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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 sole parent with a preschool child, renting and working part time. Childcare costs and support rules affect how many hours I can take on. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. Which party policies could help with food, power and essentials for a sole-parent household, and who would qualify?

For a sole-parent household in New Zealand with a preschooler, part-time earnings and rent to pay, the most important election policies are often the ones that change your weekly disposable income: help with groceries, electricity, rent and childcare, plus how much support you lose when you work extra hours.

For the 2026 general election, I'd compare parties on five questions:

  • Food: Would you receive more cash support, or would the policy only help particular groups?
  • Power and essentials: Is there a bill discount, a one-off payment or a lasting reduction in costs?
  • Rent: Would your accommodation support increase, or would eligibility or payment rates change?
  • Childcare: Would you pay less for your preschooler's care, and would the subsidy cover your actual hours?
  • Part-time work: If you take an extra shift, how much of the additional pay would you actually keep after tax, childcare and reduced assistance?

One important distinction: a party's policy announcement is not necessarily a payment you can receive today. I'll separate existing support rules from election proposals where the available evidence allows, and identify the eligibility conditions that matter for your circumstances.

1. Which parties' policies are most relevant?

New Zealand's election is on 7 November 2026, so party proposals are still important to check as campaigns develop. The comparison below focuses on policies that could affect your household directly, rather than trying to recommend a party based on assumptions about your finances. The main parties vying to form New Zealand's next governmentPolicy.nz

South Island Election Conference 2026

Labour

Look for: policies that increase family income, improve childcare affordability and make essentials cheaper.

These are the areas to examine if your priority is having more money left after rent, groceries and care costs. Check whether any proposed increase in family support has a clear payment amount, start date and income threshold.

Green Party NZ (@NZGreens) on X

Green Party

Look for: stronger income support, food-security assistance and measures to reduce essential living costs.

The Greens' policy agenda includes increased funding for food grants, food banks and other food-security programmes. That could matter if you sometimes need help putting food on the table, although funding community services is different from receiving a regular cash payment. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

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

New Zealand First

Look for: electricity-market reform and supermarket competition policies.

These proposals aim to address the cost of power or groceries through changes to how markets operate. Their potential benefit is broader than a targeted benefit, but lower bills are not guaranteed, and the timing and size of any savings are uncertain. The main parties vying to form New Zealand's next governmentPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

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

National

Look for: tax and employment policies, alongside the existing family-support system.

If you expect to increase your paid hours, compare the effect of any tax changes on your take-home pay against changes to childcare subsidies and other assistance. A tax cut may help, but its value depends on your earnings and whether other support reduces as your income rises.

New Zealand Legislative Election Winner 2026 Odds | Polymarket

ACT

Look for: tax relief, employment incentives and its approach to benefit eligibility.

Tax relief can increase take-home pay for people who pay income tax. But for a lower-paid sole parent, the crucial comparison is the actual gain after childcare and any reduction in income-tested assistance, rather than the headline tax cut alone.

New Zealand Legislative Election Winner 2026 Odds | Polymarket

Te Pāti Māori

Look for: family-income support, housing affordability and help with essential living costs.

These are relevant areas to investigate if you need more direct financial support. Check the published policy for the proposed payment, who qualifies and whether eligibility depends on income, citizenship or other conditions.

These are priority areas to compare, not a verified list of each party's final commitments. For a current, policy-by-policy comparison, use Policy.nz's 2026 election guide, particularly its income and employment policies, economy policies and housing policies. Policy.nzPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

2. What could help you now, and who qualifies?

You don't have to wait for the election to check your entitlements. These existing support programmes may be especially important for a working sole parent.

What’s the Cost of Living in New Zealand Per Month? Your 2026 Guide – localinsight.com.au

Food and family income

Working for Families tax credits

You may qualify even if you work part-time. Eligibility and payment amounts depend on your family income, number of children and circumstances. Relevant payments include the Family Tax Credit and, if you meet its conditions, the In-work Tax Credit.

Best next step: Check Working for Families with Inland Revenue. Working for Families

New Zealand Money (NZD) with Electricity Plug and Electricity Bill

Power and urgent essential costs

Work and Income assistance

If you're struggling to pay an electricity bill or another essential expense, you may be able to get help depending on your income, available resources, the expense and your circumstances. Some assistance is discretionary or intended for an immediate need, rather than a permanent bill discount.

Start with Work and Income's assistance information. Ask about help with urgent costs and whether you qualify for a recoverable or non-recoverable payment. Working for FamiliesBenefit rates at 1 April 2026

Keel - Property Management Software for NZ Landlords

Rent

Accommodation Supplement

Renters on lower incomes may qualify, depending on their accommodation costs, income, assets, household circumstances and location. There are maximum payment rates, and meeting the rent threshold alone doesn't guarantee eligibility.

