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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 rent with my partner and work rostered hours that change from week to week. Our pay can drop unexpectedly, but rent and bills don't. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How would the parties' tax plans affect take-home pay for workers on modest incomes?

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New Zealand election 2026: how tax plans could affect your take-home pay

For a couple renting in New Zealand and working changing rosters, the key question is not simply which party promises lower taxes. It is how much money you would actually keep in each pay packet, whether that changes when your hours drop, and whether you would receive other support to help cover rent and bills.

There are three things worth separating as you consider the 2026 general election:

  • Income tax: how much of your wages you keep after tax.
  • In-work support: payments such as Working for Families or other targeted assistance, where eligible.
  • Living costs and entitlements: policies affecting accommodation support, benefits, childcare, transport and other household expenses.

A tax cut can increase take-home pay without making rent any cheaper. Equally, a policy that provides targeted support may help a household with irregular earnings differently from a general tax cut.

1. What the main parties are proposing

As of 16 October 2026, the election is scheduled for 7 November. The following comparison reflects policies announced by 7 October, with later announcements noted where relevant. Tax Tips: 2026 General ElectionThe main parties vying to form New Zealand's next government

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

National Party

National is pledging no new taxes and emphasising keeping taxes low. It has indicated it will address income-tax bracket creep, but the tax-policy review reported no formal bracket-adjustment plan at its publication date. No new taxes under NationalTax Tips: 2026 General Election

Effect on your wages: Your current income-tax settings remain the baseline unless further tax cuts are announced. No new personal income-tax reduction should be assumed when budgeting.

South Island Election Conference 2026

Labour Party

Labour proposes a 28% capital-gains tax on gains from residential investment and commercial property realised after 1 July 2027, with the family home excluded. It has also proposed health and cost-of-living measures. It had not announced a comprehensive personal income-tax overhaul in the tax review. Tax Tips: 2026 General ElectionLabour's 2026 Election Policies

Effect on your wages: No direct income-tax cut is established by this package. The proposed property tax would not directly tax your wages as a renter, although broader effects on housing and public services could matter.

Green Party NZ (@NZGreens) on X

Green Party

The Greens propose a $10,000 tax-free income threshold, revised tax brackets and a 45% rate on income from $160,000. Their wider package includes an annual wealth tax on net assets above $10 million, with the family home excluded, and taxes on large gifts and inheritances. Tax Tips: 2026 General Election

Effect on your wages: The tax-free threshold would reduce income tax for modest earners. The precise benefit depends on annual earnings and the complete tax schedule, not simply on the first $10,000 being tax-free.

New Zealand Legislative Election Winner 2026 Odds | Polymarket

Te Pāti Māori

The party proposes a $30,000 tax-free threshold, higher marginal rates at higher incomes, and a targeted Kai Credit for people earning $60,000 or less. Its package also includes wealth and property-related taxes. Tax Tips: 2026 General Election

Effect on your wages: The proposed threshold could substantially reduce income tax on low and moderate earnings. The Kai Credit is a separate potential benefit, subject to its eligibility rules and final design.

Opportunity Party (formerly TOP)

Opportunity proposes income-tax rates of 28% up to $50,000, 34% from $50,001 to $200,000, and 39% above that, alongside a broadly universal Citizen's Income of $19,400 a year for eligible New Zealand residents aged 18 and over. Its package also includes land-value taxation and changes to welfare and retirement savings. Tax Tips: 2026 General ElectionSummary of 2026 election tax policies

Effect on your wages: The combination of income tax and the Citizen's Income matters more than the tax rates in isolation. Eligibility, payment interactions and the full transition arrangements need to be considered before estimating your household's net gain.

ACT and New Zealand First have announced more targeted tax measures rather than comparable comprehensive personal income-tax changes in the published review. Their policies may still matter through business taxes, retirement savings and other household costs. Tax Tips: 2026 General ElectionSummary of 2026 election tax policies

2. What might the proposed income-tax changes mean in dollars?

To make the differences concrete, here is a simplified calculation for one worker earning a steady annual income. These are illustrative calculations using the published tax rates, not official party forecasts or estimates of your household's final disposable income.

