New Zealand 2026 general election: Foreign policy, defence, trade and regional security

New Zealand's major parties differ in how they balance relationships with traditional security partners, economic ties with China, military spending, and the country's role in the Pacific.

A useful way to compare their positions is across four connected questions:

• Foreign relationships: How should New Zealand work with Australia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom and other international partners?
• Defence: How much should New Zealand spend on its armed forces, and what capabilities should it develop?
• Trade: How should the country protect export access and economic prosperity while managing strategic risks?
• Regional security: What role should New Zealand play in the Pacific, including climate resilience, maritime security and competition among major powers?

One important distinction for the 2026 election is between a party's established policy direction, its record in government, and any new commitments it has made specifically for this election. Those are not necessarily the same.

1. At-a-glance comparison

The table below distinguishes published 2026 positions from longer-standing party directions. Where a party has not published a clear, current commitment on a specific issue, that is noted rather than assumed.

Party	Foreign relationships	Defence and security	Trade and economic relationships
National	Emphasis on established international partnerships and economic diplomacy	The current government's strategy prioritises Australia, security partners and collective security	Export growth, new markets and doubling exports by 2034 2026 Election PolicyDefence strategy
Labour	Its precise new 2026 foreign-policy commitments need to be distinguished from its previous record in government	No sufficiently detailed new defence commitment identified in the sources reviewed	Its 2026 policy platform emphasises domestic economic priorities; a new, detailed trade strategy was not verified Labour's 2026 Election Policies
Green Party	Independent foreign policy, peace, international law, democracy and climate cooperation	Greater emphasis on peace and human security; its detailed defence position should be read alongside its foreign-affairs policies	Trade should be consistent with environmental protection, fairness and international cooperation Manifesto 2026
ACT New Zealand	Stronger integration with Western security partners is part of its established policy direction	Supports stronger defence capability and closer security cooperation; its current detailed 2026 commitments require checking ACT New Zealand Policies 2026 — NZ ElectionACT New Zealand	Generally market-oriented, with emphasis on economic freedom and international commercial links
New Zealand First	Independence, national sovereignty and a wider range of international partners	Its published 2023 platform proposed increasing defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2030	Diversification, supply-chain resilience, Commonwealth economic ties and a US free-trade agreement featured in its 2023 platform 2023 Election PoliciesOur founding principles
Te Pāti Māori	Independent foreign policy centred on Pacific and Indigenous relationships	Explicitly proposes declaring New Zealand militarily neutral and reviewing military alignments	Supports economic sovereignty and Māori-led prosperity; a comprehensive new international trade programme was not verified Military neutralityPolicy

Important qualification: the level of detail differs between parties. National and Labour's current policy pages do not establish a complete, directly comparable set of new 2026 commitments across all four subjects. For NZ First, the specific defence and trade measures above come from its 2023 manifesto, not a verified 2026 manifesto. ACT's security direction is based partly on its previously published positions. These distinctions matter when assessing what a party is actually promising voters this year.

2. Foreign relationships: where the differences lie

National and ACT: close security partnerships

Both sit within a political tradition that values close relationships with Australia and Western security partners. The current government's defence strategy explicitly prioritises the Australia relationship, important security partnerships and collective security. ACT has historically advocated deeper integration with Five Eyes partners and exploring participation in AUKUS-related security arrangements. Defence strategyACT New Zealand Policies 2026 — NZ Election

The key distinction is how far New Zealand should go in deepening defence cooperation and aligning with partners on strategic competition.

China: economic opportunity versus strategic risk

China is a major trading partner, so any government must weigh commercial ties against concerns about regional security, foreign interference and strategic dependence.

