Politics
Wondering about who stands for what? Welcome to RNZ’s go-to guide for party policy this election. We’ve put together a directory with some brief information about what the parties represented in the last Parliament would do if they were re-elected.
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern, National leader Judith Collins, NZ First leader Winston Peters, Green Party co-leader James Shaw and ACT leader David Seymour.Labour leader Jacinda Ardern, National leader Judith Collins, NZ First leader Winston Peters, Green Party co-leader James Shaw and ACT leader David Seymour. Photo: RNZ
It’s not an exhaustive resource, but a launching pad – you’ll be able to find out a bit about policies on a range of issues and from here, click through to RNZ coverage or party websites to do a deep dive if you’re interested.
We’ll keep updating this as further policies are announced – including stand-out policies from parties or subjects not included – so keep checking back if what you’re looking for isn’t here yet.
Where TBA is present, the policy either hasn’t been publicly announced yet, or may have only been published online and not detailed. We’ll update this story as that changes. If you’re looking for a particular party policy, try using the ctrl + f buttons – there’s a lot of information to sort through.
Covid-19
Labour
So far, Labour’s Covid-19 response policy states it has a five-point recovery plan.
It’ll continue to focus on a tight border with testing and quarantining, rolling out its surveillance strategy with strengthened testing, and improving the contact tracing system including other technology options.
National
National says it will “inject some steel into our first line of defence against Covid-19” with a border security plan.
It would establish “Te Korowai Whakamaru/NZ Border Protection Agency”, for a start. That agency would be set up within 100 days if National were elected.
Green Party
TBA
NZ First
New Zealand First wants a new Border Protection Force, a centralised agency to “focus our government efforts in a single line of attack” on the virus.
The party also wants a new quarantine policy that would include moving quarantining to military facilities.
ACT
ACT wants a wellbeing approach to the coronavirus that extends past the border with “deeper layers of defence”.
Part of that approach to the virus will be a “multi-disciplinary Epidemic Response Centre”.
ACT wants the country to copy Taiwan – “the clear winner on a wellbeing basis”.
Climate change
Labour
Labour Party is promising to bring forward its goal of 100 percent renewable electricity generation by five years to 2030.
National
So far, the party’s electric vehicle policy is available here. It would exempt EVs from fringe benefit tax until 2025, exempt EVs from Road User Charges until at least 2023 and allow EVs to use bus lanes and high-occupancy lanes.
Green Party
If elected, the Green Party wants to establish a $297 million fund to help farmers transition to regenerative and organic farming.
Under its Clean Energy Plan, the party is proposing to bring forward the government’s 100 percent renewable energy target by five years to 2030.
It’s got far more detail on its climate policies here.
NZ First
TBA
ACT
ACT has announced a range of plans for climate change.
It would ask politicians to pledge to cut flights to Wellington by 25 percent, tie New Zealand’s carbon price to that of our trading partners, and remove all subsidies for commercial forestry investments.
Economy
Labour
Labour says it’ll introduce a support package to help businesses hire at least 40,000 Kiwis whose jobs were affected by the pandemic.
It’s also promising to progressively extend living wage guarantees to public service contractors.
The party is promising to extend the Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme and to invest $311 million to help unemployed New Zealanders into jobs.
National
You can view all of National’s economic policy here.
It has announced its BusinessStart scheme and plans to create a new bank among other policies.
National’s JobStart scheme would also provide a $10,000 cash payment to businesses for all additional new employees.
Green Party
The Greens kick off their economic policy section of their website with a clear indicator of their position: “Success should be measured by human and environmental wellbeing”.
They want a “progressive, comprehensive” tax system that should “encourage sustainability”.
NZ First
Back in March, NZ First leader Winston Peters named his first bottom line for any post-election coalition talks – the provincial growth fund in its current form.
ACT
ACT has pitched its economic policies as a “five-point plan for economic recovery”.
It wants to “balance the books” by returning the government books to surplus by 2024 and start repaying debt, cutting $7.6 billion of what it calls wasteful spending and delivering $3.1b in tax cuts – including reducing tax rates.
Tax
Labour
Labour is promising to increase tax on the country’s highest 2 percent of earners and close loopholes so multinationals pay their fair share of tax.
A new top rate of 39 percent on earnings over $180,000 is the sole change to its tax policy. It’s forecast to generate $550m of revenue a year.
National
So far, National has said it would hold taxes at the current levels but adjust thresholds for inflation.
Green Party
Under its Poverty Action Plan, the Greens would create two new tax brackets for those earning over $100,000 and $150,000.
It has proposed taxing those who have a net wealth of more than $1 million or $2m at 1 percent and 2 percent, respectively, on money that was over and above that amount.
You can look at more of the Greens’ tax plan here.
NZ First
TBA
ACT
ACT says it will cut taxes. It would temporarily cut GST to 10 percent and permanently cut the marginal tax rate paid by those on the median wage from 30 percent to 17.5 percent, simplifying the tax system to three rates.
On your first $14,000, you would pay 10.5 percent. On your next $56,000 you would pay only 17.5 percent, while the rate on income above $70,000 would remain 33 percent, under ACT’s plan.
Health
Labour
TBA
National
National has proposed to spend an extra $20 million over four years protecting women from gynaecological cancer.
National is also promising to spend an extra $30m on improving dental services for children, including a free toothbrush, toothpaste and information pack each year.
It’s also promising record funding increases for Pharmac, a new cancer agency, faster elective surgeries and primary care ‘navigators’ in its health policy.