Gross annual wages Current income tax Greens' proposal Te Pāti Māori's proposal
$30,000 $4,158 $2,750 $0
$50,000 $7,658 $7,050 $3,000

Figures are annual income tax only, before ACC earners' levies, tax credits, KiwiSaver, student-loan deductions or government payments. Current tax uses the published individual tax brackets; proposed figures apply the announced income-tax schedules. About tax codesTax Tips: 2026 General Election

That would translate into the following approximate annual differences in income tax:

  • At $30,000, the Greens' proposed schedule reduces income tax by $1,408 a year, or about $27 a week. Te Pāti Māori's schedule reduces it by $4,158.
  • At $50,000, the Greens' proposed schedule reduces income tax by $608 a year, or about $12 a week. Te Pāti Māori's schedule reduces it by $4,658.

These figures compare tax rates only. They do not account for any additional credits, changes to other taxes, or adjustments to government payments. They also assume the proposals are enacted as described.

The important point is that a tax-free threshold does not automatically mean a particular amount extra in every pay packet. The other tax brackets matter too. Opportunity's Citizen's Income also means that a tax-only comparison would be particularly incomplete for that party.

3. Why changing rostered hours make a difference

Your situation has a feature that annual salary examples can obscure: your income may fall from one week to the next, but your essential expenses do not fall with it.

How the different policies affect irregular earnings

Income-tax cuts

These generally let you keep more of the wages you earn. But if you work fewer hours and earn less, the dollar value of a tax reduction may also be smaller.

Tax-free thresholds

These reduce tax on income within the relevant bands. The benefit is based on your taxable income, so the amount may vary across years if your hours fluctuate.

Credits and income support

These may help more than an income-tax reduction during a low-income period, depending on your eligibility. However, income-tested payments can change as your earnings change, and payment timing matters when rent is due.

KiwiSaver contributions

National's proposed increases to employee contributions over time could reduce spendable take-home pay for workers whose contribution rates rise, even though more money would go into retirement savings. Tax Tips: 2026 General Election

One further distinction is important: if you and your partner both work, some forms of government assistance depend on combined household or family income, rather than just your individual pay. The exact rules depend on the payment and your circumstances.

4. What to look at beyond income tax

For your circumstances, four practical questions may be just as important as the headline tax rates.

  • How quickly does support adjust when earnings fall? Check whether a policy changes payments based on annual income, recent earnings or hours worked. A payment based on a previous income estimate may not immediately reflect a bad roster.
  • Does it help renters? A tax cut does not directly reduce rent. Consider whether the party's housing, accommodation-support or cost-of-living policies could affect your actual expenses.
  • What happens when one partner earns less? Check whether assistance is assessed individually or on your combined income, and whether a change in one person's hours affects the other's entitlement.
  • Will compulsory savings reduce spendable pay? The existing KiwiSaver default employee contribution rate rose to 3.5% in April 2026, with a further increase to 4% scheduled for April 2028. National and other parties have also proposed longer-term changes. These are savings contributions rather than income tax, but they matter when comparing the money available for bills. KiwiSaver changesTax Tips: 2026 General Election

For official details, you can compare the parties' published policies at Labour, National, the Greens, Te Pāti Māori and Opportunity. PwC's 2026 election tax-policy review provides a useful cross-party summary.

5. How to compare the policies for your own household

The most useful comparison would use your actual earnings across both good and bad roster weeks, rather than assume that either of you receives the same pay every fortnight.

If you share a rough estimate of your usual weekly earnings and how low they can fall, I can calculate illustrative take-home pay under the current rules and the published tax proposals. You don't need to share your employer, exact rent or any identifying details.

The central question to keep in mind as you vote is: Which combination of tax changes, income support and living-cost policies would leave your household with enough reliable money to meet its fixed bills when your hours drop? That is a more complete comparison than headline tax cuts alone.