National's export-growth agenda makes international market access important. ACT's established approach is more explicitly security-focused on China's regional influence. NZ First emphasises independence and diversified relationships. These differences do not, by themselves, establish that any of these parties proposes ending trade with China. 2026 Election PolicyACT New Zealand Policies 2026 — NZ Election2023 Election Policies

Greens and Te Pāti Māori: Pacific-centred diplomacy

The Greens emphasise peace, international law, climate cooperation and respectful Pacific partnerships. Te Pāti Māori goes further on the question of military independence, proposing formal military neutrality and a review of alignments it considers inconsistent with New Zealand's sovereignty. Manifesto 2026Military neutrality

The central question is whether New Zealand should primarily strengthen existing security partnerships or put greater emphasis on independent diplomacy and Pacific-led approaches.

Labour: assess its record separately from new pledges

Labour's current 2026 policy page focuses on domestic economic and social measures. The sources reviewed do not establish a sufficiently detailed new foreign-policy platform to make a fair, issue-by-issue comparison of its latest commitments with those of the Greens or Te Pāti Māori. Labour's 2026 Election Policies

Its position on particular alliances, sanctions, recognition of states and defence commitments should therefore be checked against specific current announcements, rather than inferred from the party's name or its past governments.

3. Defence: spending, alliances and military neutrality

Three questions help explain the differences between parties.

Defence spending and military capability

• National-led government: The current defence strategy seeks stronger capability, a closer defence relationship with Australia and greater contributions to collective security. It frames the deteriorating strategic environment as a reason for a more proactive approach. Defence strategy
• ACT: Its established policy direction supports stronger defence spending and closer Western security integration. However, the specific target and timing of any new 2026 spending commitment need to be verified against its latest policy documents. ACT New Zealand Policies 2026 — NZ ElectionACT New Zealand
• New Zealand First: Its 2023 manifesto proposed progressively raising real defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2030, alongside a ring-fenced capital fund for defence equipment and infrastructure. This is a historical published commitment, not confirmation of a new 2026 pledge. 2023 Election Policies
• Greens: Their foreign-affairs framework emphasises peace, international law and collective action. Those principles are relevant to defence choices, but they should not be mistaken for a specific spending target.
• Te Pāti Māori: Explicitly proposes military neutrality and refocusing the Defence Force on territorial protection, disaster response and Pacific support. Military neutrality
• Labour: A directly comparable new 2026 defence-spending target was not established by the sources reviewed.

The AUKUS question

AUKUS is the security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Its implications for New Zealand extend beyond submarines to possible technology sharing, intelligence, defence industrial cooperation and strategic alignment.

ACT has historically supported exploring AUKUS participation. By contrast, Te Pāti Māori's neutrality proposal calls for reviewing and withdrawing from military alignments it considers to undermine sovereignty. The Greens' independent foreign-policy principles provide another perspective on military alignment. ACT New Zealand Policies 2026 — NZ ElectionMilitary neutralityManifesto 2026

For voters, the practical questions are:

• Should New Zealand deepen its participation in Western security arrangements?
• Would closer integration improve access to intelligence, technology and deterrence, and at what financial or diplomatic cost?
• How much independence should New Zealand preserve when its security partners take part in conflicts or strategic competition?

Neutrality also needs careful definition: declaring neutrality would not automatically resolve existing treaty obligations, intelligence arrangements, or decisions about sanctions and military assistance.

4. Trade: exports, China and diversification

Trade policy matters especially to New Zealand because the country depends on access to overseas markets for agricultural products, food, services, tourism and other exports.

National: expand export earnings

National has explicitly committed to doubling the value of New Zealand's exports by 2034. Its approach centres on helping businesses sell more internationally and supporting export-led economic growth. 2026 Election Policy

A useful question is how the party would achieve that growth while reducing exposure to trade disruptions or over-reliance on individual markets.

New Zealand First: diversification and resilience

NZ First's 2023 policy proposed deeper Commonwealth economic relationships, work towards a comprehensive US free-trade agreement, and stronger supply-chain resilience. It also proposed reviewing the role of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. 2023 Election Policies

This combines support for international trade with a focus on economic independence and reducing vulnerability to overseas disruptions.

