New Zealand 2026 election: Jobs and services in small towns beyond farming

If you live and work in a small New Zealand town, the issues you're raising are closely connected: how to create jobs outside farming, keep existing employers operating, improve access to healthcare, and reduce the need to travel long distances for essential services.

For your vote in the 2026 general election, it helps to look beyond general promises about economic growth and examine what each party would actually do for smaller communities.

There are four key questions to consider:

• Jobs: What would parties do to attract employers and create work in industries other than farming?
• Keeping local businesses alive: How would they help small businesses, tradespeople, manufacturers and other employers remain viable?
• Healthcare and essential services: What would they do to make doctors, nurses and other professionals available locally?
• Distance and infrastructure: How would they address transport, internet access and the cost of reaching services in larger towns?

I'll compare the main parties' relevant policies, distinguishing between existing government commitments, opposition proposals and policies that still need to be confirmed for the 2026 election. A party's proposal is not the same as a funded programme, and neither guarantees that jobs or services will reach your town.

1. How the main parties propose to create jobs outside farming

National: Help businesses invest, expand and employ people

National's approach focuses on private-sector growth, investment incentives, exports and reducing the regulatory costs of running a business.

Its published policies include:

• Investment Boost: Businesses can immediately deduct 20% of the cost of eligible new productive assets, encouraging investment in equipment, technology and premises.
• Support for small businesses: A proposed First Employee Support Package would help small-business owners navigate payroll, tax, ACC and employment requirements when hiring their first worker.
• Export growth: Support for promising exporters, including 200 high-potential small and medium-sized businesses.
• Regional development: National's South Island growth plan includes transport connections, tourism, mining and resources, energy investment, and frontline services in growing communities. national.org.nz, national.org.nz

What this could mean for a small town: A local manufacturer might find it easier to invest in machinery, while a tourism operator or trades business could benefit from lower administrative costs or better transport connections.

The important question is whether businesses in your area have enough customers, skilled workers and access to markets to expand. Investment incentives do not guarantee that a company will open a branch in a small town.

Read the party's official 2026 policies.

Labour: Create jobs through public investment, apprenticeships and small-business support

Labour's published Good Jobs plan places more emphasis on direct employment opportunities, government investment and helping people develop skills.

Its proposals include:

• Start Work Now: Build social housing, upgrade more than 2,000 schools and address hospital repair backlogs, generating construction and trades work.
• Apprenticeship Boost: Extend employer payments, offer new apprentices a $1,000 toolbox grant and expand eligibility to five additional trades.
• Small Business First: Set a target of awarding 15% of government contracts to New Zealand small businesses and start-ups.
• Small Business Action Plan: Require qualifying large businesses to pay smaller suppliers promptly and increase the instant asset write-off threshold to $10,000.
• Māori employment and enterprise: Invest $21 million annually in Māori-led skills training and set an initial target of 5% of government procurement contracts for Māori businesses. labour.org.nz, labour.org.nz

What this could mean for a small town: If school upgrades, housing construction or hospital repairs are carried out locally, they could provide work for builders, electricians, plumbers, suppliers and apprentices. Small local firms might also benefit from government contracts.

The key question is whether projects will be spread across smaller communities or concentrated in larger centres. Ask Labour which projects would be funded in your region, how they would be scheduled and how local businesses could compete for the work.

Read Labour's official policy programme.

Green Party: Invest in community jobs, clean energy and local economic resilience

The Green Party proposes a more active role for government in creating jobs and developing industries.

Its policies include:

• Jobs for Young People: A pathway into employment, education or training for 16–24-year-olds who have been out of work for six months. The party proposes scaling up support through all 67 councils, with a goal of getting 32,000 young people into local jobs.
• Investment in new industries: Public investment in clean energy, infrastructure, science, technology, public services and food security.
• Small-business support: Change commercial rent rules so market reviews can reduce rents as well as increase them, and let councils auction leases on shops that have been empty for more than a year under specified conditions.
• Transport: Better support for public transport in smaller towns and more frequent inter-regional bus services. greens.org.nz, greens.org.nz, greens.org.nz

What this could mean for a small town: The jobs programme could create opportunities in environmental restoration, community projects and local services. Clean-energy investment could support construction, engineering and maintenance jobs. Changes to commercial leasing could help some independent shops remain open or allow new businesses to occupy vacant premises.

One distinction matters: a youth employment guarantee is not the same as a general guarantee of permanent jobs for all working-age adults. Similarly, a national clean-energy investment programme would need to translate into projects in your area to make a local difference.

Read the Green Party's official policy programme.

ACT: Reduce business costs and encourage private investment

ACT's approach focuses on reducing regulation and employment costs, encouraging private investment and allowing businesses greater flexibility in hiring.

