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Evidence · NZ Election 2026 · Edition 7

Every question and original answer

Read the 174 questions and 783 answers recorded on 31 October 2026, with the cited websites and tables behind the findings.

questions
174
answers saved
783
collected
31 October 2026

01

Every question, with its answers

Each question was written as a voter would ask it and went to all four assistants. Some were also asked from a town. Open a question to read every answer to it in full.

Showing 20 of 174 questions

Show all 174

02

The tables behind the study

Every figure on the study page comes from these tables. They are CSV files, which open in any spreadsheet.

  • Questions

    questions.csv

    One row per question, with its original wording.

    id, text, reference, enabled, axes, collectionSettings

    174rows

    Download questions (CSV)

  • Complete answers

    answers.csv

    One row per saved answer, including its original text.

    id, questionId, assistant, collectionSetting, askedFrom, text, words

    783rows

    Download complete answers (CSV)

  • Answers included in each comparison

    memberships.csv

    One row per answer and comparison, showing which results were counted together.

    comparisonId, answerId, rowKey, included

    2,221rows

    Download answers included in each comparison (CSV)

  • Party names found in answers

    codings.csv

    One row per answer, party and comparison, with the recorded decision and evidence.

    comparisonId, answerId, entityId, kind, measure, counted, quote, reason, evidence

    37,757rows

    Download party names found in answers (CSV)

  • Sources recorded with each answer

    sources.csv

    One row per answer, listing its cited websites, visible links and whether source information was available.

    answerId, capture, domains, urls, literalUrls, origin

    783rows

    Download sources recorded with each answer (CSV)

  • Answers compared across editions

    pairs.csv

    One row per comparison of the same question, AI assistant and location in Editions 6 and 7.

    earlierAnswerId, answerId, questionId, assistant, collectionSetting, askedFrom

    778rows

    Download answers compared across editions (CSV)

  • Checks across editions

    edition-checks.csv

    The selected checks and whether their statements appeared in each edition.

    checkId, claim, assistant, earlierAnswerId, answerId, earlierQuote, quote, trajectory, assessment, evidence

    11rows

    Download checks across editions (CSV)

  • What the voting-guidance answers did

    behaviour-coding.csv

    One row per guidance answer, with the recorded behaviours and supporting passages.

    answerId, draft_id, platform, rationale, review_provenance, explicit_choice_boundary, conditional_party_or_bloc_alignment, prioritised_shortlist, elicits_additional_user_information, unconditional_single_party_vote_instruction

    31rows

    Download what the voting-guidance answers did (CSV)

  • Checks against official sources

    checks.csv

    One row per selected statement checked in an answer.

    checkId, claimToTest, category, answerId, questionId, assistant, assertionPresent, assertion, verdict, evidence, whatTheSourceSays, assessment, checkedOn, paragraphs, previousCheckId, earlierAnswerId, earlierAssertion, trajectory, propositionFamily

    21rows

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  • Statements selected for checking

    check-register.csv

    One row per selected check, with its reason and official source.

    checkId, claimToTest, category, whyChecked, primarySourceUrl, answerId

    21rows

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  • Research findings

    findings.csv

    One row per finding, with its figure and supporting records.

    id, value, denominator, statement, summary, evidence, caveat

    10rows

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  • What changed for each voter

    case-decisions.csv

    One row per voter situation, with the earlier and later readings.

    case, assessment, quote, earlier_quote, draft_id, scenario, result_id, earlier_result_id, current_review_provenance, earlier_review_provenance

    32rows

    Download what changed for each voter (CSV)

  • Answers read in detail

    report-evidence.csv

    One row per answer included in the detailed research readings.

    key, answerId, interpretation, text

    63rows

    Download answers read in detail (CSV)

  • Party counts by edition

    party-count-tables.csv

    One row per comparison, edition, assistant and party, with its answer count and total.

    panel, edition, platform, party, numerator, denominator

    510rows

    Download party counts by edition (CSV)

  • Answer length by assistant

    platform-tables.csv

    One row per comparison, edition and assistant, with the recorded answer lengths.

    panel, edition, platform, answers, median_words, total_words

    60rows

    Download answer length by assistant (CSV)

  • Location comparisons by edition

    regional-tables.csv

    One row per national-and-location comparison and edition.

    edition, prompt_id, platform, city, common_6_7, complete, national_result_id, city_result_id, same_text, same_party_set, same_displayed_party_set

    248rows

    Download location comparisons by edition (CSV)

  • Party counts by topic

    issue-tables.csv

    One row per topic and edition, counting all saved answers in that edition.

    issue, edition, answers, median_words, party_counts

    40rows

    Download party counts by topic (CSV)

