2026 New Zealand election: trade access and agricultural exports

For a farming business, trade policy matters well beyond the price received at the farm gate. It affects access to overseas markets, the cost of meeting export requirements, biosecurity, environmental compliance, transport infrastructure and the ability to remain competitive internationally.

For the 2026 general election, I would examine party policies across five areas:

1. Market access: negotiating and maintaining free-trade agreements, reducing tariffs and removing non-tariff barriers.
2. Export protection: protecting New Zealand's reputation for food safety, animal welfare, traceability and product quality.
3. Farm operating costs: emissions pricing, freshwater rules, fertiliser requirements and compliance costs.
4. Rural infrastructure: roads, freight, ports, telecommunications and reliable access to essential services.
5. Agricultural innovation: investment in science, genetics, productivity, technology and climate resilience.

An important distinction is that securing a trade agreement does not automatically guarantee better returns for farmers. Market access, the costs of complying with export standards and the ability to get products to market all matter.

1. What the major parties are offering

The following reflects published policies and statements available as at 30 October 2026, ahead of the election on 7 November. I have separated specific commitments from broader party positions.

National Party

Export growth and production

National's central ambition is to double the value of New Zealand exports by 2034.

Its proposals include:

• Pursuing trade negotiations with Brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Switzerland, Argentina, Uruguay, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
• Building on trade agreements with India, the UAE and Gulf countries.
• Improving market access and reducing trade barriers.
• Introducing 19 nationally consistent farming standards to reduce regulatory differences between councils.
• Providing $300 million in concessional loans for water-storage projects.
• Improving access to fertiliser and essential agricultural inputs through supply agreements.
• Making irrigation, farm infrastructure and water storage easier to consent for.

National argues that export growth requires greater productivity and fewer regulatory obstacles for farmers. National sets out plan to double exports by 2034Securing water and fertiliser to back NZ farmersLabour’s Trade for All revival sparks criticism

What this could mean for your farm: More emphasis on production, investment certainty, water security and reducing compliance costs. Its export strategy is particularly relevant if your business depends on dairy, meat, horticulture or other internationally traded food products.

New Zealand Labour Party

Trade relationships and broader trade benefits

Labour's approach puts more emphasis on how trade agreements are negotiated and how businesses benefit from them.

Its key positions include:

• Reinstating its Trade for All approach to trade negotiations.
• Giving environmental standards, workers' rights, gender equality and indigenous rights a greater place in trade negotiations.
• Making better use of existing free-trade agreements rather than simply pursuing more agreements.
• Potentially restoring funding to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to help exporters take advantage of existing market access.
• Supporting practical measures to address farming costs, energy insecurity, biosecurity risks and extreme weather.

Labour's Trade for All approach has attracted criticism from National and ACT, who argue that additional negotiating conditions could make it harder to secure commercially valuable concessions. Labour argues that trade benefits should be more widely shared. Labour’s Trade for All revival sparks criticismElection 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary SectorLabour's 2026 Election Policies

What this could mean for your farm: Greater attention to the environmental and social credentials of New Zealand exports, and potentially more assistance for businesses trying to turn existing trade agreements into actual sales.

ACT New Zealand

Lower costs and fewer restrictions

ACT's agricultural position centres on reducing the cost of producing and exporting food.

Its proposals include:

• Keeping agricultural emissions permanently outside the ETS.
• Opposing agricultural emissions taxes or alternative agricultural emissions pricing.
• Cutting the carbon tax affecting fuel and other farm inputs.
• Removing unnecessary resource-consent requirements for routine farming activities.
• Making freshwater farm plans practical and affordable.
• Supporting faster approval of agricultural technology and crop-protection products.
• Introducing a rural workforce visa to improve access to workers.

On trade, ACT supports expanding market access but has criticised Labour's Trade for All negotiating approach. Its agricultural spokesperson has also called for better dairy access in future trade agreements, particularly where existing agreements have delivered limited dairy concessions. ACT New ZealandACT New ZealandLabour’s Trade for All revival sparks criticism

What this could mean for your farm: A focus on reducing regulatory and input costs, with particular relevance to farms facing substantial compliance expenses or depending on agricultural chemicals and seasonal workers.

New Zealand First

Primary production and regional investment

New Zealand First emphasises the importance of the primary sector to the wider economy and rural communities.

Its positions include:

• Supporting the expansion of agricultural exports.
• Promoting the India, UAE and Gulf trade agreements.
• Supporting regional infrastructure, including water storage, irrigation and port upgrades.
• Giving regional communities a greater return from economic activity.
• Supporting more domestic processing and value-added production.
• Its proposed "Use It or Lose It" dairy policy would encourage investment in additional processing capacity through changes to milk supply arrangements.