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Gemini · No location

I rent with my partner and work rostered hours that change from week to week. Our pay can drop unexpectedly, but rent and bills don't. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How would the parties' tax plans affect take-home pay for workers on modest incomes?

Navigating fluctuating rostered hours and unpredictable pay while trying to keep up with fixed costs like rent and bills is a stressful position. For workers on modest or shifting incomes, the political parties contesting the 2026 New Zealand general election have put forward distinct tax and income support proposals that approach take-home pay in very different ways.

The primary approaches from the major and minor parties impacting modest-income earners include the following:

1. National Party

  • Focus: Addressing bracket creep and fiscal discipline.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: The National Party has indicated intentions to adjust tax thresholds to combat "bracket creep" (where inflation pushes workers into higher tax brackets even though their real purchasing power hasn't changed). For modest-income earners whose hours fluctuate, threshold adjustments ensure that when you pick up extra shifts, you aren’t penalized as quickly by higher marginal tax rates. However, National generally focuses on broad threshold adjustments rather than structural income redistribution or tax-free zones.

2. Labour Party

  • Focus: Protecting public services, targeted worker supports, and changes to property/business tax settings.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: Labour's approach leans heavily toward supporting low-to-middle-income workers through working-for-families type structures, industrial protections, and minimum wage and pay equity considerations, rather than sweeping personal income tax cuts. For workers on variable hours, Labour emphasizes strengthening safety nets and public health/primary care access to reduce out-of-pocket household costs, though it does not feature a dramatic overhaul of lower income tax brackets.

3. Green Party

  • Focus: Wealth redistribution and progressive tax reform.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: The Greens propose a $10,000 tax-free threshold alongside restructured personal income tax brackets (including a new top rate for higher earners).
  • What it means for you: A tax-free threshold directly benefits modest-income earners by ensuring that the first $10,000 of your annual earnings incurs zero income tax, immediately boosting weekly take-home pay across the board. This is funded by taxes targeting high wealth and corporate/capital gains, which aim to shift the tax burden away from lower-income wage earners.

4. ACT Party

  • Focus: Simpler, lower taxes and reduced government spending.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: ACT advocates for a simplified tax structure—such as moving toward a streamlined two-rate personal income tax system with a top rate of 28%. For workers on modest incomes, a simplified lower-tax framework aims to let you keep more of every dollar earned from extra shifts, though critics note that the precise distribution depends heavily on where the threshold lines are drawn.

5. Te Pāti Māori

  • Focus: Targeted relief for low-income households and structural wealth adjustments.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: Te Pāti Māori proposes a more substantial $30,000 tax-free threshold alongside a targeted income tax "Kai Credit" for people earning $60,000 or less to offset the cost of GST on food.
  • What it means for you: A $30,000 tax-free threshold would provide a significant, direct weekly increase to the take-home pay of modest and part-time income earners, shielding a large portion of lower annual earnings from income tax entirely.

6. The Opportunity Party (TOP)

  • Focus: Structural tax overhaul ("The Tax Reset").
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: TOP proposes replacing traditional income tax scales with a flat 28% rate up to $50,000, paired with a broadly universal, tax-free Citizen’s Income of $19,400 a year for eligible New Zealand residents (which replaces most standard benefits and works alongside a land value tax).
  • What it means for you: For households with fluctuating or low incomes, a guaranteed Citizen’s Income provides a consistent baseline floor regardless of how many hours you are rostered on in a given week, smoothing out the financial shock of a sudden drop in pay.

Key Considerations for Variable-Hour Renters

When evaluating these options against your specific situation (paying rent and bills on an unpredictable income), it helps to weigh:

  • Base Protection vs. Marginal Earnings: Do you benefit more from a structural baseline support (like a Citizen's Income or higher tax-free threshold) that protects you when hours are low, or from flat tax cuts/threshold adjustments that maximize what you take home when you work extra shifts?
  • Indirect Costs: Rent and living costs are heavily influenced by housing policy and GST. Parties proposing land value taxes or property changes (like TOP, the Greens, or Te Pāti Māori) aim to alter housing market dynamics, whereas parties like National and ACT focus on supply-side streamlining and avoiding new taxes.