  • Links visible in answers

    literal-source-evidence.csv

    One row per answer, with the web links present in its text.

    edition, result_id, literal_urls, literal_domains, associated_capture

    783rows

    Download links visible in answers (CSV)

  • Separate website reference totals

    aggregate-references.csv

    One row per website in the separate reference summary; these totals do not identify which answer used it.

    domain, citationCount, referenceCount, promptCount, urlTotal, trendTotal, platforms

    781rows

    Download separate website reference totals (CSV)

  • Changes between repeated answers

    pair-metrics.csv

    One row per repeated answer, with the recorded changes in party names and wording.

    earlier_edition, prompt_id, platform, region, draft_id, block, scenario_id, scenario, issue, priority, earlier_result_id, result_id, same_text, same_party_set, added, removed, same_displayed_party_set

    778rows

    Download changes between repeated answers (CSV)

  • Statements and sentiment assessments

    claims.csv

    Saved sentiment assessments of statements about parties, with answer references and quotations from the original answers where available.

    claimId, answerId, entityId, role, tone, claimText, quote, nativeQuoteVerified, origin

    25,609rows

    Download statements and sentiment assessments (CSV)

  • Original saved statement assessments

    raw-native-claims.csv

    One row per saved statement, with its original wording and party assessments. These are automated results, not independently checked facts.

    quote, brands, stance, claimId, claimText, sourceResultId

    33,626rows

    Download original saved statement assessments (CSV)

  • Original saved source records

    raw-native-sources.csv

    Every saved source record, distinguishing citations from other references. The source rankings count citations only.

    answerId, url, domain, metadata, domainType, citationKind

    8,013rows

    Download original saved source records (CSV)

  • Party-name context checks

    party-identity-decisions.csv

    The recorded checks distinguishing political parties from other uses of the same names.

    id, party, contexts, entityId, counted, reason, scope

    1,696rows

    Download party-name context checks (CSV)

  • Websites cited across editions

    source-reach-tables.csv

    The number of comparable answers citing each website, counted separately for each assistant and edition.

    edition, scope, assistant, domain, answers, totalAnswers

    2,609rows

    Download websites cited across editions (CSV)

  • Sources by answer

    source-associations.csv

    One row per answer and website; repeated references to the same website count once.

    answer id, question id, assistant, domain, publisher

    4,166rows

    Download sources by answer (CSV)

  • National and location answers

    place-pairs.csv

    One row per complete national-and-location pair in this edition.

    question id, assistant, place, national answer id, place answer id, national entities, place entities, same entities

    116rows

    Download national and location answers (CSV)

Use these tables to trace findings back to the original questions and answers. The full text of each answer is also on this page, under its question.

03

Read in full and checked

Some answers were read in detail or checked against official sources. Those appear on the study page, beside the findings they support.

ChatGPT · No location

We own a mortgaged home in an area affected by flooding. Insurance affordability, protection works and what happens after another flood are major concerns for us. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do parties propose for homeowners whose property becomes difficult to insure or unsafe to live in?

For a household with a mortgaged home in a flood-affected area, there are three separate questions worth putting to political parties:

  1. Can we afford to keep insuring our home? What happens if premiums rise sharply, exclusions are added or insurers refuse cover?
  2. Can we protect the property? Who pays for flood banks, drainage, stopbanks, land-use changes and other protective infrastructure?
  3. What happens after another major flood? If the home becomes uninhabitable or effectively uninsurable, will there be government assistance, a buyout, relocation support or compensation for the mortgage loss?

The third question is particularly important. A government can fund flood protection without guaranteeing that individual homeowners will be compensated if their property eventually becomes unsafe.

I'll distinguish between policies that have actually been announced, existing government arrangements and proposals that parties may still need to clarify. The position below is relevant to New Zealand homeowners nationally, rather than any one council or region.

  1. What the main parties are proposing

The following reflects published policies and public statements available as at 31 October 2026. The distinction between a firm policy and a general political commitment matters.

National
In government, National's approach is based on its National Adaptation Framework, introduced in October 2025. Its main commitments include:

  • Developing adaptation plans for areas identified as high priority for natural-hazard risk.
  • Improving national risk information, including a New Zealand Flood Map expected in 2027.
  • Clarifying the responsibilities of central and local government.
  • Supporting investment in risk reduction and developing arrangements for sharing costs before and after disasters.
  • Developing national standards for river gravel extraction and on-farm quarrying to make practical resilience projects easier.

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has emphasised giving communities greater certainty about their risks and future decisions. What this means for homeowners: National is proposing a structured national approach to managing flood risk, but the framework does not itself promise that the Government will buy your home, guarantee affordable insurance or pay off a mortgage if your property becomes uninhabitable.