Greens: trade alongside environmental and social objectives

The Green Party's 2026 manifesto presents global affairs and trade within a wider agenda of climate action, international justice and cooperation. Manifesto 2026

When examining its detailed proposals, look at how environmental protections, labour standards and climate obligations would interact with market-access opportunities.

Labour and ACT: examine specific current commitments

The available 2026 policy sources do not provide enough detail to assign either party a fully verified new trade strategy comparable with National's export target or NZ First's published 2023 proposals. Their current trade agreements, market-access commitments and approaches to strategic dependence should be assessed from their detailed announcements.

The trade-offs to examine

Issue	What to look for in party policies
China and export access	How would the party protect exporters if diplomatic tensions disrupted trade?
New markets	Which countries or trade agreements would it prioritise, and how?
Supply chains	Would it encourage domestic production of strategically important goods or rely primarily on international markets?
Trade and climate	What environmental and labour conditions would it seek in trade agreements?
Economic security	How would it balance commercial opportunities with foreign investment screening and national security?

A party's stated commitment to growing exports is not, on its own, evidence that it has a detailed plan to diversify markets or reduce strategic risk.

5. Regional security: the Pacific and the wider Indo-Pacific

For New Zealand, regional security includes more than military conflict. It also covers maritime surveillance, illegal fishing, transnational crime, cyber threats, disaster response, climate-related emergencies and the resilience of Pacific Island states.

Four policy approaches to compare

1. Collective security

Work with Australia and other established partners, invest in military capability, and contribute to a stable regional order. This is explicit in the current government's defence strategy. Defence strategy

2. Pacific-led diplomacy and resilience

Give Pacific countries greater influence in regional priorities, strengthen partnerships, and address shared risks such as climate change and disaster response. This aligns with the Greens' Pacific partnership framework. Manifesto 2026

3. Independent regional relationships

Diversify partnerships and protect New Zealand's ability to make its own decisions. NZ First's published approach emphasises regional engagement, independence and resilience. 2023 Election Policies

4. Neutrality and non-military security

Reduce dependence on military alignments and prioritise protection, disaster response and Pacific support. This is the explicit proposal of Te Pāti Māori's military-neutrality policy. Military neutrality

These approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, a government could invest in maritime surveillance and disaster relief while maintaining close defence partnerships. The main disagreements concern the extent of military alignment, the allocation of resources, and who should lead regional security decisions.

6. Where to verify the latest 2026 commitments

Because the election is approaching, the parties' latest published policies are more useful than relying exclusively on older manifestos.

• National — 2026 election policies
• Labour — 2026 election policies
• Green Party — 2026 manifesto
• ACT — party policies
• New Zealand First — policy and manifesto archive
• Te Pāti Māori — policy platform
• Policy.nz — 2026 defence and foreign affairs comparison
• Ministry of Defence — defence strategy

Policy.nz is particularly useful for checking individual proposals across parties. For any policy that could materially change New Zealand's international relationships, it is worth checking whether the proposal is a firm election commitment, an established principle, or a position published in an earlier election cycle.

Bottom line

The central foreign-policy choice is how New Zealand should balance security partnerships, independent decision-making, economic opportunity and Pacific responsibilities.

• If you are examining closer Western security cooperation, focus on the current government's defence strategy and ACT's security proposals.
• If you are examining export growth and trade diversification, compare National's 2034 export target with NZ First's published proposals on new markets and supply-chain resilience.
• If you are examining peace, climate diplomacy and Pacific-led cooperation, read the Greens' 2026 manifesto.
• If military neutrality and a fundamental reset of defence relationships are central concerns, Te Pāti Māori has an explicit published proposal.
• For Labour, check its latest specific announcements before drawing conclusions about its 2026 defence, trade and foreign-policy commitments.

The most revealing comparison is not simply which party favours international cooperation, but which partnerships it would prioritise, what it would commit to spending, and what trade-offs it is prepared to make to protect New Zealand's long-term interests.