# Question 126: For the 2026 New Zealand general election: What are parties offering on job creation, wages, retraining and employment rights?

Collected 26 October 2026

[NZ Election 2026 · Edition 6 study](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/6)

## ChatGPT

Answer ID: 6ee82aa0-4472-4e19-b5b7-a8028062551e

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

As of 26 October 2026, New Zealand's parties are offering quite different approaches to employment. The main divide is between policies that emphasise investment, higher wages and stronger worker protections, and those that focus on business flexibility, lower regulatory costs and stronger incentives to enter or remain in work.

The comparison below covers the major parties and the smaller parties with relevant announced policies. It distinguishes published commitments from broader claims about what those policies might achieve. Party policies can still change during the campaign, and any eventual government may need to negotiate with coalition partners. [Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising](https://stories.theconversation.com/nz-policy-tracker-2026/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[2026 General Election Policies: What they could mean for businesses | New Zealand](https://www.bdo.nz/en-nz/insights/new-zealand/what-could-the-2026-nz-general-election-mean-for-your-business)

## 1. The main parties at a glance

| Party | Job creation | Wages and income | Training and retraining | Employment rights |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Labour | Public infrastructure projects, small-business growth and targeted job programmes | Stronger pay protections and improved KiwiSaver contributions | Apprenticeship subsidies and Māori-led vocational training | Restore Fair Pay Agreements and pay equity legislation |
| National | Private-sector growth, exports, infrastructure and business investment | Emphasis on keeping taxes low and growing incomes through employment | Earlier, work-focused help for jobseekers | Emphasis on business flexibility and employment expectations |
| Green Party | Youth jobs guarantee and investment in housing, clean energy and infrastructure | Abolish the training wage and support better-paid work | Larger apprentice grants and targeted training support | Stronger pay equity and worker protections |
| ACT | Business-led growth and reduced compliance costs | Freeze the adult minimum wage for three years | A lower training wage for eligible workers under 20 | More flexible employment arrangements |
| NZ First | Economic recovery and stronger domestic competition | Annual minimum-wage increases at least matching inflation | Less prominently featured in the wage announcements reviewed | Focus on fair pay and support for working families |
| Opportunity Party | Investment and economic reforms, including public transport proposals | Restore fair-pay rules for care workers; broader retirement-savings reforms | Not as central in the available summaries | Restore protections for care workers and address market concentration |
| Te Pāti Māori | Community-focused and Māori economic development proposals | Worker and whānau wellbeing | Māori-centred approaches feature in its wider policy platform | Māori worker and community interests feature in its wider platform |

Sources: party policy announcements and the 2026 election policy tracker. This is a thematic overview, not a claim that every policy in a row is a fully costed or final manifesto commitment. [Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising](https://stories.theconversation.com/nz-policy-tracker-2026/)[Labour's 2026 Election Policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy)[2026 Election Policy](https://www.national.org.nz/policies)[Green Party to abolish training wage and provide more support for apprentices](https://www.greens.org.nz/green_party_to_abolish_training_wage_and_provide_more_support_for_apprentices)[ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/backing-small-business)[Increasing Working for Families and Minimum Wage](https://www.nzfirst.nz/increasing_working_for_families_and_minimum_wage)[2026 NZ election campaign guide, policies & fiscal plans](https://opinionscope.co.nz/campaign?issue=work)

## 2. What the parties are proposing in detail

### Labour: create jobs and strengthen pay and conditions

![Bermo Build Group | Auckland Building, Roofing & Concrete](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/nFCMIT_DBGvn8dyOZXvETrOOShiwhnR5bDcpJ3y1tevlp58BKgcsaC9HB_0WVd0gBUwDWVDaTCpEq0MJZXXuAp64e72CF0s0JYAnlPbXFZnUZ74GU86Hp1CjzzLX0Gvv74alTnHx4nZ_DuzYYF4YvFzNw9uC_pLNABe7vuN-qKw?purpose=inline)