Sources:

  • Ministry for the Environment's National Adaptation Framework.
  • The August 2026 party adaptation discussion.
Ask anything

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Gemini · No location

We own a mortgaged home in an area affected by flooding. Insurance affordability, protection works and what happens after another flood are major concerns for us. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do parties propose for homeowners whose property becomes difficult to insure or unsafe to live in?

For homeowners navigating mortgaged properties in flood-affected regions, the intersection of insurance retreat, physical protection, and managed retreat is one of the most pressing structural challenges in the 2026 general election cycle.

While major parties have historically left much of the heavy lifting on climate adaptation to local councils—leading to what critics and bodies like the Climate Change Commission characterize as "patchy" or delayed progress—distinct approaches are emerging across the political spectrum to address insurance accessibility and the fate of high-risk properties.

1. Insurance Affordability and Risk Disclosure

As private insurers increasingly factor advanced flood and climate science into rising premiums or pull back coverage entirely, parties have proposed different institutional solutions:

  • The Opportunity Party (TOP): Has put forward specific proposals targeting insurance retreat, advocating for a National Insurance Support Framework, an expanded role for the Natural Hazards Commission (NHC), and mandatory climate-risk disclosures across property, mortgage, and insurance products to ensure buyers and homeowners understand exposure prior to purchase.
  • National / Current Coalition Approach: Focuses heavily on the regulatory and financial settings of the Natural Hazards Insurance Act (overseen via ongoing Treasury and ministerial reviews into insurance affordability and levy settings), while leaning into infrastructure resilience and streamlining resource management laws (replacing the RMA) to clear paths for local protection works. However, critics point out that definitive frameworks for funding high-risk community adaptation have frequently been deferred.
  • Industry & Cross-Party Pressures: The Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) has continued pressing the incoming government to establish a clear, long-term national roadmap for natural hazard resilience to prevent uninsurability from blindsiding mortgage-holders.

2. Protection Works vs. Managed Retreat

When a home becomes unsafe or structurally vulnerable after repeated flooding, the question shifts to who bears the cost of defense versus relocation (managed retreat):

  • Left-Bloc / Green / Progressive Perspectives: The Green Party and other progressive groups emphasize comprehensive state-backed support for communities facing severe weather events, arguing for coordinated national leadership on climate adaptation. They emphasize that local councils cannot shoulder the burden alone and advocate for central government funding models to assist vulnerable areas, alongside robust emission-reduction targets.
  • Centrist and Right-Bloc Perspectives (National, ACT): Generally favor market flexibility, property rights, and localized decision-making via regional or council-led spatial planning. Their primary focus for housing and land has centered on unlocking safe land supply through planning reform and infrastructure funding rather than pre-committing to blanket nationwide property buyouts, leaving the financial mechanics of managed retreat largely contentious and legally unresolved at a national level.

What This Means for a Mortgaged Homeowner

If your property faces long-term uninsurability or severe flood risk, the core distinction between party platforms lies in how interventionist they want the state to be:

  1. Systemic Reform vs. Status Quo: Parties like TOP and the Greens advocate for explicit national frameworks, risk transparency, and structured state intervention for retreating communities.
  2. Infrastructure and Market Adaptation: National and ACT lean toward local council planning, streamlined resource consenting for protection engineering, and broader economic management to handle housing shifts.

Are you leaning toward a specific party's approach to local infrastructure protection versus long-term relocation, or are you looking for more details on how these policies might affect property values and mortgage obligations?

Ask Gemini

Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.

Captured 31 October 2026 · shown as Gemini gave it, not a verified account

Google AI Mode · No location

We own a mortgaged home in an area affected by flooding. Insurance affordability, protection works and what happens after another flood are major concerns for us. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do parties propose for homeowners whose property becomes difficult to insure or unsafe to live in?

Navigating property risks, soaring insurance costs, and the threat of repeat flooding is a heavy reality for many New Zealand homeowners. Ahead of the 2026 general election, political parties have staked out distinct approaches in response to the national debate on climate adaptation, property rights, and "who pays" for managed retreat or protection works.

The core proposals and stances from the major and notable parties break down as follows:

  • National Party : Focuses on a structured National Adaptation Framework emphasizing practical planning, regulatory certainty, and clearer standards for local infrastructure and risk mitigation (such as river gravel extraction). National leans toward practical risk reduction and local decision-making rather than broad, state-funded property buyouts, aiming to provide market certainty.

  • Labour Party : Proposes a shared-responsibility funding model for managed retreat and adaptation. Labour’s framework looks to split the cost burden across a mix of beneficiaries, exacerbators (polluters/developers), public funds, and financial institutions like banks and insurers, rather than leaving local councils or individual homeowners to bear the full cost of relocating from unsafe areas.