Would you like to dive deeper into how a specific party’s policy interacts with secondary income or accommodation support?

Ask Gemini

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Google AI Mode · No location

I rent with my partner and work rostered hours that change from week to week. Our pay can drop unexpectedly, but rent and bills don't. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How would the parties' tax plans affect take-home pay for workers on modest incomes?

For workers on modest or fluctuating rostered incomes, managing fixed costs like rent and bills when hours drop is a major pressure point. In the lead-up to the November 7, 2026 New Zealand general election, political parties have outlined distinct approaches to personal income tax, cost-of-living support, and structural tax reform.

How the major and minor parties' proposals generally approach take-home pay and support for modest-income earners includes:

1. National and ACT

  • Focus: Maintaining lower-tax settings, avoiding new broad taxes, and easing cost pressures through restrained government spending rather than heavy income-redistribution schemes.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: Having already implemented previous personal income tax threshold adjustments, National's current campaign centers on a "no new taxes" pledge. They emphasize that holding the line on taxes and curbing inflation are the best ways to protect household purchasing power. ACT similarly opposes new taxes, arguing that economic growth and productivity—rather than government intervention—are what sustainably drive higher wages. For workers with fluctuating hours, direct changes to variable weekly take-home pay under their baseline platforms are minimal, relying instead on existing Working for Families structures for support.

2. Labour

  • Focus: Targeted public service investments and cost-of-living relief funded through structural changes at the top end.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: Labour is proposing a targeted capital gains tax (designed to exempt the vast majority of everyday family assets/homes) to fund major public health initiatives—such as free GP visits, free prescriptions, and free cervical screening. While this doesn't directly alter the weekly income tax brackets on your paycheck, the policy logic is to put money back into modest-income pockets by slashing direct out-of-pocket health and living expenses (like a $20 public transport fare cap). They also propose direct baseline supports like a $4/hour pay increase for care and support workers if applicable to your sector.

3. Green Party

  • Focus: Comprehensive tax overhaul featuring income-tax-free thresholds and wealth/corporate taxes.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: The Greens propose introducing a $10,000 per annum income-tax-free threshold , meaning the first $10,000 of any individual's earnings would pay zero income tax. For a worker on a modest or volatile income, a tax-free tier directly increases the proportion of your weekly pay packet you get to keep. This package is funded by higher taxes on top earners and wealth (such as a 2.5% wealth tax on assets over $10 million, excluding family homes) and lifting corporate tax rates for large businesses.

4. Te Pāti Māori

  • Focus: Deep structural income tax relief for lower earners funded by high-end wealth and corporate levies.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: Te Pāti Māori proposes a significant $30,000 tax-free threshold , completely removing income tax for anyone earning under that amount, alongside a targeted "Kai Credit" for individuals earning $60,000 or less. For modest and fluctuating incomes, a $30,000 threshold would substantially boost weekly take-home pay during lower-earning weeks, shifting the tax burden toward wealth taxes, land banking taxes, and increased company tax rates.

5. New Zealand First

  • Focus: Targeted income tax threshold adjustments and relief for small-to-medium enterprises.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: New Zealand First has campaigned on introducing a tax-free threshold for the first $14,000 of income (targeted by April 2027) and cutting income tax to offset compulsory KiwiSaver contributions. This would marginally increase immediate take-home pay for lower-income earners by reducing the immediate bite of PAYE and KiwiSaver deductions on tight weeks. [Public Health Communication Centre]

6. Opportunity Party (TOP)

  • Focus: A wholesale "Tax Reset" replacing parts of the traditional welfare and tax system.
  • Impact on Take-Home Pay: Opportunity proposes a broadly universal Citizen's Income of $19,400 a year for eligible residents aged 18 and over that is tax-free, alongside flattened/restructured income tax rates (28% up to $50,000) funded by a Land Value Tax. For fluctuating rostered workers, a universal baseline citizen's income provides a predictable floor regardless of how many hours your roster assigns you in a given week.