Job creation

Labour's Start Work Now programme would bring forward work on social housing, school improvements and hospital repairs. It also proposes a graduate nurse job guarantee and support for small businesses, including a target for 15% of government contracts to go to New Zealand small businesses and start-ups. [Labour's 2026 Election Policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy)[Labour's 2026 Election Policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/)

- Wages and savings: Restore Fair Pay Agreements, restore the pay equity system and extend the Living Wage across the public service. Employer KiwiSaver contributions would rise to 6% by 2032. [Labour's 2026 Election Policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)
- Retraining: Extend Apprenticeship Boost payments to employers, provide a $1,000 toolbox grant and add five trades to the programme from July 2027. Labour also proposes $21 million annually for Māori-led vocational training. [Labour's 2026 Election Policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy)[Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising](https://stories.theconversation.com/nz-policy-tracker-2026/)
- Employment rights: Reverse the 2026 changes to personal grievances and employment classification, abolish 90-day trials and restore stronger pay equity and industry-wide bargaining protections, as set out in Labour's positions reported by the NZ Council of Trade Unions. [Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)

### National: grow businesses and move more people into work

![Machine Operator - Great Opportunity! | Trade Me Jobs](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/2CXaHG-xOP7UlYggRst0G2IjFollxA8tzR4yUSImXdOeyuRHIh8Y74eN4_JjxFn-7WnqLO94Ro9uINmxuYmHKN57otAstW2TFI_qJ_WwYYnq9JMFgNmNBFDZCmftkm5mnBcAb6QrGrZ82VUrXoj8EJ_qaOeNtno4F1Xn8n0NdE0?purpose=inline)

Job creation

National's approach centres on private-sector growth, exports, investment and reducing barriers to business activity. Its policies include helping small businesses, making commercial building consents easier and growing export markets. [2026 Election Policy](https://www.national.org.nz/policies)[2026 Election Policy](https://www.national.org.nz/policies)

- Wages and savings: Emphasise economic growth, low taxes and higher take-home incomes through employment. National proposes compulsory KiwiSaver participation for workers.
- Retraining and employment support: Provide more intensive, work-focused assistance to 30,000 work-ready jobseekers who have been receiving a benefit for over a year. National also proposes stronger work expectations and changes to benefit eligibility for some long-term recipients. [A firm, fair and affordable welfare system](https://www.national.org.nz/policies/walfare)[2026 Election Policy](https://www.national.org.nz/policies)
- Employment rights: Retain the current direction on 90-day trials and the recent employment-law changes rather than restoring the previous settings for Fair Pay Agreements and pay equity. The NZCTU's comparison notes that National did not directly answer its industrial-policy questionnaire, so some of its entries reflect its public record and legislation. [Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)

### Green Party: guarantee a pathway into work and invest in skills

![Apprentices test knowledge, skills | Otago Daily Times Online News](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/ntaPpa6jFfpyKLsL3ZrJYrsXQcMHLKLfC3g8x2_pc7zKhG27eD4php01kRRtZXZ9lmnhfYeb_ByNALHuFOFlhacKTTnUIhmF6CeTEROZc0LUVAWzunI7MK86Gve3EiWt9e-NKGlbOVMFXl-ayCO29kaKD7ro1QXwJ4hi0WEluEw?purpose=inline)

Job creation

The Greens propose a Youth Jobs Guarantee for 16–24-year-olds who have been out of work for six months, guaranteeing a pathway into a job, education or training. They also propose investment in housing, renewable energy and infrastructure to create employment. [Good Jobs For All of Us](https://www.greens.org.nz/good_jobs_for_all_of_us)[Good Jobs For All of Us](https://www.greens.org.nz/good_jobs_for_all_of_us)

- Wages: Abolish the training wage so apprentices and trainees can be paid the ordinary minimum wage, and support minimum-wage increases above inflation.
- Retraining: Provide a $2,000 apprentice equipment grant, a $30 million annual funding boost for Māori- and Pasifika-led training and support, and a $2,000 completion bonus for employers who help apprentices finish their qualifications. [Green Party to abolish training wage and provide more support for apprentices](https://www.greens.org.nz/green_party_to_abolish_training_wage_and_provide_more_support_for_apprentices)[Good Jobs For All of Us](https://www.greens.org.nz/good_jobs_for_all_of_us)
- Employment rights: Restore Fair Pay Agreements and pay equity legislation, abolish 90-day trials, and reverse the 2026 changes to personal grievance and employment-classification rules. [Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)

