New Zealand election 2026: Trade access and protecting farm exports

Election day: Saturday, 7 November 2026 · National policy comparison

For a farming business well outside a main centre, the key question is how each party would help you remain profitable while protecting access to overseas markets, managing environmental obligations and keeping the costs of production under control.

New Zealand's general election campaign has brought these issues into focus. National is emphasising new trade agreements and export growth; Labour supports expanded market access but has raised concerns about the India deal; and New Zealand First stresses regional infrastructure and primary-sector support. The Greens have taken a more conditional approach to trade agreements, emphasising environmental and climate commitments. Election 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary SectorRelease: Labour to support India free trade agreementHansardNew Zealand's Next Billion Customers

1. What the parties are offering

The comparison below focuses on the main parties with published positions relevant to trade, farming and export protection. It distinguishes specific commitments from broader priorities.

National

Trade expansion and production growth

• Trade access: Proposes starting negotiations with seven additional economies over five years, prioritising Europe, South America, Africa and Asia, and continuing its target of doubling the value of exports by 2034.

• Export protection: Promotes diversification into new markets, reduced customs and non-tariff barriers, and more support for exporters through New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

• Farm costs and obligations: Emphasises reducing regulatory burdens, greater land-use flexibility, easier on-farm water storage and improved fertiliser supply security.

• What to check: Whether additional market access will translate into better returns for your particular products, and how its proposed changes to environmental rules affect your farm.

  Sources: New Zealand's Next Billion CustomersElection 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary SectorSecuring water and fertiliser to back NZ farmers

Labour

Export opportunities alongside business resilience

• Trade access: Supports the New Zealand–India free trade agreement, saying tariff reductions and improved access for exporters are welcome.

• Export protection: Has raised concerns about the agreement's investment-related conditions and potential consequences if its targets are not met. Labour says it would work with exporters and importers to develop the India relationship.

• Farm costs: Highlights energy insecurity, biosecurity, extreme weather and the cost of running farming businesses. Its small-business proposals include faster payment of invoices and support for investment in equipment.

• What to check: Its detailed commitments on future trade negotiations, farm compliance costs and the practical support available to remote farming communities.

  Sources: Release: Labour to support India free trade agreementLabour's 2026 Election PoliciesElection 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary Sector

New Zealand First

Primary industries and regional investment

• Trade access: Its MPs voted against the India free trade agreement, unlike National and Labour. That is an important difference if you expect to benefit from the new Indian market.

• Export protection: Emphasises the importance of farming, forestry, fishing and other primary industries to New Zealand's export earnings.

• Farm costs and services: Highlights regional infrastructure, water storage, irrigation, flood protection and port upgrades. It argues that rural regions should receive a fairer share of the benefits they generate.

• What to check: Its specific alternative plan for securing new overseas market access, and how much funding would reach your region.

  Sources: HansardElection 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary Sector

ACT

Lower regulatory costs and farm productivity

• Trade access: Its specific 2026 trade-negotiation commitments are less clearly set out in the sources reviewed than National's.

• Export protection: Focuses on making primary production more competitive by reducing domestic regulatory and operating costs.

• Farm costs and obligations: Has proposed national standards covering ten routine farming activities, including effluent management, fertiliser application, farm plans, water storage and vegetable growing. It has also proposed a dedicated Rural Workforce Visa for farm labour shortages.

• What to check: The detail of the proposed standards, how they would interact with regional catchment conditions, and whether they reduce your actual consenting costs.

  Sources: ACT New ZealandACT New Zealand

Green Party

Environmental conditions and sustainable agriculture

• Trade access: The Greens voted against the India free trade agreement. Their stated distinction is that trade agreements should contain meaningful climate and environmental obligations; they supported the EU agreement, which they considered to meet important conditions.

• Export protection: Their approach places greater emphasis on environmental safeguards and the sustainability of production than on market opening alone.

• Farm costs and obligations: The party's agricultural and climate policies are relevant to freshwater, biodiversity, emissions and farming practices.

• What to check: The likely compliance costs for your farm, proposed assistance for farmers adopting environmental improvements, and how its approach would secure market access for your export products.

  Sources: HansardComplete Party PolicyComplete Party Policy

Opportunity Party

Innovation, research and long-term infrastructure

• Trade access: The sources reviewed do not establish a detailed, specific programme for new agricultural trade agreements.

