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

Policy comparison · 23 October 2026 · New Zealand-wide

New Zealand's general election is scheduled for Saturday 7 November 2026. The main differences between parties are how they want to create jobs, whether wages should rise through government policy or economic growth, how much support apprentices and retraining workers should receive, and how strongly employment law should protect workers. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising

Here is a comparison of the published proposals from National, Labour, the Green Party, ACT, New Zealand First, Te Pāti Māori and The Opportunities Party (TOP).

1. What each party is proposing

National

Economic growth, business investment and employment incentives

• Job creation: Focuses on growing businesses, exports, investment and productivity, including reducing barriers to commercial construction and supporting small businesses.

• Wages: Emphasises economic growth and productivity rather than mandating broad wage increases.

• Training: Its wider economic and education agenda focuses on skills and employment pathways; check individual announcements for specific training grants.

• Employment rights: Supports retaining the 90-day trial framework and the 2026 employment-law changes rather than reversing them. 2026 Election PolicyElection policy tracker: what the parties are promisingPF009: Jobs and unemployment · AI election answers

  National's 2026 policies

Labour

Public investment, apprenticeships and stronger worker protections

• Job creation: Its Start Work Now plan would build social housing, upgrade more than 2,000 schools and repair hospitals, supporting construction jobs and nearly 30,000 apprentices. It also proposes a job guarantee for eligible graduate nurses.

• Wages: Proposes restoring pay equity legislation and an immediate $4-per-hour pay rise for 65,000 care and support workers, alongside Living Wage requirements in the public sector.

• Training: Would extend Apprenticeship Boost employer payments, provide a $1,000 toolbox grant and invest $21 million annually in Māori-led vocational training.

• Employment rights: Would restore Fair Pay Agreements, strengthen collective bargaining, reverse specified recent employment-law changes, restore certain leave entitlements and strengthen protections for gig workers. Good Jobs - NZ Labour's Plan to Grow the EconomyFairer Workplaces

  Labour's good jobs plan

Green Party

Good jobs, higher training support and stronger employment standards

• Job creation: Promotes investment in sustainable industries, infrastructure and work that supports environmental restoration and the transition to renewable energy.

• Wages: Supports stronger pay equity and worker protections.

• Training: Would abolish the training wage, give apprentices a $2,000 equipment grant, add $30 million annually for Māori- and Pasifika-led training and offer employers a $2,000 completion bonus for supporting apprentices.

• Employment rights: Supports restoring Fair Pay Agreements and pay equity, and strengthening collective bargaining and protections for workers. Manifesto 2026Green Party to abolish training wage and provide more support for apprenticesPF009: Jobs and unemployment · AI election answers

  Green Party's 2026 manifesto

ACT New Zealand

Business flexibility, lower compliance costs and employment incentives

• Job creation: Emphasises reducing regulatory burdens on employers and making it easier for businesses to expand and hire.

• Wages: Proposes freezing the adult minimum wage for three years, arguing that employers need room for productivity to catch up.

• Training: Would introduce a training wage at 60% of the adult minimum wage for workers under 20 during their first 12 months with an employer.

• Employment rights: Supports retaining 90-day trials and the recent changes to employment law; also proposes protected negotiations for consensual employment exits. ACT New ZealandElection policy tracker: what the parties are promisingPF009: Jobs and unemployment · AI election answers

  ACT's small-business policy

New Zealand First

Domestic industry, regional development and economic self-reliance

• Job creation: Its proposals include retaining more economic value in regions, supporting domestic industry and energy development, and cutting the company tax rate for qualifying small and medium-sized businesses.

• Wages: Its published positions do not centre on a broad wage-rise programme comparable to Labour's or the Greens' proposals.

• Training: Specific new retraining and apprenticeship commitments are less prominent in the sources reviewed.

• Employment rights: Opposes reversing several recent employment-law changes, including the changes to trial periods and contractor classification. Election policy tracker: what the parties are promisingPF009: Jobs and unemployment · AI election answers

  NZ First

Te Pāti Māori

Māori economic development, fair pay and employment protections

• Job creation: Emphasises Māori-led economic development and opportunities for Māori communities and businesses.

