NGO youth counseling (e.g., Gumboot Friday).
ACT Focus on getting individuals into work; tighter benefit criteria. Slashing healthcare bureaucracy, increasing private provider choice, and keeping education spaces separate from clinics.

Learn more

If you want to look deeper into a specific area, let me know if you would like to explore how each party plans to change student allowance limits or how their policies impact the cost of renting.

Ask anything

Captured 16 October 2026 · shown as AI Overviews gave it, not a verified account