• Export protection: Emphasises innovation and improving the productivity and resilience of the economy.

• Farm costs and investment: Proposes increased research and development spending, support for agricultural science and technology, and a 25% tax credit on qualifying new investments by small businesses.

• What to check: Eligibility for farm investment support and whether its research, technology and infrastructure proposals address your sector's export barriers.

  Source: Election 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary Sector

One qualification: Rural News sought primary-sector policy responses from major parties in October 2026, but ACT and the Greens did not respond by its deadline. Their positions above therefore draw on separately published party policies and parliamentary records rather than answers to that questionnaire. Election 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary SectorACT New ZealandComplete Party Policy

2. Why the India trade agreement matters to farmers

The India agreement is one of the clearest examples of a real policy difference in this election. It illustrates the difference between opening an export market and deciding what conditions should apply to that access.

95%

of current exports

Preferential access over time

The agreement provides preferential access for 95% of New Zealand's current exports to India, with tariff elimination or reductions phased in over time. The benefits differ considerably by product. Key Outcomes | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Horticulture

Apples, kiwifruit and other produce

The agreement includes new quota access for apples and kiwifruit, alongside tariff reductions for products such as cherries, avocados, blueberries and persimmons. Key Outcomes | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Dairy

Opportunities, but not unrestricted access

Some dairy preparations and ingredients receive phased tariff reductions or special arrangements. The agreement does not simply eliminate all Indian barriers to New Zealand dairy products. Key Outcomes | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The parties' positions are distinct:

• National: Pursues the agreement as part of a wider strategy to diversify markets and grow exports.
• Labour: Supports the agreement, but has raised concerns about its investment targets and implementation.
• New Zealand First and the Greens: Voted against the agreement, although their reasons differ. New Zealand First opposed the deal's terms, while the Greens objected to its environmental and climate provisions. Release: Labour to support India free trade agreementHansardPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

For your farm, the key question is whether your product benefits directly, whether the quota or tariff arrangements are commercially useful, and whether you can realistically supply that market. A national export-growth target does not guarantee a higher farm-gate price.

3. What about protecting agricultural exports from future risks?

Trade access is only one side of export protection. Three other issues are worth comparing.

Issue	Questions to ask about party policy
Market concentration	Will the party pursue more trade agreements so that one overseas market accounts for a smaller share of your sales?
Input costs and supply chains	What will it do about fertiliser, fuel, electricity, freight and disruptions to imported farm supplies?
Environmental and market standards	Will its rules help exporters meet overseas requirements and retain buyer confidence, and who pays for compliance?

National has explicitly proposed new essential-supplies agreements with partner countries and a $10 million domestic nitrogen fund as part of its fertiliser-security policy. ACT's approach focuses more on reducing domestic regulatory costs. Labour highlights business resilience, biosecurity and energy security, while the Greens place greater emphasis on environmental safeguards. Securing water and fertiliser to back NZ farmersBallance Welcomes National's Policy on Securing Fertiliser Supply ContractsACT New ZealandElection 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary SectorComplete Party Policy

For a remote farm, there is also a practical distinction between national policy and what you experience locally. Regional road reliability, rural connectivity, access to veterinary and other professional services, water infrastructure and emergency support can affect your costs and your ability to meet delivery contracts. New trade agreements alone will not resolve those constraints.

4. How to compare the policies against your farm's priorities

You can use these questions to assess each party without relying on campaign slogans.

Your farm policy checklist

Select the issues that matter most to your business. You can use this shortlist to compare the parties' detailed policies.

Trade agreements

Farm input costs

Environmental compliance

Rural roads and infrastructure

Rural services and connectivity

Water security and irrigation

Biosecurity and export standards

Research and technology

Compare selected priorities

For further checking, these sources are useful:

• National's 2026 trade policy
• Labour's 2026 policies
• ACT's farming regulatory proposals
• Green Party policies
• Policy.nz's 2026 election policy guide

The central distinction: National's published programme puts particular emphasis on trade expansion and export growth; Labour combines support for market access with concerns about implementation and business resilience; New Zealand First prioritises primary industries and regional investment but opposed the India agreement; ACT emphasises lowering domestic farming costs; and the Greens place more weight on environmental conditions attached to trade. Opportunity emphasises innovation and longer-term investment.

The practical test is which combination of export opportunities, predictable compliance requirements and reliable rural infrastructure best supports the long-term viability of your particular farm.