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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. What would parties do for households whose wages are not keeping up with groceries and bills?

New Zealand 2026 election: what could parties do about the cost of living?

For a renting couple on rostered hours, the squeeze can come from two directions: your income changes from week to week, but rent, power, groceries and other bills keep coming. A policy that increases annual income might help, but it may not solve the problem of having less money in a particular week.

As you consider your vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election, it is useful to compare parties on four practical questions:

  • Take-home pay: Would you keep more of each dollar you earn, or receive more support?
  • Income security: What happens when your roster gives you fewer hours than expected?
  • Housing costs: Would the policy make renting more affordable or more secure?
  • Everyday expenses: What would the party do about food, electricity, transport and other essentials?

One important distinction: a party's announced policy is not the same as a law already in force. The comparison below focuses on what to look for in each party's proposals and how those proposals could affect a household like yours.

What the main parties are proposing

These are published proposals as of October 2026, not guarantees of what a future government would enact. The election is scheduled for Saturday 7 November 2026. The main parties vying to form New Zealand's next governmentTax Tips: 2026 General Election

South Island Election Conference 2026

Labour

Focus: everyday bills, services and consumer protection

Labour proposes making price gouging on groceries, fuel and electricity illegal, with refunds for consumers found to have been overcharged. Its other proposals include a weekly public-transport fare cap, a freeze on fuel excise tax for three years, and government-backed solar loans that would also help renters through plug-in solar. It also proposes three free GP visits a year. Labour's Cost of Living PlanLabour's 2026 Election Policies

What this could mean for you: Potential savings on commuting, healthcare and power, depending on your circumstances. These measures do not directly guarantee a minimum weekly income when your roster is cut.

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

National

Focus: low taxes, economic growth and jobs

National pledges no new taxes if re-elected, arguing that economic growth, job creation and wages growing faster than prices will help households get ahead. No new taxes under National, if re-elected on November 7The main parties vying to form New Zealand's next government

What this could mean for you: The approach aims to preserve take-home pay and improve employment opportunities. Its relevance to your situation depends on the tax changes in force, your earnings and whether wage growth reaches workers with variable hours. A no-new-taxes pledge alone does not tell you how much more money you would have each week.

Green Party NZ (@NZGreens) on X

Green Party

Focus: tax changes, lower essential costs and public provision

The Greens propose making the first $10,000 of income tax-free, cutting income tax for most people, and raising taxes on very high wealth and large corporations. They also propose stronger action on supermarket pricing, a publicly owned supermarket chain, and a publicly owned electricity company called Kiwipower. Greens commit to tax the super-rich and large corporates fairly, cut income tax for 96%The main parties vying to form New Zealand's next government

What this could mean for you: The tax-free threshold could leave you with more take-home pay, while the grocery and electricity proposals aim to reduce essential costs. The actual effect would depend on your combined earnings, the final tax settings and whether proposed changes translate into lower prices.

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

New Zealand First

Focus: wages, family support and supermarket competition

NZ First says it would increase the minimum wage every year for three years and substantially increase Working for Families. It has also proposed breaking up the supermarket duopoly to increase competition. Increasing Working for Families and Minimum WageNZ First Campaign Policy Announcement: NZ First Will Break Up the Supermarket Duopoly, Bring Food Prices Down for Kiwis

What this could mean for you: The minimum-wage proposal matters if you earn near that rate, and Working for Families is relevant if you have dependent children and qualify. Neither measure automatically protects a worker whose paid hours fluctuate.

New Zealand Legislative Election Winner 2026 Odds | Polymarket

ACT

Focus: lower taxes, business and employment incentives

ACT's published policy mix includes a commitment to no new taxes, alongside an emphasis on business activity and employment incentives. Its proposals should be checked against the details of personal tax, minimum-wage settings and employment protections rather than assuming that lower taxes mean the same benefit for every income level. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026Tax Tips: 2026 General Election

What this could mean for you: The key question is whether the policies increase your actual disposable income and job opportunities, particularly in weeks when you are offered fewer shifts. Check the party's latest employment policy for its specific approach to variable hours.

New Zealand Legislative Election Winner 2026 Odds | Polymarket

Te Pāti Māori

Focus: larger income-tax relief at lower incomes and housing reform

Its tax proposal would make the first $30,000 of income tax-free, with higher rates on higher income bands. It has also proposed taxes on land banking and vacant houses, and a stamp duty on residential property sales with an exemption for qualifying first-home buyers. Tax Tips: 2026 General ElectionThe main parties vying to form New Zealand's next government

What this could mean for you: The proposed tax-free threshold could be particularly relevant if your annual earnings are modest or irregular. The impact on your household would depend on both partners' incomes and the wider tax changes; the housing measures are not the same as a direct cap on your rent.

