--- title: "PF126 · Captured AI answers" publisher: "Onsomble Limited" publication: "NZBrands.ai" edition: 3 collected_on: "2026-10-16" html_url: "https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/3/questions/d8b81632-4b64-4f32-b0e4-21d5182996ed/" --- # PF126 · Captured AI answers Edition 3 · answers collected 16 October 2026. [Read on NZBrands.ai](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/3/questions/d8b81632-4b64-4f32-b0e4-21d5182996ed/) ## Question For the 2026 New Zealand general election: What are parties offering on job creation, wages, retraining and employment rights? Question ID: d8b81632-4b64-4f32-b0e4-21d5182996ed. Report reference: PF126. Issue: Jobs and unemployment. Voter: No voter described. [Source record (JSON)](https://nzbrands.ai/data/nz-election-2026/editions/3/answers/d8b81632-4b64-4f32-b0e4-21d5182996ed.json) ## How to read this evidence The answers below are shown as the assistants gave them, not a verified account or NZBrands.ai voting advice. They may contain errors or outdated claims. A recorded source association is not necessarily a link shown to the reader. Captured 16 October 2026. 3 answers were saved for this question. Missing answers have not been filled in. [Study methodology and limitations](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/3/method.md) ## ChatGPT · asked nationally Answer ID: b1220606-888f-4aa5-be70-471bec0be6ed. Captured 16 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** As of **16 October 2026**, the main divide is fairly clear: **National and ACT emphasise growth, business investment and labour-market flexibility as the route to more jobs and higher wages; Labour, the Greens and NZ First put more emphasis on direct wage increases, collective rights and government-supported training/jobs.** The election is on **7 November 2026**. [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/main-parties-vying-form-new-zealands-next-government-2026-10-12/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ## At a glance | Party | Job creation | Wages | Retraining / skills | Employment rights | |---|---|---|---|---| | **National** | Growth, infrastructure, exports, investment and easier hiring; says its plan supports **220,000 additional jobs over four years** | Higher wages mainly through productivity/growth; no new taxes | More trades training; paid workplace learning such as **Earn as You Learn** | More employer flexibility and less compliance; supports current 90-day trials | | **Labour** | Public infrastructure/building programme; Future Fund; targeted job guarantees | Restore pay-equity system; **$4/hour immediate rise** for care/support workers; stronger KiwiSaver | Expand Apprenticeship Boost by 30,000; $1,000 tools grant; Māori-led training | Stronger collective/worker protections; restore pay equity and Fair Pay-style mechanisms | | **Greens** | Government-backed jobs guarantee for unemployed young people; green/care economy | Stronger minimum wages and collective bargaining; higher pay/worker protections | Paid placements for nurses, teachers and social workers; just-transition support | **Most expansive**: stronger union rights, employment security and protections | | **NZ First** | More emphasis on putting NZ workers first, reducing reliance on migrant labour, trades/youth programmes | Increase minimum wage annually for three years | More Trades Academy places and Youth Guarantee places | More worker-oriented than National/ACT, but less expansive than Greens/Labour | | **ACT** | Reduce regulation and employment costs to encourage businesses to hire | **Freeze adult minimum wage for three years**; introduce lower training wage for under-20s | Training wage intended to make employers more willing to hire inexperienced workers | **Most employer-flexibility-oriented**: 90-day trials, oppose Fair Pay Agreements, reduce employment regulation | ### National: "grow the economy and jobs follow" New Zealand National Party is pitching job creation primarily as an **economic-growth problem**. Its 2026 economic plan combines infrastructure spending, export growth, investment incentives, RMA/planning reform and lower regulatory costs. National says Budget 2026 forecasts **220,000 jobs over four years**, with wages growing faster than inflation. [National Party](https://www.national.org.nz/news/260928-nicolawillis?utm_source=chatgpt.com) For skills, National is backing more trades training and programmes such as **Earn as You Learn**, which combines paid workplace experience with formal qualifications and mentoring. [National Party](https://www.national.org.nz/news/20260803-honcameronbrewer?utm_source=chatgpt.com) For employment relations, National's approach is to make it **easier and less costly for small businesses to employ people**. Its small-business plan includes simpler employment administration, easier seasonal hiring and faster resolution of minor employment disputes. [National