New Zealand election 2026: Jobs, wages, training and workers’ rights

Policy snapshot · 18 October 2026 · Nationwide

New Zealand’s general election is on Saturday 7 November 2026. The parties differ on a central question: should government create jobs and lift incomes through public investment, stronger employment protections and training, or mainly through business growth, lower regulation and incentives to hire? The main parties vying to form New Zealand's next governmentPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

Here is a comparison of the main parties’ published positions, focusing on four issues that affect workers, jobseekers, apprentices and employers. These are campaign commitments, not guaranteed outcomes.

1. Job creation and employment

National

Focuses on growing private businesses, expanding export markets, reducing red tape and encouraging investment. Its economic policies include support for small businesses and making it easier to develop commercial buildings. Its broader approach is to create conditions for businesses to hire rather than relying primarily on government-created jobs. 2026 Election PolicyThe main parties vying to form New Zealand's next government

Emphasis: private-sector growth and investment.

Labour

Its Start Work Now programme proposes building social housing, improving more than 2,000 state and integrated schools, and repairing hospitals. Labour says this will create jobs while addressing infrastructure backlogs. It also promises a job for every eligible New Zealand-trained graduate nurse from 2027. Labour's 2026 Election Policies

Emphasis: public works, construction and targeted job guarantees.

Green Party

Emphasises good jobs through sustainable industries, environmental restoration, stronger public services and support for local businesses. Its 2026 manifesto also focuses on protecting workers from exploitation and ensuring economic prosperity is more widely shared. Manifesto 2026Manifesto 2026

Emphasis: green jobs, community wellbeing and secure employment.

ACT

Argues that job creation and higher wages depend on productivity, business investment, entrepreneurship and reducing regulatory costs. Its small-business package aims to make it easier for employers to take on workers, particularly those entering the workforce. ACT New ZealandACT New Zealand

Emphasis: business-led growth and fewer employment-related costs.

New Zealand First

Supports economic development through infrastructure investment, regional growth and changes to business taxation. It has also announced additional Youth Guarantee places and more Trades Academy places, aiming to help young people gain the skills needed for work. Our PolicyBudget 2026: Common sense wins for NZ First

Emphasis: infrastructure, regional development and pathways into work.

2. Wages, minimum pay and retirement savings

Party	Published position
National	Proposes compulsory KiwiSaver for all workers, alongside a Crown-funded savings start for children. Its main employment emphasis is economic growth rather than a new minimum-wage increase commitment in the policies reviewed. 2026 Election Policy
Labour	Promises to restore pay-equity legislation, provide care and support workers with an immediate $4-an-hour pay rise from 1 January 2027, and progressively raise compulsory employer KiwiSaver contributions to 6% by 2032. Labour's 2026 Election Policies
Green Party	Advocates decent pay, stronger employment protections and a fairer distribution of income. Its manifesto also proposes a guaranteed decent income, funded through changes to the tax system. Manifesto 2026Manifesto 2026
ACT	Proposes freezing the adult minimum wage for three years. It argues that wage increases should be supported by productivity growth and proposes a lower training wage for young, inexperienced workers. ACT New Zealand
New Zealand First	Proposes increasing the minimum wage every year for the next three years and substantially increasing Working for Families support. Increasing Working for Families and Minimum Wage
Te Pāti Māori	Has opposed repealing Fair Pay Agreements legislation, arguing for industry-wide minimum employment standards that can lift wages and conditions, particularly for lower-paid workers. Te Pāti Māori Stands with Workers

The main difference: ACT's proposal would hold the adult minimum wage at its existing nominal level for three years, while New Zealand First explicitly promises annual increases. Labour's clearest quantified pay commitment is its proposed care-worker increase, while the Greens and Te Pāti Māori emphasise broader income fairness and employment protections. ACT New ZealandIncreasing Working for Families and Minimum WageLabour's 2026 Election PoliciesTe Pāti Māori Stands with Workers

3. Retraining, apprenticeships and getting into work

Labour — apprenticeships and Māori-led training

Proposes support for nearly 30,000 apprentices through its Start Work Now programme, including a $1,000 toolbox grant. It also proposes expanding Apprenticeship Boost and investing $21 million annually in Māori-led training linked to real employment opportunities. Labour's 2026 Election Policies