• Wages: Supports restoring pay equity legislation and raising the minimum wage to the Living Wage.

• Training: Supports Māori-led approaches to vocational skills and employment pathways.

• Employment rights: Supports restoring Fair Pay Agreements and reversing recent changes that weaken worker protections, including changes to trial periods and employment status. Party policies, simplified: EmploymentPF009: Jobs and unemployment · AI election answers

  Te Pāti Māori

The Opportunities Party (TOP)

Innovation, productivity and changes to the tax and income system

• Job creation: Highlights research and development, innovation, technology investment and more competitive markets as ways to support productive employment.

• Wages: Its broader economic approach focuses on structural changes to incomes and incentives, rather than relying only on conventional wage-setting measures.

• Training: Skills and adaptation to technological change are relevant to its economic agenda, although specific retraining commitments should be checked against its detailed policies.

• Employment rights: Supports restoring pay equity legislation and ending the minimum-wage exemption for disabled workers. Election policy tracker: what the parties are promisingParty policies, simplified: EmploymentPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

  TOP

2. The biggest differences at a glance

Issue	Main policy contrast
Creating jobs	National emphasises private-sector growth and investment; Labour proposes government-funded building and service projects; the Greens emphasise sustainable industries; NZ First focuses on domestic industry and regional development.
Raising wages	Labour proposes targeted pay rises and a Living Wage across the public sector. The Greens and Te Pāti Māori support stronger wage protections. ACT proposes a three-year minimum-wage freeze.
Apprenticeships	Labour proposes a $1,000 toolbox grant and extended employer subsidies. The Greens propose a $2,000 equipment grant and abolishing the training wage. ACT proposes a lower training wage for eligible young workers.
Job security	Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori support restoring several worker protections. National and ACT support retaining recent employment-law changes. NZ First also opposes reversing several of these changes.
Pay equity	Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori support restoring the pay equity framework. TOP has also supported restoring pay equity legislation.

Sources: party policy announcements and the 2026 election employment-policy comparison. Good Jobs - NZ Labour's Plan to Grow the EconomyFairer WorkplacesGreen Party to abolish training wage and provide more support for apprenticesPF009: Jobs and unemployment · AI election answersParty policies, simplified: Employment

3. What do these policies mean for different workers?

If you're looking for work in construction or the trades

Compare Labour's proposed building programme and apprenticeship subsidies with the Greens' higher apprentice support and training-wage abolition. These proposals differ in how they support employers versus apprentices directly.

If you're on a low wage

The key questions are whether the adult minimum wage increases, whether a lower training rate applies to you, and whether pay equity or collective bargaining could improve your pay. ACT's proposed freeze contrasts with the stronger wage-setting interventions supported by Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori.

If you need to retrain or change careers

Look closely at funding eligibility, whether training is paid, the availability of job placements and whether support continues after qualification. Announced apprenticeship grants are more specific than general promises to improve skills.

If you're concerned about job security

Compare the parties' positions on 90-day trials, personal grievance claims, contractor classification, union access and sector-wide pay agreements. These rules can affect your ability to challenge dismissal, negotiate pay or access employment entitlements. PF009: Jobs and unemployment · AI election answersPolicy scorecards for working people NZCTU

4. What should you check before relying on a promise?

Election announcements are proposals, not guaranteed outcomes. For each policy, it is worth checking:

• Who qualifies? For example, whether an apprentice grant applies to every trade or only specified programmes.
• When does it start? Some commitments are proposed for 2027 or later.
• How is it funded? A proposed programme's cost and funding source matter to its delivery.
• What is already law? A promise to retain, repeal or change an existing law is different from introducing a new benefit.

For a broader independent comparison, Policy.nz's 2026 incomes and employment guide lets you explore policies across jobs, wages and working conditions. The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions' election scorecards provide a more detailed worker-rights comparison; bear in mind that the CTU represents organised labour, so its commentary should be read alongside the parties' own published positions. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU

The central choice is between different approaches to employment: encouraging business growth and flexibility, directly funding jobs and training, or strengthening wages and employment protections. Parties also combine these approaches in different ways, so their individual policies matter as much as their overall economic philosophy.