Current party and logo applications | Elections NZ

Opportunity (formerly TOP)

Focus: a regular income floor and a major tax-system overhaul

Opportunity proposes a Citizen's Income of up to $370 a week for almost all adults, funded partly through a 1.75% annual tax on urban land values and other tax changes. Its package also includes compulsory KiwiSaver reform. Tax ResetTax Tips: 2026 General Election

What this could mean for you: This proposal is especially relevant to investigate if your main concern is income falling in a quiet roster week. A regular payment could provide a buffer even when wages vary, but the whole package matters: who qualifies, which existing benefits it replaces, how your tax bill changes and how the land tax would affect housing costs.

The parties' proposals differ not just in how much support they offer, but in where the help comes from: tax reductions, higher wages, lower prices, expanded public services or a regular income payment. Tax Tips: 2026 General ElectionThe main parties vying to form New Zealand's next government

Which policies matter most for a household with variable hours?

Here is a more direct comparison of the mechanisms that could affect your budget.

If your main concern is… Policies to examine
Pay drops in a quiet week Regular income support, benefit eligibility and how payments respond to changing earnings
Too much of your pay goes on essentials Tax-free thresholds, minimum wages and grocery-price competition
Rent consumes most of your income Rent-increase rules, rental supply and tenant protections
Power and transport bills keep rising Electricity-market reforms, solar support and public-transport fares
Your household budget is unpredictable Whether support is automatic, income-tested, delayed or paid regularly

You can explore more of the specific proposals on Policy.nz's 2026 incomes and employment comparison and its housing comparison. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

Three questions worth asking before you vote

  1. Will we have more money in a bad pay week? Compare the effect of each proposal across a year in which one or both of you sometimes receive fewer hours.
  2. Will our rent and essential bills take a smaller share of our income? Distinguish policies that directly lower costs from those that depend on competition, economic growth or future investment.
  3. How will the policy be funded, and what changes alongside it? A tax cut, for example, needs to be assessed alongside any changes to public services or other payments your household relies on.

Also remember that New Zealand uses MMP. A party's ability to implement its proposals will depend on parliamentary numbers and coalition or support agreements, so a campaign promise is not a guarantee of delivery. The main parties vying to form New Zealand's next governmentTax Tips: 2026 General Election

One final distinction for your situation

Because your hours change, look beyond the headline promise of “more money in your pocket”. A tax cut generally depends on how much taxable income you earn; a minimum-wage increase helps only for the hours you work; and a regular income payment could operate differently when your wages fluctuate. Those are materially different forms of security.

Would you like to compare the parties using a realistic weekly budget for you and your partner? If you share your approximate combined weekly take-home pay in a normal week, your rent, and whether you have dependent children, I can show which published proposals could affect your household budget and what important uncertainties remain. You can give rough figures rather than exact amounts.

Ask anything

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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. What would parties do for households whose wages are not keeping up with groceries and bills?

Navigating variable rostered hours, fluctuating weekly pay, and rigid fixed costs like rent and power is a major source of financial stress. In the context of the New Zealand general election, different political parties propose distinct approaches to help households dealing with this squeeze.

The major parties approach the cost of living, fixed household bills, and income volatility through contrasting economic philosophies:

Labour Party

Labour's cost-of-living platform focuses heavily on direct relief for household overheads (power, transport, and healthcare) and targeting market pricing on essentials.

  • Household Bills & Energy: Proposes government-backed, low-interest SolarSaver loans (with up to $3,000 in extra support for low- and middle-income households, including provisions for renters) to cut power bills. They also pledge to make power and petrol price gouging illegal.
  • Transport & Groceries: Pledges a three-year fuel tax freeze, weekly public transport fare caps, and measures to force major supermarkets to open up wholesale supply to boost competition.
  • Healthcare Out-of-Pocket Costs: Proposes three free GP visits a year via a "Medicard" and the removal of the $5 prescription charge, cutting routine medical overheads.

National Party

National’s approach centers on fiscal discipline, economic management, and business growth to create stable employment, alongside a commitment to avoiding new taxes.

  • Tax and Inflation Control: Focuses on curbing government spending to lower inflation, arguing that macroeconomic stability is the best way to stop the rapid escalation of everyday prices.
  • Supply and Housing: Emphasizes streamlining planning and consenting rules to increase housing supply and reduce construction costs, aiming to ease long-term rental market pressures.