Party](https://www.national.org.nz/policies/47-point-plan-small-businesses?utm_source=chatgpt.com) **In short:** National expects higher employment and wages to come mainly from a stronger, more productive economy rather than mandated wage increases. ### Labour: jobs plus stronger worker protections New Zealand Labour Party is proposing considerably more direct government involvement. Its **Start Work Now** programme would accelerate social-housing construction, school upgrades and hospital repairs, explicitly aiming to put people back into work. It also plans to expand Apprenticeship Boost to **30,000 additional people**, with a $1,000 tools grant for apprentices and tradies. [Labour Party NZ](https://www.labour.org.nz/start-work-now?utm_source=chatgpt.com) For Māori employment, Labour proposes **Māori-led vocational training** aimed at moving people into skilled, well-paid employment. It also proposes a job guarantee for eligible NZ-trained graduate nurses. [Labour Party NZ](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy?utm_source=chatgpt.com) On wages, Labour's most concrete promise is to **restore pay-equity legislation within its first 100 days** and give about **65,000 care and support workers an immediate $4/hour increase from January 2027**. [Labour Party NZ](https://www.labour.org.nz/pay-equity?utm_source=chatgpt.com) So Labour's model is essentially: **public investment + apprenticeships/training + stronger bargaining/pay-equity institutions + targeted wage increases**. ### Greens: government as employer of last resort and stronger rights Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand go furthest toward direct government intervention in employment. Their newly announced **Jobs for Young People** programme would guarantee a pathway into employment for 16–24-year-olds who have been out of work for six months, with jobs in community infrastructure, environmental restoration and services. [Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand](https://www.greens.org.nz/greens_announce_jobs_guarantee_for_young_people?utm_source=chatgpt.com) They have also just announced **paid practical placements** for students training as nurses, teachers and other essential health/social-support workers, including help with relocation where necessary. [Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand](https://www.greens.org.nz/greens_announce_paid_placements_for_nurses_teachers_and_social_workers?utm_source=chatgpt.com) On rights, the Greens explicitly frame employment policy around **decent pay, job security, collective voice and stronger employment protections**. They also support making union membership the default for new employees, with an opt-out mechanism. [Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Their broader employment philosophy is therefore: **if the private labour market isn't producing enough decent jobs, government should intervene directly**, while giving workers substantially more collective bargaining power. ### NZ First: wages + "New Zealand workers first" New Zealand First sits somewhere between the two blocs economically. It has promised to **increase the minimum wage every year for the next three years**, alongside a substantial increase in Working for Families. [New Zealand First](https://www.nzfirst.nz/increasing_working_for_families_and_minimum_wage?utm_source=chatgpt.com) For retraining and young people, NZ First has backed expanded **Trades Academy** places and **Youth Guarantee** places, with the stated aim of getting young people with low/no qualifications into skills and employment. Budget 2026 allocated $69m to double Trades Academy places and $87m for 1,000 additional Youth Guarantee places. [New Zealand First](https://www.nzfirst.nz/budget_2026_common_sense_wins_for_nz_first?utm_source=chatgpt.com) It is also proposing to scrap the current accredited-employer working-visa model, arguing that employers should first look to New Zealand workers and that migrant labour should fill genuinely critical shortages. [New Zealand First](https://www.nzfirst.nz/news?utm_source=chatgpt.com) **In short:** NZ First combines **higher minimum wages and more training** with a strong preference for employing New Zealanders before importing labour. ### ACT: make hiring cheaper and more flexible ACT New Zealand has the sharpest contrast with the Greens and Labour. ACT proposes to **freeze the adult minimum wage for three years** and introduce a **training wage at 60% of the adult minimum wage for under-20s during their first 12 months with an employer**. Its argument is that lower mandated labour costs would encourage businesses to create entry-level jobs and train inexperienced workers. [ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/news/act%E2%80%99s-small-business-policy-package-to-clear-red-tape?