New Zealand First also favours maintaining agriculture outside agricultural emissions pricing and supports greater flexibility for productive land use. Election 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary SectorWhat the parties are now offering rural votersElection 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary Sector

What this could mean for your farm: Attention to the infrastructure needed to get produce to export markets, regional economic development and opportunities to capture more value through processing within New Zealand.

Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

Environmental credentials and sustainable exports

The Greens offer a different approach to agricultural export development.

Their policy direction includes:

• Promoting regenerative agriculture and lower-impact food production.
• Establishing stronger sustainability standards across food and fibre production.
• Phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
• Stronger freshwater and biodiversity protection.
• Greater emphasis on reducing agricultural emissions.
• Supporting Labour's Trade for All approach.

The Greens argue that New Zealand's international reputation and long-term agricultural prosperity depend on environmental protection and sustainable production. Labour’s Trade for All revival sparks criticismWhat the parties are now offering rural votersElection policy tracker: what the parties are promising

What this could mean for your farm: Greater emphasis on demonstrating environmental performance to international customers, but potentially more substantial changes to farming inputs, stocking intensity and environmental compliance.

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori places greater emphasis on Māori land ownership, food sovereignty and community-led agricultural development.

Its agricultural policy direction includes:

• Supporting Māori-owned food and fibre businesses.
• Promoting regenerative Māori agriculture.
• Supporting local food production and food sovereignty.
• Protecting freshwater and whenua.
• Opposing genetically engineered food.

Its approach is less centred on negotiating additional conventional free-trade agreements and more on ownership, control and the sustainability of food production. What the parties are now offering rural votersElection policy tracker: what the parties are promising

What this could mean for your farm: Particularly relevant to Māori landowners and businesses interested in Māori-led food production, processing and export development.

The Opportunities Party (TOP)

TOP places emphasis on long-term economic resilience and innovation.

Its proposals include:

• More investment in agricultural research and innovation.
• Regenerative agriculture and biodiversity markets.
• Investment in water storage.
• A 30-year infrastructure strategy.
• A proposed land-value tax, with a lower 0.5% rate for productive rural land.

The land tax is worth examining carefully: it would create an annual cost based on land value rather than farm profitability. What the parties are now offering rural votersElection 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary Sector

What this could mean for your farm: Potential investment in productivity and environmental innovation, alongside a different approach to land taxation and farm ownership costs.

2. Comparing the parties on the issues that matter to agricultural exports

Party	Trade and market access	Farming and export approach
National	New FTAs and expanded access	Grow production and reduce compliance
Labour	Trade for All and better use of existing FTAs	Export support and broader trade standards
ACT	More commercially focused trade negotiations	Reduce costs and restrictions
NZ First	Support for new trade agreements	Processing, regional infrastructure and production
Greens	Trade linked to sustainability	Higher-value, lower-impact production
Te Pāti Māori	Food sovereignty and Māori economic development	Regenerative and Māori-owned production
TOP	Innovation and economic resilience	Research, regeneration and land-tax reform

The key difference is not simply which parties support agricultural exports. All recognise the economic importance of food and fibre exports, but they differ on how production should grow, what environmental conditions should apply and how the benefits of international trade should be distributed.

Labour’s Trade for All revival sparks criticismWhat the parties are now offering rural votersElection policy tracker: what the parties are promising

3. What about protecting New Zealand's agricultural export reputation?

This is an important issue because gaining access to an overseas market is only part of the challenge. New Zealand exporters also need to maintain access by meeting the importing country's requirements.

There are four areas worth comparing.

Biosecurity and disease prevention

• National and ACT emphasise productivity, technology and reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers.
• Labour identifies biosecurity risks as an important pressure on farming businesses.
• All parties should be questioned on funding for surveillance, border protection, pest control and rapid responses to disease outbreaks.

Food safety and traceability

• Exporters need strong systems for food safety, animal identification, traceability and certification.
• The Greens put particular emphasis on environmental credentials.
• Labour's Trade for All approach gives greater prominence to labour and environmental standards in trade relationships.

Climate and environmental standards

New Zealand's international customers increasingly scrutinise how food is produced. Environmental performance can affect market access and the ability to command premium prices.

The political disagreement is largely about how farmers should meet those expectations and who should pay for the changes.

Dairy and meat market access

One important issue is whether trade agreements deliver meaningful access for New Zealand's biggest agricultural export industries.