Green Party

The Greens focus heavily on income redistribution, strengthening the welfare safety net, and lowering fixed costs for lower-income earners.

  • Incomes & Support: Advocates for stronger baseline income support and structural welfare reforms to protect households when work hours drop.
  • Housing & Energy: Focuses on tenant protections, strict limits on rent increases, and massive public investment in energy-efficient, healthy homes to permanently reduce heating and power overheads.

ACT New Zealand

ACT champions a philosophy of lower taxes, reduced government spending, and deregulation.

  • Market Competition: Argues that reducing red tape and regulatory barriers across sectors like housing and retail will naturally foster competition, driving down grocery and living costs through market forces rather than government intervention.
  • Fiscal Approach: Emphasizes personal responsibility and individual freedom, favoring broad tax relief over targeted subsidies or price controls.

Key Questions to Consider for Your Situation

When evaluating your vote with unpredictable rostered hours in mind, you may want to weigh:

  1. Direct Bill Relief vs. Broad Economic Management: Do you prefer policies that directly cap or subsidize specific bills (like power, transport, and doctor visits), or do you favor broader economic management aimed at controlling overall inflation and taxes?
  2. Safety Net vs. Market Growth: Do you lean toward parties that want to strengthen welfare and income support for when hours drop, or those that focus on business growth and deregulation to generate steady employment?

Are there particular household expenses—such as rent stability or power bills—that impact your budget the most when your hours fluctuate?

Ask Gemini

Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.

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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. What would parties do for households whose wages are not keeping up with groceries and bills?

Navigating fluctuating rostered hours, unpredictable weekly take-home pay, and rigid fixed expenses like rent and bills is a major strain. Ahead of the November 7, 2026 general election, New Zealand’s political parties are offering distinct economic philosophies and toolkits to address the squeeze between stagnant or volatile wages and the rising cost of living.

The approaches of the major and minor parties target different levers—such as tax adjustments, market competition, direct income supports, or structural economic reform:

1. National Party

  • Core Approach: Focuses on broad economic management, inflation reduction through restrained government spending, and growing personal income via tax relief rather than heavy market intervention.

  • For Bills & Expenses: Aims to ease household overheads by targeting structural drivers—such as boosting grocery competition (including proposals looking at supermarket structures like separating major retail arms), reforming building/housing regulations to lower accommodation costs over time, and supporting small businesses to keep the economy stable. [National Party]

  • View on Wages: Emphasises that real wage growth comes from a competitive, growing economy and restrained public borrowing rather than government wage mandates. [Pacific Media Network]

2. Labour Party

  • Core Approach: Direct reduction of household outlays through universal/targeted public services and shifting the tax burden toward wealth/capital.

  • For Bills & Expenses: Proposes direct cost-relievers including three free GP visits, free prescriptions, and expanded public transport fare caps. They also target supermarket pricing and propose banning hidden fees/price gouging to lower grocery and everyday costs.

  • For Income/Wages: Proposes targeted sector pay boosts (such as for care workers) and a 28% capital gains tax (excluding the family home) to rebalance the tax system while cutting select student debt burdens.

3. Green Party

  • Core Approach: Systemic income redistribution, welfare reform, and tax-free thresholds to protect lower- and middle-income earners from inflation.

  • For Bills & Expenses: Focuses heavily on structural reforms to make essentials affordable, alongside green energy transitions (like solar and community energy incentives) to permanently lower household utility and power bills.

  • For Income/Wages: Proposes a tax-free income threshold (e.g., the first $10,000 earned tax-free) to immediately boost take-home pay for lower-income and variable-hour workers, funded by a wealth tax on multi-million dollar net worths. [RNZ]

4. New Zealand First

  • Core Approach: Direct cash transfers for working families and inflation-proofing baseline legal minimums.

  • For Income/Wages: Has campaigned heavily on a $120-a-week boost to Working for Families (making temporary increases permanent and adding further support) for eligible working households.

  • For Bills: Promises guaranteed annual minimum wage adjustments locked to track directly with inflation so purchasing power doesn't fall behind standard living costs.

5. ACT Party

  • Core Approach: Free-market solutions, cutting government expenditure, and simplifying income tax brackets to maximize what employees keep from their gross pay.

  • For Income/Wages: Advocates for a simplified two-rate income tax structure to reduce tax clawbacks on working earners, arguing that government-enforced wage laws or heavy market interference ultimately backfire on productivity.

  • For Bills: Generally opposes heavy price controls or breaking up private retail groups (like supermarkets), arguing that intervention can disrupt supply chains and increase costs further, preferring regulatory trimming to lower business operating costs.