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ACT also favours substantially greater employer flexibility: it supports 90-day trials, opposes Fair Pay Agreements and wants employment-relations rules simplified. [ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/news/100-days-in-act-policies-form-leading-edge-of-govt-agenda?utm_source=chatgpt.com) On retraining, the emphasis is therefore less on government-funded retraining programmes and more on **making it economically attractive for employers to take on inexperienced workers and train them on the job**. ## The real choices for workers If you reduce the platforms to the four things you asked about: - **Creating jobs:** National/ACT → *grow businesses and reduce hiring costs*. Labour → *government investment plus private-sector growth*. Greens → *government should directly create jobs when the market doesn't*. NZ First → *prioritise NZ workers and expand trades/youth employment*. - **Raising wages:** Greens/Labour/NZ First → *use minimum-wage, pay-equity or collective mechanisms*. National → *wages rise through productivity and economic growth*. ACT → *avoid mandated increases and let wages be determined more by the market*. - **Retraining:** National/NZ First/ACT favour **work-based pathways and trades** in different forms; Labour puts more money into apprenticeships and targeted Māori training; Greens put particular emphasis on **paid training/placements and a just transition**. - **Employment rights:** Greens and Labour offer the strongest expansion/restoration of collective worker protections. NZ First is relatively worker-focused on pay but less expansive institutionally. National favours a more employer-friendly regulatory environment. ACT goes furthest toward **flexibility for employers and away from collective regulation**. One important caveat: these are **party promises, not predictions of what will actually become law**. Under MMP, the eventual employment programme could be substantially shaped by coalition negotiations. Policy.nz's 2026 comparison is useful for seeing the proposals side-by-side, while the NZCTU has separately published a worker-focused scorecard showing which parties answered its questions on Fair Pay Agreements, pay equity, 90-day trials, minimum wages, unions and other rights. [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/incomes-and-employment?utm_source=chatgpt.com) For a more decision-focused comparison, I can next **rank the parties for workers** or **compare their policies for low-paid, middle-income and skilled workers**. **End captured answer** ## Gemini · asked nationally Answer ID: 8610cf7c-61c7-4e76-bcdb-972b0973a3a2. Captured 16 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** For the 2026 New Zealand general election, political parties have put forward distinct visions for the economy, focusing heavily on business confidence, cost-of-living pressures, and structural changes to industrial relations. The major policy offerings across **job creation, wages, retraining, and employment rights** reflect a sharp contrast between center-right and center-left approaches. --- ### 1. Job Creation and Economic Growth * **National Party:** Emphasizes growing jobs through private sector confidence, fiscal restraint, reducing government debt, and cutting red tape for small businesses and commercial building. Their economic strategy relies on boosting domestic business activity, encouraging investment, and attracting skilled workers and young expatriates back home through targeted incentives (such as housing and student loan adjustments). * **Labour Party:** Focuses on grassroots economic development and direct government-backed investments. This includes redirecting funds into venture and infrastructure initiatives (like a proposed New Zealand Future Fund and the Elevate investment programme), expanding support for thousands of apprenticeships, improving small businesses' access to government procurement contracts, and implementing a targeted capital gains tax on commercial/investment property. ### 2. Wages and Incomes * **Minimum Wage & Cost of Living:** Parties differ significantly on minimum pay rates. While some right-of-centre or conservative proposals lean toward wage moderation or freezing/restructuring entry rates to protect business margins, other parties (such as NZ First and Labour) emphasize inflation-proofing or lifting baseline incomes to combat cost-of-living pressures. * **Public Sector & Pay Equity:** Left-leaning parties strongly advocate for targeted investments in public sector wages—particularly for health workers, teachers, and care professionals—alongside stronger pay transparency rules and pay-parity management to narrow gender and sector pay gaps. ### 3. Retraining and Workforce Development * **Apprenticeships & Targeted Upskilling:** Labour has highlighted expanded support for tens of thousands of apprenticeships and dedicated industry upskilling pathways, particularly in areas facing severe structural labor shortages like health care and regional trades. * **Older Workers:** Policies addressing an aging workforce include proposals to incentivize employers to hire, retain, and retrain older