### ACT: reduce hiring costs and increase workplace flexibility

![Build Your Engineering Workforce  | Train an Apprentice | ATNZ](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/o2TUUnV_lt54cXnCBU9FKp7UvbNYShrRfZrnhlemnwxctlYcsVI-jY9_fvfzolHiOr-mPK1BFh4uu8YgdxYQg9lBXLN3e__BGX3CoiHBKiE9V9jhyRoLRlF3NsutP96-NB_JkD5Vn-lcruOPagflQr-nQNPNJ2KGI1Wy-xu7XdI?purpose=inline)

Job creation

ACT argues that lower compliance costs and fewer restrictions will make it easier for small businesses to hire, invest and grow. Its proposals include tax deductions for productive software and digital investment. [ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/backing-small-business)[ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/backing-small-business)

- Wages: Freeze the adult minimum wage for three years, giving employers time to adjust to previous wage increases.
- Retraining: Introduce a training wage set at 60% of the adult minimum wage for eligible workers under 20 during their first 12 months with an employer.
- Employment rights: Allow protected negotiations about mutually agreed employment exits, require personal grievance proceedings to be lodged within three months of the grievance being raised, and make payroll deductions for union fees voluntary. [ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/backing-small-business)[ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/backing-small-business)

The central trade-off in ACT's proposals is between reducing the costs and risks of hiring for employers and maintaining existing wage floors and worker protections.

### New Zealand First: inflation-linked wages and more support for working families

![Four Square Mangōnui | Four Square](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/1v0KIyByRauM17KwiTuPxkJtUN0VmQL0OZeKOSB1rmqFcX6OVmdcfP19BqpgoYWk_Uy3zbZkUCFZocCRAjSGrbDBYSUGwStlh3xDnd3gXCxm1-MUHUFhZG4C-6k5w2tfSMjINswGiAPKFtFXJeuullnwpbA1Unyvzs95OMmrjbU?purpose=inline)

Job creation

New Zealand First's relevant proposals emphasise economic recovery, stronger domestic competition and keeping people in work. Its published wage package focuses more directly on workers' purchasing power than on a large new retraining programme. [Increasing Working for Families and Minimum Wage](https://www.nzfirst.nz/increasing_working_for_families_and_minimum_wage)[Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising](https://stories.theconversation.com/nz-policy-tracker-2026/)

- Wages: Increase the minimum wage at least in line with inflation in each of the next three years.
- Family income: Make the temporary $50-a-week increase to the in-work tax credit permanent and add another $70, taking the proposed total to $120 a week. The party estimates the additional policy would cost $500–600 million annually.
- Retraining: A distinct new vocational-training package is less prominent in the published wage announcement reviewed here.
- Employment rights: The NZCTU records New Zealand First as opposing restoration of Fair Pay Agreements and the previous pay equity system, while supporting annual inflation-linked minimum-wage increases. [Increasing Working for Families and Minimum Wage](https://www.nzfirst.nz/increasing_working_for_families_and_minimum_wage)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)

### The smaller parties

- The Opportunity Party (TOP): Its wider economic platform includes competition reforms and KiwiSaver changes. It has also proposed restoring fair-pay rules for care workers. The NZCTU records TOP as supporting restoration of pay equity and personal grievance protections, but not restoration of Fair Pay Agreements. [Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising](https://stories.theconversation.com/nz-policy-tracker-2026/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)
- Te Pāti Māori: Its wider platform places emphasis on Māori economic development and whānau wellbeing. On workplace policy, the NZCTU records support for restoring Fair Pay Agreements and pay equity, abolishing 90-day trials and reversing the 2026 changes to personal grievance rules. [Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)

For these smaller parties, the detail and coverage of the policies above vary; check their current full manifestos for additional commitments.