Its announced policies include:

• Small-business deregulation: Reduce compliance burdens and simplify employment and administrative requirements.
• Entry-level employment: Freeze the adult minimum wage for three years and introduce a training wage for eligible workers under 20 during their first 12 months with an employer.
• Technology investment: Change tax treatment to make it easier for businesses to deduct qualifying investments in software and digital technology.
• Mining and energy: Make it easier to develop mineral resources, gas and other energy resources, with the stated aim of attracting investment and creating skilled regional jobs. act.org.nz, act.org.nz

What this could mean for a small town: A local workshop, contractor or manufacturer could benefit if reduced compliance costs make expansion more affordable. Towns near viable mineral or energy projects could gain jobs in extraction, processing, engineering and supporting services.

However, these benefits depend on businesses responding by investing and hiring. Resource projects are also geographically limited: a proposed mine will not create many direct jobs in a town far from the site.

ACT's proposed training wage also involves a trade-off. It could reduce the cost of hiring some inexperienced young workers, but those workers would receive a lower minimum wage during the eligible period.

Read ACT's official policies.

New Zealand First: Regional investment, energy projects and lower taxes for smaller companies

New Zealand First has announced policies aimed at regional development, industrial investment and small-business growth.

Its published proposals include:

• Lower company tax for SMEs: Reduce the company tax rate from 28% to 20% for businesses with turnover below $30 million.
• Regional mining royalties: Return 50% of mining royalties to the region where the minerals are extracted.
• Marsden Point: Establish a Special Economic Zone at Marsden Point.
• Long-term infrastructure: Establish a proposed New Zealand Future Fund of up to $100 billion for infrastructure investment.
• Value-added manufacturing: Change dairy-sector incentives to encourage more investment in processing and manufacturing in New Zealand. nzfirst.nz

What this could mean for a small town: Lower company tax could leave qualifying businesses with more money to invest, while regional royalty sharing could provide additional revenue to communities hosting mining operations. Infrastructure and industrial projects could create construction, engineering and maintenance work.

There are two important qualifications. First, a company tax cut does not guarantee additional employment. Second, regional mining royalties would benefit communities where qualifying extraction occurs, rather than all small towns equally.

Read New Zealand First's official policies.

Te Pāti Māori and The Opportunity Party

These parties are also worth examining if you are interested in regional enterprise, innovation and alternatives to traditional economic development.

• Te Pāti Māori: Consider its proposals for Māori enterprise, employment, skills and investment in Māori communities. These may be relevant where Māori businesses, iwi organisations and community enterprises could develop local employment. Its specific commitments and funding arrangements should be checked against its published election policies.
• The Opportunity Party (TOP): Its policy programme includes a Breakthrough Economy priority and policies on innovation, education and infrastructure. These provide a basis for examining how it would support new industries and business development. Ask for specific commitments on regional job creation, funding and implementation rather than assuming national innovation policies would automatically benefit small towns. opportunity.org.nz, businesscentral.org.nz

Official resources: Te Pāti Māori and The Opportunity Party.

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2. Which industries could bring jobs to small towns?

Looking at the parties' proposals by industry can make the differences easier to understand.

Industry or opportunity	Policies most relevant to it	What to look for locally
Construction and trades	Labour's proposed public-building programme and apprenticeship support; National's business investment approach	Funded housing, school, hospital, road and water projects that use local workers
Tourism and hospitality	National's regional tourism development; broader investment in local businesses	Visitor numbers, seasonal employment, transport links and support for local operators
Manufacturing and processing	National's investment incentives; Labour's procurement proposals; NZ First's manufacturing and tax policies	Actual investment in factories, workshops, food processing or other local production
Mining and energy	ACT's resource development proposals; NZ First's mining and energy initiatives	Whether your region has viable projects, local hiring commitments and lasting supporting industries
Small businesses and retail	National's business support; Labour's small-business proposals; ACT's deregulation; the Greens' commercial rent reforms	Whether businesses can stay open, access finance, find workers and attract customers
Healthcare and community services	Labour's health workforce and employment proposals; the Greens' community jobs approach	Whether funding creates permanent local positions rather than concentrating staff in larger centres
Technology and specialist services	The Greens' investment in science and innovation; TOP's regional innovation and research proposals	Reliable broadband, training, business support and opportunities to sell services beyond the local area

These are the parties' stated policy directions, not a guarantee that every industry will receive funding in every region. The details matter, particularly where a proposal depends on future investment or a project that has not yet been approved. national.org.nz, opportunity.org.nz, act.org.nz, opportunity.org.nz, labour.org.nz, national.org.nz

Why diversification matters

A small town doesn't necessarily need a single large employer to create a stronger local economy.

It could benefit from a combination of:

• A construction firm employing apprentices and experienced tradespeople.
• A small manufacturer selling products nationally.
• Tourism businesses providing work beyond the summer season.
• A local healthcare centre employing nurses, receptionists and support staff.
• Trades, mechanics and other services supporting households and nearby businesses.
• Remote workers and digital businesses that can operate without relocating to a city.

The key is to build a broader employment base so that one business closing or one industry experiencing a downturn doesn't undermine the whole town.

When assessing party policies, consider whether they support several of these opportunities or rely heavily on one proposed project.

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3. What about healthcare and the long distances your family travels?

Jobs and healthcare are connected. A town that cannot recruit doctors, nurses and other professionals may struggle to retain residents and attract new employers.