workers, alongside structural adjustments to superannuation and KiwiSaver settings for workers aged 65 and over. ### 4. Employment Rights and Industrial Relations Industrial relations remain one of the most polarized areas of debate following recent legislative adjustments (such as the Employment Relations Amendment Act settings introduced earlier in 2026): * **Left-Bloc / Labour Approach:** Strongly opposes recent changes that restricted personal grievance remedies, altered unjustified dismissal thresholds (such as high-income exemption thresholds), or streamlined contractor tests. Labour and aligned groups propose restoring former protections, strengthening collective bargaining rights, supporting default union membership structures (opt-out systems), and potentially revisiting sector-wide bargaining frameworks (similar to previous Fair Pay Agreement models). * **Right-Bloc / National Approach:** Favors the current flexible labor market framework designed to reduce compliance and litigation costs for employers. Their focus centers on providing businesses with hiring certainty, clear contractor gateways, and streamlined individual employment terms to encourage enterprise growth without heavy-handed industrial mandates. **End captured answer** ## Google AI Mode · asked nationally Answer ID: 176aec04-adb4-4da6-ba75-ca8318786f86. Captured 16 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** For the 2026 New Zealand general election, political parties have outlined distinct approaches to employment, remuneration, training, and worker protections. As detailed by public policy platforms, union analyses, and party announcements, the major political movements approach these areas through contrasting economic lenses. Job Creation * * **Green Party** : Emphasizes direct state-backed employment and economic transformation packages. The Greens have proposed a multi-billion-dollar economic development and innovation package aiming to stimulate tens of thousands of new jobs, alongside a "Jobs for Young People" pilot program to fully subsidize wages for young New Zealanders long-term out of work. * **National Party and ACT (Centre-Right/Right)** : Focus on private-sector-led growth, reducing compliance and regulatory costs for businesses, and incentivizing enterprise investment to naturally expand employment opportunities. * **Labour Party (Centre-Left)** : Focuses on industry-targeted economic support, regional development, and public-sector backing for manufacturing, clean energy, and infrastructure jobs, while opposing certain tax deductions they argue do not drive productive work. [NZ Herald] * Wages and Income * * **National and ACT** : Advocate for restrained minimum wage adjustments or flexible market-led wage growth to maintain business competitiveness, alongside supporting individual enterprise bargaining. * **Labour and the Green Party** : Support regular annual increases to the minimum wage, and advocate for reinstating mechanisms like Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) to lift sector-wide remuneration. They also support restoring prior pay equity frameworks to address gender-based wage gaps. * **Opportunities/Minor Parties** : Various minor parties have floated alternative tax structures, such as tax-free income thresholds (e.g., exempting the first slice of earnings from tax) or altering income brackets to increase take-home pay. [Policy.nz] * Retraining and Skills * * **Labour and the Greens** : Champion public investment in tertiary education, industry training organizations, and targeted Māori-led or regional training funds to transition workers into emerging green-economy and technological (such as AI-adapted) sectors. * **National and ACT** : Generally favor targeted, industry-responsive skills training tied closely to employer demand and private sector needs, emphasizing accountability and direct employment outcomes over generalized institutional funding. [Policy.nz] * Employment Rights and Workplace Rules * * **National and ACT** : Support flexibility in the labor market. The National-led legislative track has favored provisions such as expanded 90-day trial periods for businesses of all sizes, modifications to personal grievance processes, and clarified independent contractor definitions. * **Labour, the Greens, and Te Pāti Māori** : Strongly oppose these measures, pledging to repeal recent restrictions on personal grievances, re-establish union access and collective bargaining presumptions (such as the 30-day rule for collective agreements), and roll back changes affecting contractor classifications, which labor organizations like the NZCTU argue weaken worker security. [NZCTU] **End captured answer** ## Publication and corrections Published and funded by Onsomble Limited. NZBrands.ai takes no view on any party or policy. [Independence](https://nzbrands.ai/about/independence/) · [Corrections](https://nzbrands.ai/about/corrections/) · [Contact](https://nzbrands.ai/about/contact/)