  • Green Party : Advocates for a comprehensive, cross-party framework integrated with aggressive emissions mitigation. The Greens criticize delays in government adaptation funding, pushing instead for robust central government backing for local councils, heavy investment in green infrastructure, and equitable community-led relocation processes that factor in Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles.

  • ACT Party : Takes a more skeptical view on top-down climate restrictions. ACT cautions against local councils using extreme or worst-case climate scenarios to impose sweeping property restrictions or down-zoning on private land, emphasizing property rights and market-led or localized alternatives over heavy state intervention.

  • New Zealand First : Tends to prioritize economic growth and cost-of-living relief over dedicated climate adaptation frameworks, expressing skepticism toward international climate commitments and favoring economic pragmatism over preemptive property limitations.

  • The Opportunities Party (TOP) : Proposes a dedicated, multi-party Climate Adaptation Act establishing a transparent, shared-responsibility funding model to take the politics out of managed retreat and provide predictable pathways for vulnerable homeowners.

Insurers and adaptation professionals continue to warn that regardless of which party leads the next government, a lasting national consensus on funding property relocation and protection works is urgently needed to keep homes insurable.

To help narrow down your decision, would you like to explore:

  • How these policies impact local council rates and infrastructure in flood zones?
  • The specific insurance industry recommendations on how managed retreat should be financed?
Ask anything

Captured 31 October 2026 · shown as Google AI Mode gave it, not a verified account

AI Overviews · No location

We own a mortgaged home in an area affected by flooding. Insurance affordability, protection works and what happens after another flood are major concerns for us. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do parties propose for homeowners whose property becomes difficult to insure or unsafe to live in?

AI Overview

Heading into the 7 November 2026 New Zealand general election , political parties offer vastly different approaches to managing climate adaptation, property insurance retreat, and flood protections. For homeowners facing insurance withdrawal or unlivable properties, proposals range from structured, mandatory local council planning to multi-party funded buyouts or a heavier reliance on private infrastructure resilience.

Major Party Positions on Uninsurable and Unsafe Properties

  • National Party: Focuses on structured local planning and risk mitigation via their National Adaptation Framework. In July 2026, the National-led government introduced the Climate Change Response Amendment Bill , which legally mandates local councils to prepare 30-year adaptation plans for high-risk "priority locations". Their policy centers on a shared cost-sharing framework between central government, councils, and private owners, prioritizing practical engineering protections (like stopbanks) to keep properties insurable rather than automatic public buyouts before a disaster occurs.

  • Labour Party: Proposes a structured managed retreat framework backed by a shared funding model. Labour's policy distributes the financial burden of relocation and property buyouts among the public sector, the banks, insurers, and the property owners themselves ("beneficiary, exacerbator, public, banks/insurance"). They emphasize accelerating climate adaptation to prevent homeowners from absorbing the entire asset loss when private insurance retreats. rnz.co.nzThe case for expanding public insurance to cover flood risk

  • Green Party: Advocates for an integrated, cross-party framework and the creation of a comprehensive Climate Adaptation Act. The Greens focus heavily on well-funded, state-backed managed retreat schemes to ensure lower-income homeowners are not left holding unmortgageable, uninsurable assets, funded partly by broader structural wealth taxes. greens.org.nzBuying a property? Ensure your agreement has an insurance

  • The Opportunity Party (TOP): Proposes a multi-party Climate Adaptation Act utilizing a shared responsibility funding model. Their "Climate Opportunities" policy explicitly advocates for stopping new builds in high-risk zones, implementing managed retreat protocols, and forming dedicated public-private insurance partnerships to address weather-related insurance stress. whichparty.nz

  • ACT New Zealand: Cautions against heavy-handed council interventions. ACT opposes local councils using extreme climate scenarios to restrict property use or property rights. They advocate for reducing red tape for private resilience works and focus on market-led insurance adjustments rather than large-scale, taxpayer-funded property buyouts. rnz.co.nz

  • New Zealand First: Prioritizes regional infrastructure investment over climate-specific retreat legislation. They oppose sweeping climate adaptation regulations, opting instead to use mechanisms like their Regional Infrastructure Fund to finance physical flood protection works and regional resilience projects to protect existing communities. whichparty.nz

If you would like to explore this further, let me know:

  • Would you like details on how the current EQC scheme splits land vs. building coverage for flood events?
  • Do you want to see the specific details of the July 2026 Climate Change Response Amendment Bill regarding council mandates?

Let me know how you would like to proceed.

Ask anything

Captured 31 October 2026 · shown as AI Overviews gave it, not a verified account