New Zealand First — trades and youth pathways

Its 2026 Budget commitments include $69 million to double Trades Academy places for secondary students and $87 million for 1,000 additional Youth Guarantee places targeting young people with no or low qualifications. These are announced funding commitments, distinct from any new election promise. Budget 2026: Common sense wins for NZ First

ACT — entry-level employment

Proposes a training wage at 60% of the adult minimum wage for workers under 20 during their first 12 months with an employer. ACT's stated rationale is that lower initial wage costs would encourage employers to take on inexperienced workers. This is an employment-entry proposal, not a general subsidy for mid-career retraining. ACT New Zealand

Green Party — skills for sustainable work

Its manifesto connects good employment with sustainable industries, environmental protection, public services and community prosperity. The available manifesto summary is less specific about a single nationwide retraining entitlement than Labour's apprenticeship commitments. Manifesto 2026Manifesto 2026

For someone changing careers after redundancy, the important distinction is whether a policy pays for training itself, subsidises an employer to take on a trainee, or creates an actual job. Those are three different forms of support.

4. Employment rights, job security and unions

Party	Direction of proposed policy
National	Emphasises business confidence, employment growth and economic stability. The policies reviewed do not establish a single new headline employment-rights package comparable to ACT's detailed proposals. 2026 Election Policy
Labour	Promises to restore pay-equity legislation and improve conditions for care and support workers. Its wider employment agenda includes public investment and apprenticeship support. Labour's 2026 Election Policies
Green Party	Explicitly prioritises stronger employment protections, decent pay, better working conditions, collective worker voice and protection against exploitation. Manifesto 2026
ACT	Proposes allowing protected discussions about mutually agreed employment exits, shortening the time limit for bringing personal grievances to proceedings, and ending compulsory employer collection of union fees. These proposals accompany its commitment to freeze the adult minimum wage. ACT New Zealand
New Zealand First	Its published agenda includes annual minimum-wage increases and stronger support for working families. The material reviewed is less detailed on a broader employment-law package. Our PolicyIncreasing Working for Families and Minimum Wage
Te Pāti Māori	Supports industry-wide fair-pay standards and opposes the repeal of Fair Pay Agreements legislation. It argues that sector-wide bargaining can improve pay, job security and working conditions. Te Pāti Māori Stands with Workers

These differences matter beyond hourly pay. For example, the parties' proposals could affect how easily an inexperienced worker enters employment, how workers negotiate conditions collectively, and what options employees have if an employment relationship breaks down.

5. How to compare the offers that matter to you

The clearest way to assess these policies is to match them to the outcome you care about.

• If your priority is getting people into work: compare Labour's public-works programme and job guarantees with National's business-growth approach and ACT's proposed incentives for hiring younger workers.
• If your priority is higher wages: look closely at New Zealand First's annual minimum-wage proposal, Labour's care-worker pay rise, ACT's proposed wage freeze, and the Greens' wider income and employment agenda.
• If your priority is retraining or an apprenticeship: examine Labour's apprenticeship support and Māori-led training, New Zealand First's Trades Academy and Youth Guarantee funding, and the eligibility requirements attached to each programme.
• If your priority is job security and employment rights: compare the Greens' and Te Pāti Māori's support for stronger worker protections and collective bargaining with ACT's proposed changes to employment processes and wage-setting.

One important qualification: a promise to create jobs does not guarantee a particular number of jobs will materialise, and a proposed wage rise does not by itself establish how employment, prices or hours worked would change. Those outcomes depend on implementation, economic conditions and employer responses.

Sources to explore further

• Policy.nz — 2026 incomes and employment policy comparison
• National — 2026 election policies
• Labour — 2026 election policies
• Green Party — 2026 manifesto
• ACT — small-business and employment policy announcement
• New Zealand First — published policies
• Te Pāti Māori — workers and Fair Pay Agreements

The party comparison on Policy.nz is a useful starting point because it lets you compare detailed policies by topic rather than relying on campaign slogans. Check the parties' own policy pages for eligibility rules, start dates and any subsequent updates before treating a proposal as a firm commitment.