Green Party
The Greens’ health policy states that there should be no financial barriers to accessing healthcare. Dental care should be extended and mental health funding increased, and Māori health services supported. Health funding should keep pace with the growing population and need.
NZ First
NZ First would provide St John’s Ambulance with all the funding it requires if the party is elected, up from what it already gets from the Ministry of Health and ACC.
ACT
The ACT Party wants to take mental health funding away from the Ministry of Health and district health boards and instead channel it to patients and providers through a mental health and addiction commission.
Education
Labour
Labour has announced a $1.7 billion education package.
It would replace the decile system with the Equality Index, close the pay gap for teachers working in education and care centres, continue rolling out free lunches programme to a quarter of all school-aged children and target funding areas such as trades training and apprenticeships.
National
National is promising to spend $4.8 billion on fast-tracking education infrastructure if elected in October.
It is also promising another $1.9b education package over four years, with a focus on learning support, teacher aides, and new special character schools.
Green Party
The Green’s education policy kicks off by stating “every child is entitled to a high-quality, free, accessible public education that gives them the best possible start in life”.
They want state schools adequately funded, private school funding phased out, no public-private partnerships for schools, NCEA improved and National Standards replaced “with a system developed by teachers using national data to inform and support individual learning”.
NZ First
TBA
ACT
ACT’s education policy proposes to provide every child with a student education account – $250,000 which parents can use “at any registered educational institution that will accept their child’s enrolment, public or private”.
In addition, ACT would cut back Ministry of Education staff by 50 percent, a move it says would save “$240 million a year”.
Environment
Labour
TBA
National
The National Party has promised to recommit to making New Zealand predator-free by 2050 and fully fund efforts to achieve the target if elected in October.
It also says in its access to outdoor environment policy it will begin work to establish two new National Parks and build two new Great Walks.
Green Party
The Greens say strong legal structures should protect the environment.
They want the Resource Management Act reformed to ensure its original principles are upheld, environmental legal aid funding increased, DOC’s role as advocate for nature strengthened, and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment better funded.
They also have a marine environment policy.
NZ First
TBA
ACT
Among its environment policies, ACT says it will replace the Resource Management Act with new law and strengthen environmental reporting system at local, regional and national levels.
Housing
Labour
TBA
National
TBA
Green Party
The Greens want to clear the social housing waiting list – which had about 18,000 people in August – within five years.
They also want to create a non-profit rental sector.
NZ First
TBA
ACT
ACT’s approach to housing says that it would “Replace the Resource Management Act with a law that lets people build without restrictive zoning such as the Metropolitan Urban Limit”.
ACT would remove councils from the building consent and inspection business and introduce mandatory private insurance for new housing.
Justice
Labour
TBA
National
National would set up a police unit to disrupt gangs.
It would also roll out an intensive rehab programme for meth addicts.
Its full set of law and order policies are here.
Green Party
The Greens’ justice policy says the first priority of the justice system should be to heal the harm caused by a crime.
Funding for restorative justice and victim support should be increased, they say. They don’t want any new prisons built and are in favour of Tikanga Māori approaches being supported.
NZ First
New Zealand First is promising to fund more prisoner rehabilitation programmes if re-elected.
It has also committed to 1000 new frontline sworn officers over the next three years.
ACT
The party, as stated in its law and order policy, intends to add burglary to the three strikes regime.
It would also reward prisoners who complete literacy programmes and driver licensing tests – and prisoners who offer to teach the programmes – with reduced sentences, and scrap red tape that stops ordinary New Zealanders from volunteering in prison education and rehabilitation programmes.
Welfare and social development
Labour
Under Labour’s welfare plan, the training incentive allowance for higher skilled courses would be reinstated, and people on a benefit and working part-time would be able to earn more.
Labour also intends to bring in the Fair Pay Agreement system this time around if re-elected.
National
Every pregnant woman would be given $3000 of extra support such as additional parental leave or a longer postnatal stay under a National Party proposal.
Back in May, the party said it was not looking at cutting welfare payments if elected.
It reiterated that message in August.
Green Party
The Greens’ Poverty Action Plan includes a proposed Guaranteed Minimum Income, which would provide anyone out of work with at least $325 a week after tax – and those working part-time would also be able to access further help.
There are a range of other initiatives and ACC would also be reformed into an “Agency for Comprehensive Care”.
NZ First
New Zealand First has announced a policy to bring in a universal family benefit which would allow families to use the money to put down a deposit on a first home.
ACT
ACT wants a new “employment insurance” scheme that would pay out based on input. There would still be welfare for those who don’t qualify for the scheme.
ACT also wants to introduce electronic income management with an Australian trial as an example – tracked and restricted spending on alcohol, gambling and tobacco with welfare money.
Transport/infrastructure
Labour
So far, Labour has confirmed the $5 billion of lower North Island infrastructure projects it is promising if re-elected, including projects worth more than $1.2b within 18 months.
National
National has put a $31 billion price tag on the infrastructure upgrade required to fix the country’s transport network and Auckland and the upper North Island’s congestion crisis.
National has also made a range of smaller transport announcements.
It also has an electric vehicle policy that’s part of its zero emissions plans.
Green Party
The Greens’ transport policy says government transport funding should prioritise moving people and freight, not cars. They want transport options that reduce pollution, electric vehicles and affordable public transport, as well as make streets safe for all users.
NZ First
TBA
ACT
ACT would take infrastructure decision making away from government ministers and create an independent “New Zealand Infrastructure Corporation”.
Source: rnz.co.nz Republished by arrangement.
Leith Huffadine, Digital Journalist
[email protected]