Although your question is about employment, it is worth considering what parties propose for healthcare because better local services can also create skilled jobs.

Here are two particularly relevant proposals:

• Labour: Its published health programme includes a Family Doctor Loan Scheme to help doctors buy into owner-operated practices, with up to 50 loans a year proposed, and a job guarantee for eligible New Zealand-trained graduate nurses from 2027. The important question is whether these measures would bring additional clinicians to underserved towns. labour.org.nz
• The Green Party: Its health and employment approach includes investment in public services and a commitment to properly fund the public health workforce. For smaller towns, you would want to establish how much additional staffing would reach local facilities. kaitiaki.org.nz, greens.org.nz

For all parties, I would look for specific commitments covering:

• Recruitment and retention of rural doctors, nurses and other health professionals.
• More regular visiting specialist services.
• Better access to diagnostic tests without repeated long-distance trips.
• Reliable ambulance services and emergency transport.
• Funding for rural clinics and other facilities.
• Practical access to appointments for people without reliable transport.

The distinction to watch is between funding a health service nationally and guaranteeing that your community can actually access it. A national increase in healthcare spending may not resolve local shortages unless workforce and service-delivery plans address them directly.

For a fuller comparison, the official 2026 election policy guide allows you to explore the parties' policies across the economy, employment, health and infrastructure.

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4. How to judge whether a jobs promise would genuinely help your town

Rather than focusing only on how many jobs a party says it will create, I would assess its proposals against five practical tests.

Test 1: Will the jobs be in smaller communities?

A national economic growth plan might increase employment overall while leaving smaller towns behind.

Ask whether the party has identified regional projects, funding allocations or programmes that explicitly include smaller communities.

Test 2: Will the jobs last?

A construction project might employ dozens of people for a year but leave little permanent employment once it finishes.

That work can still be valuable, particularly for apprentices, but compare it with measures designed to sustain employment through manufacturing, tourism, business development and local services.

Test 3: Can local people get the training they need?

An employer may want to expand but struggle to find qualified workers.

Look for apprenticeships, vocational training, employer partnerships and opportunities to gain qualifications without moving away.

Labour's proposed apprenticeship expansion, for example, is worth examining if your household or community needs more pathways into skilled trades.

Test 4: Will existing businesses survive and grow?

New employers aren't the only source of jobs. Helping existing businesses remain viable can also protect employment.

Compare the parties' proposals on:

• Tax and investment incentives.
• The costs and complexity of employing staff.
• Access to finance.
• Commercial rents and business premises.
• Government contracts and payment terms.
• Transport, energy and internet infrastructure.

For example, National emphasises investment incentives and regulatory simplification, Labour emphasises small-business cash flow and procurement, and the Greens have proposed reforms to commercial leases. These are different approaches to the same broad challenge: helping local businesses operate and expand. national.org.nz, labour.org.nz, greens.org.nz

Test 5: Is the policy funded and measurable?

This may be the most important test.

Ask whether a proposal has:

• A published budget or clear funding source.
• A timetable for implementation.
• Identified locations or eligibility criteria.
• Specific employment targets.
• A way to measure how many jobs were created and retained.
• A plan for maintaining the programme after its initial funding ends.

A promise to grow the economy is a statement of intent. A funded programme with a delivery timetable gives you more information about what might actually happen.

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5. Where to compare the parties' policies before voting

These resources will help you check the details directly.

• Policy.nz — 2026 election guide: Compare parties across the economy, employment, healthcare, education and infrastructure.
• National — 2026 election policies: Find its published business, economic and regional development policies.
• Labour — 2026 election policies: Read its jobs, training, small-business and healthcare proposals.
• Green Party — policy programme: Explore its local employment, economic development and community investment proposals.
• ACT — official policies: Examine its small-business, employment, energy and resource-development policies.
• New Zealand First — official policies: Check its regional investment, infrastructure, manufacturing and tax proposals.
• The Opportunity Party — policy programme: Explore its proposals for innovation, research and economic development.

For Te Pāti Māori, consult its official website for its published election commitments.

As the election approaches, check whether a policy has been fully costed and whether it is a new proposal, an existing commitment or an initiative that depends on coalition negotiations.

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My suggested checklist for your decision

Based on the issues you've raised, you could use this checklist when reading each party's policies. It is a way to evaluate their commitments against your priorities, rather than a ranking of the parties.

Question	What would a convincing commitment look like?
Will there be more jobs beyond farming?	A credible plan to support several industries, with identifiable regional opportunities
Can young people build careers locally?	Apprenticeships, training and employers offering sustained employment
Can existing businesses retain workers?	Practical help with investment, operating costs, finance and access to customers
Will healthcare become more accessible?	Specific plans for rural staffing, local services and reducing unnecessary travel
Will essential infrastructure improve?	Funded projects with timelines and clear benefits for smaller communities
How will success be measured?	Published targets for local jobs, business growth and service access

The central question is not simply which party promises the most jobs nationally. It is which parties have credible, funded plans that could create sustainable employment and improve access to essential services in smaller communities like yours.

That is worth investigating carefully, because two parties can both promise economic growth while proposing very different ways of achieving it.