## 3. Where the biggest differences lie

The NZCTU's election scorecards, published in October 2026, provide a useful comparison of specific workplace issues. The union represents a worker-focused perspective, so its commentary should be read as an advocacy organisation's assessment rather than a neutral evaluation of the likely economic effects.

| Issue | Labour and Greens | National and ACT | NZ First |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fair Pay Agreements | Restore them | Do not restore them | Does not support restoration |
| Pay equity system | Restore previous settings | Do not restore previous settings | Does not support restoration |
| 90-day trials | Abolish them | Retain them | Does not support abolition |
| Minimum wage | Support increases above inflation | ACT proposes a three-year freeze; National's position on above-inflation increases is unclear in the scorecard | Increase at least with inflation |
| Personal grievance protections | Restore previous settings | Retain the 2026 changes | Does not support restoration |

Sources: NZCTU election scorecards and published party policy. National and ACT did not directly answer the NZCTU's industrial-policy questionnaire; their entries reflect public statements and legislative history. [Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[Policy scorecards for working people NZCTU](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/)[ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/backing-small-business)[Increasing Working for Families and Minimum Wage](https://www.nzfirst.nz/increasing_working_for_families_and_minimum_wage)

## 4. What to look for when comparing the promises

The headline announcements are only part of the picture. Four practical questions help distinguish what the policies would mean for workers.

- Will jobs actually be created? Look for specific funding, numbers of jobs, delivery dates and whether the jobs are additional or depend on private investment responding to incentives.
- Will wages rise in real terms? A wage increase is not necessarily an improvement in purchasing power if prices rise faster. Compare minimum-wage commitments with inflation and consider KiwiSaver, tax and in-work support separately.
- Who pays for retraining? Apprenticeship subsidies and equipment grants reduce some training costs, but eligibility, course fees, living expenses and the availability of employers willing to train people also matter.
- What happens if workplace arrangements go wrong? Compare the parties' positions on dismissal protections, personal grievances, leave, health and safety, union access, contractor classification and pay equity.

Bottom line: Labour and the Greens are proposing more direct government intervention to create jobs, support training and strengthen employment protections. National emphasises private-sector growth and work-focused employment support. ACT places the greatest emphasis among these parties on wage restraint and flexibility for employers, while NZ First combines inflation-linked minimum-wage increases with extra support for working families.

Those are differences in policy design, not guarantees of economic outcomes. Actual employment, wages and training opportunities will depend on implementation, funding, economic conditions and any coalition agreements after the election.

## Sources to explore

- [The Conversation — 2026 NZ election policy tracker](https://stories.theconversation.com/nz-policy-tracker-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
- [Labour — 2026 election policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
- [National — 2026 election policies](https://www.national.org.nz/policies?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
- [Green Party — Good Jobs for All of Us](https://www.greens.org.nz/good_jobs_for_all_of_us?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
- [ACT — Backing Small Business](https://www.act.org.nz/backing-small-business?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
- [New Zealand First — Minimum wage and Working for Families](https://www.nzfirst.nz/increasing_working_for_families_and_minimum_wage?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
- [NZ Council of Trade Unions — 2026 election scorecards for working people](https://union.org.nz/election-scorecards-26/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

## Gemini

Answer ID: 00e16eb7-e971-4106-9d0d-c18983c93ea8

For the **2026 New Zealand general election**, political parties have drawn distinct lines across job creation, wages, retraining, and employment rights. The major blocs and key parties approach these workforce issues through fundamentally different economic philosophies:

---

### 1. Job Creation and Economic Growth
* **National and Center-Right Parties:** Focus heavily on private-sector incentives, infrastructure investment, and regulatory reduction to spur employment. Measures such as business tax incentives (e.g., the *Investment Boost* framework) and streamlining approval processes for major projects are designed to encourage business expansion and private-sector job creation. 
* **Labour and Center-Left Parties:** Emphasize public-backed initiatives and targeted programs. Labour has highlighted frameworks like its *Start Work Now* programme—directing investments into school upgrades, hospital repairs, and social housing to stimulate employment. The Green Party proposes specialized economic zones (such as a Marsden Point Special Economic Zone) and green infrastructure funds to transition the workforce into renewable energy and sustainable industries.