Start with Accommodation Supplement eligibility. Working for FamiliesBenefit rates at 1 April 2026

Daycare in East Auckland | Evolve Education Group

Preschool childcare

Childcare Subsidy and 20 Hours ECE

The Childcare Subsidy can help with approved preschool care if you meet its income and other eligibility conditions. It is generally available for up to 9 hours weekly if you're not working, studying or training, and may cover up to 50 hours in qualifying circumstances, including work.

Children aged 3–5 may also receive 20 Hours ECE at participating services. Check what your centre charges for any additional hours, because the subsidy and the 20 Hours ECE scheme have different rules.

Start with Childcare Subsidy eligibility and 20 Hours ECE. Childcare SubsidyWorking for Families

3. The policy issue that could matter most: taking on extra hours

For your circumstances, a promise of cheaper groceries or a tax cut may be less valuable than a policy that helps you work more hours without losing too much support or paying substantially more for childcare.

Consider this example, without assuming your actual income:

If a party proposes… What to check
A tax cut How much extra take-home pay would you receive at your earnings level?
Higher family payments Would you qualify, and would payments reduce as income rises?
Cheaper childcare Does the policy cover the hours you need to work?
Lower electricity prices Is there a direct discount, or is the saving dependent on future market changes?
More food grants Is support available directly to your household, or through a local organisation?

A policy that raises your weekly income by a modest but reliable amount may be more useful than a larger headline promise that you cannot access.

4. How I'd narrow down your choice

I'd compare parties on three priorities, in this order:

  1. Reliable weekly income: family payments and assistance that you can actually qualify for.
  2. Affordable childcare: support that makes extra paid hours financially worthwhile.
  3. Lower essentials: credible measures on power, groceries and rent, with a clear explanation of when savings would reach households.

The official election guide is a useful way to compare the actual policy wording without relying on campaign slogans: Policy.nz — 2026 general election.

One detail would let me make this much more useful: are you currently receiving Sole Parent Support, or are you supporting yourself mainly through your part-time wages? That distinction changes which existing entitlements and proposed policy changes are most relevant to you.

Ask anything

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Gemini · No location

I'm a sole parent with a preschool child, renting and working part time. Childcare costs and support rules affect how many hours I can take on. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. Which party policies could help with food, power and essentials for a sole-parent household, and who would qualify?

For a sole parent working part-time with a preschool child and renting, the key cost-of-living pressures typically center around housing (rent), food, power/utilities, and childcare/healthcare costs.

In the lead-up to the 2026 New Zealand General Election, political parties have proposed distinct policy packages aimed at easing these everyday expenses. The following breakdown maps out which parties are offering policies targeting essentials, and who would generally qualify for them.

1. Food and Grocery Essentials

  • Labour Party:
    • The Policy: Proposes cracking down on the supermarket duopoly by introducing independent wholesale suppliers and making price-gouging on essentials (including groceries, energy, and fuel) illegal for dominant corporations. They also pledge to expand school lunch programmes and cut back-to-school costs.
    • Who Qualifies: Universal benefit for households buying groceries; specific relief for families with school-aged children (though your child is currently preschool, this impacts future costs).
  • Green Party:
    • The Policy: Focuses heavily on food affordability through structural market changes, including proposals to break up major supermarket chains into public/cooperative entities (such as "KiwiMart") and implementing income-support measures like a guaranteed minimum income or targeted benefit boosts to ensure families can afford essentials.
    • Who Qualifies: Low-to-middle-income earners, beneficiaries, and sole parents.

2. Power and Household Utilities

  • Labour Party:
    • The Policy: Targets energy and power companies under its anti-price-gouging legislation for big corporations, alongside initiatives to support household energy efficiency and lower power overheads.
    • Who Qualifies: All residential consumers, with indirect benefits aimed at reigning in high power bills.
  • Green Party & Te Pāti Māori:
    • The Policy: Both parties advocate for structural overhauls of the energy sector (such as gentailer separation) to lower electricity prices, alongside targeted winter energy payments and emergency grants for low-income households struggling with utility arrears.
    • Who Qualifies: Low-income households, beneficiaries, and renters struggling with power bills.

3. Renting, Housing, and Cost of Living Support

  • National Party:
    • The Policy: Focuses on economic management through spending restraint, expanding first-home buyer pathways (such as 5% deposit schemes), and adjusting tax thresholds and family supports. For parents, they have campaigned on extending paid parental leave and introducing a $1,500 KiwiSaver "Baby Boost" (though primarily targeted at newborns/infants, broader tax and family assistance settings apply).
    • Who Qualifies: First-home buyers, families utilizing parental leave or tax credits.
  • Labour Party:
    • The Policy: Proposes building thousands of new social/public homes over four years, capping public transport fares ($20/week cap), freezing fuel taxes temporarily, and offering three free GP visits annually for all New Zealanders to directly lower out-of-pocket health costs.
    • Who Qualifies: Renters benefit from increased social housing stock; public transport caps and free GP visits apply universally to New Zealand residents.
  • Green Party & Te Pāti Māori:
    • The Policy: Advocate for aggressive public house-building targets (e.g., the Greens' 40,000 public homes plan), nationwide rent controls, and significantly lifted benefit levels or Working for Families tax credits indexed directly to the cost of living.
    • Who Qualifies: Renters, low-income part-time workers, and sole-parent beneficiaries.