6. Te Pāti Māori

  • Core Approach: Radical tax shifting and poverty elimination through wealth levies and baseline income guarantees.

  • For Income/Wages: Proposes a comprehensive wealth tax with a high initial exemption, paired with significantly lowered lower-income tax brackets projected to save low-to-middle income workers thousands annually.

  • For Expenses: Focuses on removing GST off basic food items and ramping up state/community support to decouple survival necessities from market volatility. [RNZ]

You can review complete party manifestos and compare specific policy mechanics directly on the New Zealand Government Vote NZ portal or individual party sites like the National Party Policies or Labour's Election Policies to see which model best fits the realities of your variable weekly income.

Ask anything

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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. What would parties do for households whose wages are not keeping up with groceries and bills?

AI Overview

As a renter with variable rostered hours, experiencing unexpected income drops alongside fixed bills and rising grocery prices is a highly challenging reality. For the 2026 New Zealand General Election , political parties are taking vastly different approaches to tackle the cost of living, household bills, and the supermarket duopoly.

Here is what the major political parties are proposing to help households whose wages are lagging behind bills and groceries:

🛒 Supermarkets & Groceries

The major parties are heavily focused on breaking up or regulating the Woolworths and Foodstuffs duopoly to lower food costs.

  • National: Plans to force a break-up of the Foodstuffs cooperative into two entirely separate, competing nationwide chains—Pak'nSAVE and New World/Four Square.
  • Labour: Promises to use anti-price gouging laws to make excessive corporate pricing illegal and will legally force supermarkets to separate their wholesale operations from their retail operations to help independent competitors access stock.
  • Green Party: Proposes establishing a publicly-owned, state-run supermarket chain (" Kiwi Mart") to directly compete with corporate supermarkets and push food prices down.
  • NZ First

: Similarly advocates for a legislative break-up of Foodstuffs to force its brands into direct competition with one another.

  • Te Pāti Māori: Plans to remove GST from food for anyone earning under $60,000. They also propose a "Kai Tax Credit" worth up to eight weeks of groceries a year for low-and-middle-income earners, and $100 million to seed Māori-owned supermarket alternatives.
  • ACT: Opposes forced break-ups and instead proposes a "one-stop consenting shop" to make it faster and easier for new, overseas supermarket competitors to enter the NZ market and increase competition naturally.

💸 Tax & Direct Income Support

Because your rostered income fluctuates, how parties tax your wages or structure targeted assistance directly impacts your take-home pay during lower-hour weeks.

Political Party Primary Tax & Income Relief Strategy Impact on Lower/Variable Incomes
National No new taxes Focuses on fiscal discipline to curb inflation and letting workers keep their baseline earnings.
Labour Introduce a 28% Capital Gains Tax (excluding family homes) Taxes wealth/property investments to fund public services and alleviate pressure on working households.
Green Party Introduce a $10,000 tax-free income threshold Anyone earning money pays 0% tax on their first $10,000, boosting take-home pay for part-time or fluctuating rosters. Funded by a wealth tax on assets over $10m.
Te Pāti Māori Introduce a $30,000 tax-free income threshold Shifts the tax burden entirely away from low-to-middle income bands. Funded by wealth and stamp duty taxes.
ACT Two-rate income tax system (flat 28% top rate) Focuses on broad income tax cuts and cutting government expenditure to stimulate economic growth.
NZ First Permanent Working For Families boost Retains the $50-a-week in-work tax credit expansion to assist low-income working households.

🏠 Rent & Everyday Household Bills

With rent and bills staying fixed despite variable pay, utility and housing policies are vital visual pillars of the 2026 platform.

  • Electricity & Energy Bills: The Greens propose establishing a state-owned "Kiwipower" entity to manage electricity affordably, while National proposes a Home Energy Fund to assist households with energy efficiency. Labour has campaigned on implementing powers to stop energy companies from price-gouging households.
  • Renting & Housing:

Te Pāti Māori

has explicitly pledged a rent freeze to stop landlords from raising costs on tenants. ACT focuses on supply-side relief, proposing tax relief for landlords by allowing them to fully deduct mortgage interest against rental income to incentivize property availability.

  • Transport Costs: Labour is campaigning on a $20 maximum weekly cap on public transport nationwide to dramatically reduce commuting bills.

To help you look closer at how these policies apply to your situation, would you like more specific details on renting/tenancy rules being proposed, or would you like to explore how the different tax-free threshold models would affect your weekly cash flow?

Ask anything

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