Farmers Weekly reported that dairy access was a concern with the India and EU agreements, despite their broader trade benefits. ACT's agricultural spokesperson specifically raised the need for better dairy concessions in future negotiations. Labour’s Trade for All revival sparks criticismWhat the parties are now offering rural voters

4. The rural services and operating-cost question

For a farm well outside a main centre, I would not assess agricultural policy in isolation.

A government can negotiate excellent export agreements, but their value to your business may be limited if transport, labour, energy and essential services become increasingly expensive or difficult to access.

These are additional policy areas worth comparing:

Issue	What to look for in party commitments
Rural roads	Funding for maintenance, bridges and freight routes
Internet and mobile coverage	Reliable broadband and mobile coverage in isolated areas
Healthcare	Rural GP availability, emergency services and telehealth
Education	Rural schools, transport and vocational training
Electricity	Reliable supply and affordable rural power
Labour	Seasonal worker access, immigration and workforce training
Water	Storage, irrigation and drought resilience
Biosecurity	Regional response capacity and support for affected farmers

New Zealand First has emphasised regional infrastructure and port investment. National has proposed substantial water-storage investment and more consistent farming rules. Labour has highlighted rural school transport and broader rural cost pressures. The Greens have proposed rural community services, including mobile services and community hubs. Election 2026: What Parties Promise the Primary SectorSecuring water and fertiliser to back NZ farmersElection 2026: What's on Offer for Regional New Zealand?Labour's 2026 Election Policies

5. Important differences to investigate before voting

There are some issues where the parties' positions could have quite different financial consequences for a farming business.

Decision area	Main policy divide
Agricultural emissions	Keeping agriculture outside pricing versus stronger emissions-reduction obligations
Freshwater	More flexibility and nationally consistent rules versus stronger environmental limits
Fertiliser	Security of supply and productive use versus reducing synthetic nitrogen use
Land use	Greater production flexibility versus stronger environmental constraints
Agricultural technology	Faster approval and adoption versus more precautionary approaches
Forestry	Balancing carbon forestry with productive food-producing land
Export strategy	More market-opening agreements versus broader social and environmental trade conditions

One particularly important distinction: National, ACT and NZ First have supported removing agricultural emissions pricing, while the Greens advocate stronger agricultural emissions reductions. Labour's current position is not simply a return to its previous farm-level pricing proposal; it has indicated that agriculture would remain outside the ETS and that technology and farming practices should play a greater role. What the parties are now offering rural votersACT New ZealandElection policy tracker: what the parties are promising

6. Questions I would put to every party

Before making your decision, these are useful questions to ask candidates or take to a rural election meeting:

1. Which new overseas markets will you actively pursue, and what specific agricultural products will benefit?
2. How will you ensure that future trade agreements deliver commercially meaningful access for dairy, meat, horticulture and other food exporters?
3. What will you do to protect existing export markets against biosecurity threats and changing international standards?
4. Will environmental compliance requirements be nationally consistent, affordable and practical for smaller or remote farms?
5. How will you fund rural roads, telecommunications, healthcare and emergency services in communities distant from major centres?
6. What support will be available when drought, flooding or a disease outbreak threatens farm income?

7. Where to check the actual party commitments

These resources are useful for checking the original policies rather than relying exclusively on campaign statements.

• National – 2026 election policies
• Labour – 2026 election policies
• ACT – official policy announcements
• Green Party – official policies
• Policy.nz – compare 2026 party policies
• Interest.co.nz – rural election policy analysis
• Rural News – agricultural election coverage

My suggested way to assess the choices

Rather than focusing only on which party promises to support farmers, I would distinguish between three separate outcomes:

• Export income: Will the policy improve access to markets, protect existing customers and increase the value received for New Zealand products?
• Farm profitability: What happens to fertiliser, fuel, labour, financing, compliance and infrastructure costs?
• Long-term rural viability: Will the policy protect productive land, natural resources and the services that allow isolated farming communities to remain viable?

These outcomes can sometimes conflict. For example, increasing production may improve export earnings but create additional pressure on water resources. Stronger environmental protections may improve long-term market credentials but increase short-term compliance costs.

One final consideration: New Zealand's election is on Saturday 7 November 2026. Your party vote determines each party's share of Parliament, while your electorate vote helps choose your local MP. Both matter when considering policies that affect rural communities.

I can also put together a more detailed side-by-side farming election comparison, focusing specifically on the financial consequences for a remote farming operation: fuel, fertiliser, emissions, freshwater compliance, rural infrastructure, healthcare access and agricultural export opportunities.