Summary Checklist: What to Look For Based on Your Situation

As a working sole parent renting with a preschooler, your qualification for these policies usually depends on three main levers:

  1. Your Income Level (Part-Time Work): Parties proposing increases to Working for Families abatements, abatement thresholds (allowing you to earn more part-time before assistance drops), or targeted income top-ups (like the Greens or Labour) will directly impact your weekly cash flow.
  2. Housing Status (Renting): Look closely at policies concerning renter protections, rent controls, and social housing supply (Green, Labour, Te Pāti Māori) versus supply-side market reforms (National, ACT).
  3. Direct Household Overheads: Policies reducing healthcare costs (like free GP visits proposed by Labour), public transport caps, and utility/grocery market regulations offer immediate relief on essentials regardless of whether you receive a primary benefit or rely solely on part-time wages.

Are there particular cost pressures—such as finding stable housing, managing childcare hours while working, or covering power and grocery bills—that weigh most heavily on your household right now?

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 sole parent with a preschool child, renting and working part time. Childcare costs and support rules affect how many hours I can take on. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. Which party policies could help with food, power and essentials for a sole-parent household, and who would qualify?

New Zealand's major political parties offer distinct approaches to supporting low- and middle-income sole-parent households balancing part-time work, renting, and preschool childcare, though specific party manifestos for the late-2026 general election continue to evolve.

As a working sole renter with a preschooler, your household interacts heavily with Working for Families, Accommodation Supplement settings, Early Childhood Education (ECE) subsidies, and benefit abatement thresholds (how much you keep when you earn extra income). Below is an overview of how the key parliamentary political blocks generally approach these pressures and who qualifies for their core frameworks.

Current Baseline & General Party Approaches

  • Labour Party & Green Party (Left/Centre-Left): Typically focus on strengthening public income support, lifting baseline benefits and Working for Families tax credits, expanding free or subsidized ECE hours, and implementing targeted cost-of-living or energy grants. Abatement thresholds are often designed to let parents work more hours before assistance reduces.

  • National Party & ACT New Zealand (Centre-Right/Right): Typically focus on tax relief (such as adjustments to tax thresholds and Family Boost childcare rebates), incentivizing part-time or full-time work by adjusting benefit tapers or work obligations, and market-based solutions for housing and supply.

  • New Zealand First (Populist/Centre): Often emphasizes targeted cost-of-living relief, senior/family support, and tightening or reviewing economic settings around living costs and infrastructure.

Key Policy Areas and Who Qualifies

Support Area General Mechanism Who Qualifies (General Criteria)
Childcare & ECE Subsidies Subsidies like the Ministry of Education's 20 Hours ECE or Work and Income Childcare Subsidy help offset preschool fees. Center-right parties lean toward direct childcare tax rebates (e.g., Family Boost), while left blocks favor expanded universal free hours. Caregivers of preschool children; income-tested abatement levels apply for targeted Work and Income subsidies based on household size and part-time earnings.
Working & Abatement Rules Rules determining how much your part-time income reduces your main benefit (Sole Parent Support) or Working for Families entitlements. Left-leaning parties tend to raise abatement thresholds; right-leaning parties focus on lowering tax rates or increasing in-work tax credits. Sole parents working part-time with dependent children under 14, subject to annual income declarations and thresholds.
Food & Essentials Support Direct interventions include adjustments to Working for Families, Best Start grants for under-3s, or temporary hardship assistance (Temporary Additional Support/Food Grants via MSD). Low-to-moderate-income families with dependent children meeting specific asset and weekly income tests.
Power & Housing Assistance like the Winter Energy Payment (automatic for main benefit recipients) and the Accommodation Supplement for renters. Parties debate adjusting regional rent thresholds and energy market oversight. Renters facing high accommodation costs relative to income, and beneficiaries or low-income earners meeting specific cash-asset and threshold rules.

To help narrow down which specific party manifestos align with your goals, let me know:

  • Are you currently receiving Sole Parent Support or relying entirely on part-time wages plus Working for Families?
  • Is your primary priority maximizing free childcare hours to work more, or increasing cash top-ups for food and power?
Ask anything

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AI Overviews · No location

I'm a sole parent with a preschool child, renting and working part time. Childcare costs and support rules affect how many hours I can take on. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. Which party policies could help with food, power and essentials for a sole-parent household, and who would qualify?