---

### 2. Wages and Incomes
* **National / Coalition Approach:** Focuses on broad economic settings to lift wages organically through growth while keeping living costs down. Notably, some center-right proposals include a temporary freeze on the adult minimum wage (or more conservative adjustments) alongside introducing specific training wages for younger workers to encourage youth employment. 
* **Labour / Left-Bloc Approach:** Favors direct intervention in wage floors. Parties on the left advocate for raising the minimum wage (with the Greens supporting tying increases to the living wage). Labour has also committed to reversing recent legislative changes to pay equity laws within its first 100 days to fast-track pay equity claims and address gender wage gaps.

---

### 3. Retraining and Skills Development
* **Apprenticeships and Trades:** Labour has pledged to extend *Apprenticeship Boost* payments to two years ($500 a month) alongside a $1,000 toolbox grant, adding five additional eligible trades, and introducing structured mentoring and Māori-led trades training programs.
* **Targeted Workforce Support:** Policies across the political spectrum target critical skill shortages—particularly in healthcare, construction, and education—offering targeted training positions, specialized domestic loan schemes, and incentives for employers to retrain older workers in sectors facing labor gaps.

---

### 4. Employment Rights and Industrial Relations
* **Center-Right Approach:** Generally supports flexibility for employers. This includes maintaining or defending recent amendments to the Employment Relations Act (such as tightening personal grievance rules, adjusting tests of justification, and limiting certain remedies where employees contributed to disputes) to reduce compliance costs and management time for businesses.
* **Center-Left Approach:** Focuses heavily on strengthening worker and union power. Labour and the Greens support:
  * Reintroducing mechanisms akin to **Fair Pay Agreements** or sector-wide bargaining arrangements.
  * Introducing **automatic union membership with an opt-out** model for covered workplaces.
  * Expanding protections for independent contractors and broadening rights surrounding industrial action.

## Google AI Mode

Answer ID: 6505a82d-7b6e-41d8-aca3-ce0fa9f15cf4

As New Zealand heads toward the November 7, 2026 general election, political parties have outlined distinct approaches to job creation, wages, training, and employment rights. Legal and policy overviews from sources such as Buddle Findlay and RNZ detail the primary proposals from the major parties:

 * **Job Creation:**
 * The **Green Party** has centered a nearly $6 billion economic development plan aiming to create 284,000 jobs over four years through targeted public investments in clean energy, transport infrastructure, and lifting research and development funding toward 3% of GDP.
 * Other parties like **National** and **ACT** focus on business-led growth via regulatory and tax adjustments, including streamlining resource management and consenting rules to encourage primary sector and infrastructure development, rather than direct state-led job targets.
 * **Wages and Income Controls:**
 * Proposals affecting baseline pay vary significantly across the political spectrum. Some right-leaning policy discussions and proposals (noted in business compliance roundups) have floated measures like freezing the adult minimum wage or introducing structured training wages for younger workers to ease business cost pressures.
 * Conversely, progressive parties emphasize lifting baseline incomes and addressing cost-of-living pressures through sector-specific fair pay agreements or public sector remuneration equity.
 * **Retraining and Skills:**
 * Parties are targeting workforce capability through adjustments to research/innovation funding and immigration settings. National has proposed annual reassessments of skilled-work visa categories alongside tweaks to temporary work rules, while the Green Party aims to redirect business-support grants into domestic R&D and future-focused industry training.
 * **Employment Rights and Workplace Relations:**
 * Proposed adjustments to employment law feature prominent adjustments from business and employer perspectives. Proposed changes highlighted ahead of the vote include shortening the personal grievance lodgement timeframe in the Employment Relations Authority down to three months (with exceptions remaining for sexual harassment) and progressing legislative mechanisms like protected exit negotiations (the Employment Relations Amendment Bill framework) to streamline settlement agreements between employers and employees.
 * Parental leave policies also feature: **National** has proposed extending paid parental leave from 26 to 30 weeks over a three-year rollout with added scheduling flexibility, while **Labour** has put forward provisions for additional paid partner leave. [Buddle Findlay]