To check your individual enrolment or details ahead of voting, you can visit the VOTE.NZ portal.

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AI Overviews · No location

I rent with my partner and work rostered hours that change from week to week. Our pay can drop unexpectedly, but rent and bills don't. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How would the parties' tax plans affect take-home pay for workers on modest incomes?

AI Overview

For workers with shifting, unpredictable rostered hours and a modest income, New Zealand’s political parties are offering two starkly different approaches to tax policy in the 2026 general election.

The center-right parties focus on a "no new taxes" / status-quo approach to keep rules predictable, while the center-left and progressive parties propose structural tax shifts to exempt lower income brackets entirely, offset by new wealth or asset taxes.

1. The Structural Shift Approach (Lower Income Taxes)

If your income fluctuates significantly from week to week, these parties propose changes that directly alter how much tax is deducted from your very first dollars earned.

  • Green Party & Te Pāti Māori: Both parties are campaigning on introducing a tax-free threshold. Te Pāti Māori proposes making the first $30,000 of income completely tax-free. For a modest earner, this drastically increases take-home pay during both high-earning and low-earning weeks. These cuts would be funded by progressive wealth taxes on individuals with net assets over $2 million.
  • The Opportunity Party (TOP): Proposes a shifting of the personal income tax brackets alongside a Citizen's Income / Universal Basic Income (UBI) model. This structure is designed to act as a financial safety net specifically for people with volatile hours, ensuring a baseline level of take-home pay regardless of dropped shifts.

2. The Status-Quo and Targeted Relief Approach

These parties choose not to lower personal income tax rates for modest earners, focusing instead on keeping the broad tax system steady or providing targeted credits.

  • National Party: National is running on a strict "no new taxes" pledge. A vote for National represents a preservation of the status quo for income tax brackets. For rostered workers, your take-home pay will continue to be calculated under the current Pay As You Earn (PAYE) brackets, meaning lower-earning weeks simply see proportionally lower tax withheld, without baseline structural relief.
  • Labour Party: Labour has ruled out broad personal income tax cuts or changes to the current brackets. Instead of increasing take-home pay through tax bracket changes, Labour’s plan aims to lower your day-to-day cost of living through targeted public services. This includes policies like three free GP visits a year via a 'Medicard' , free prescriptions, and a $20 weekly public transport fare cap. To fund this, they propose a 28% capital gains tax on investment property and commercial sales (excluding family homes).
  • ACT Party: While ACT previously advocated for personal tax cuts, their 2026 fiscal plan focuses heavily on government spending cuts and does not campaign on broad income tax cuts due to current economic conditions. They are instead focusing on secondary tax reliefs, such as making KiwiSaver investment returns tax-exempt.

Party Comparison for Modest/Rostered Earners

Party Impact on Personal Income Tax Hidden / Funding Taxes to Consider Non-Tax Offsets for Cost of Living
National Status Quo. No changes to current income tax brackets. None ("No new taxes" pledge). Relies on existing Working for Families updates.
Labour Status Quo. No personal income tax changes. 28% Capital Gains Tax on investment/commercial property. Free GP visits, free prescriptions, $20/wk public transport cap.
Green Party Lower. Proposes a high tax-free threshold for early earnings. 1.75% Land Value Tax; Capital Gains Tax; Wealth taxes. Broad focus on public health and equity funding.
ACT Status Quo. No broad income tax cuts in current fiscal plan. Opposes capital gains/wealth taxes. Focuses on shrinking government spending to curb inflation.
Te Pāti Māori Significantly Lower. First $30,000 of income is tax-free. Wealth tax (> $2m), 33% land banking tax, 5% stamp duty. No GST on kai (groceries).

If you'd like to dive deeper, let me know:

  • Your approximate joint household income or an average week's earnings.
  • Whether you or your partner have any dependents (which could trigger Working for Families credits under certain party policies).
  • If you want to know how the proposed KiwiSaver policy changes from different parties would affect your weekly deductions.
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