AI Overview

As a renting sole parent working part-time with a preschool child, your budget is highly sensitive to policy changes. For the 2026 New Zealand general election , the major political parties have distinct platforms aimed at easing the cost of living for lower-income households.

The primary policy proposals from the major parties directly impacting food, power, essentials, and childcare costs are detailed below.

Labour Party

Labour's 2026 Election Policies focus on expanding targeted public services and lowering basic household expenses:

  • Food: Removing GST from fresh fruits and vegetables. They also plan to restore fresh, locally prepared school lunches (though this applies once your child reaches school age).
  • Power: Home solar loans and the "SolarSaver" programme to help cut household power bills.
  • Essentials & Health: Medicard scheme offering 3 free GP visits per year, alongside free prescriptions. They have also proposed a $20 weekly public transport fare cap and free transport for children.
  • Childcare & Working Hours: Re-committing to 20 hours free Early Childhood Education (ECE) for 2-year-olds. This significantly lowers the barrier to taking on extra part-time hours earlier.
  • WFF Tax Credits: Raising the In-Work Tax Credit and shifting the abatement threshold higher so you can earn more from working part-time before your financial support begins to reduce.
  • Who qualifies: All low-to-middle-income families, with specific visa/residency requirements for Working for Families (WFF) and benefit top-ups.

National Party

The National Party focuses on targeted financial relief, structural economic changes, and parental leave extensions, maintaining their stance on no new tax brackets:

  • Food & Essentials: Focussing on grocery market competition by splitting up large supermarket arms to lower shelf prices. They are also running on a strict "no new taxes" pledge.
  • Power: Proposing a Home Energy Fund to assist with household utility efficiency.
  • Childcare & Family Support: Gradual extension of Paid Parental Leave to 30 weeks by 2029. They support the FamilyBoost childcare rebate, which provides up to $120 per week depending on income.
  • Housing: Extending the First Home Loan scheme income caps to make 5% deposits more accessible, which may apply if you look to transition from renting.
  • Who qualifies: Working parents and independent earners, with relief sliding down at higher income thresholds. Welfare settings include firmer work-readiness obligations.

Green Party

The Green Party aims to fundamentally shift the tax burden away from low-and-middle earners onto corporate entities and the wealthy:

  • Food & Essentials: Proposing to nationalise or heavily regulate supermarkets to lower grocery costs. They also support fully free public transport.
  • Power: Creation of "Kiwipower" , a state-owned renewable energy entity designed to structurally drive down electricity bills.
  • Tax Relief for Essentials: A $10,000 tax-free income band. As a part-time worker, the first $10,000 you earn would carry zero income tax, leaving more immediate cash in your hand for essentials.
  • Renting Support: A policy to limit annual rent increases to 2% to protect tenants from sharp housing cost spikes.
  • Who qualifies: The income tax cuts would benefit 96% of New Zealanders, paid for by a 2.5% wealth tax on net assets over $10 million.

Te Pāti Māori & minor parties

  • Te Pāti Māori: Proposing a $30,000 tax-free threshold and a "Kai Credit" (income tax credit) for those earning $60,000 or less, which they value as equivalent to 8 weeks of food annually. They also support removing GST from all food items.
  • ACT: Focussing on reducing the cost of living by cutting government spending, flattening income tax brackets, and cutting compliance costs to stimulate the economy.
  • The Opportunity Party (TOP): Campaigning on a structural "Tax Reset" featuring a universal Citizen's Income ($19,400) funded by a land value tax.

Direct Policy Comparison for Sole Parents

Policy Area Labour Party National Party Green Party Te Pāti Māori
Food & Groceries GST removed from fresh fruit/veg Promotes grocery sector split to lower prices Regulate/Nationalise supermarkets GST removed from all food; Kai Credit
Power Bills SolarSaver loans Home Energy Fund Kiwipower state energy entity Focus on renewable investment
Tax Settings Lift WFF thresholds to keep more part-time cash "No new taxes" platform First $10,000 earned is completely tax-free First $30,000 earned is completely tax-free
Renting $4B social housing focus Capital gains tax exemptions for family homes Capping annual rent increases to a maximum of 2% Renting protections and wealth/land taxes
Childcare Support 20 hours free ECE for 2-year-olds FamilyBoost rebate up to $120/wk Free ECE and child wellbeing packages Free ECE and Whānau services funding

If you want to look deeper into a specific area, let me know:

  • How many hours of part-time work you are hoping to balance?
  • Whether your child is under or over 2 years old (as ECE policies shift here)?
  • Your general weekly rent or power pain-points?

I can break down exactly how the math of these policies could shift your weekly budget.

Ask anything

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