Labour Party
LABCentre-left party focused on workers' rights, public services, and social equity.
Policy Positions
Labour's Cost of Living Policy
Labour introduced a Cost of Living Payment of $350 for low and middle income earners, extended free and half-price public transport, and maintained the fuel excise duty reduction. They also increased Working for Families and benefit rates and focused on building more affordable housing.
Simple explanation
Give direct cash payments to low income earners, keep public transport cheap, and increase benefits and Working for Families payments to help families cope.
Labour's Housing Policy
Labour focuses on increasing public and affordable housing through Kāinga Ora, maintaining the first home buyer programmes, and continuing the income-related rent subsidy. Labour also supports maintaining KiwiBuild's affordable home targets and tenant protections.
Simple explanation
Build more state and affordable homes through the government housing agency, help first-home buyers, and protect renters' rights.
Labour's Health Policy
Labour created Health New Zealand to unify the health system and reduce inequity. Policy focuses on free GP visits for under-14s, continued Pharmac funding increases, building new hospitals, and addressing health workforce shortages through training and recruitment.
Simple explanation
Keep healthcare free for children, fund more medicines through Pharmac, build new hospitals, and train more doctors and nurses.
Labour's Education Policy
Labour expanded free early childhood education, made fees free for the first year of tertiary study, and developed the Learning Support Action Plan. They reformed Tomorrow's Schools, introduced attendance support programmes, and invested in school lunches and mental health support.
Simple explanation
Make early childhood and first year of university free, provide school lunches, support students with learning difficulties, and invest in school mental health.
Labour's Taxation Policy
Labour introduced a 39% top income tax rate for income over $180,000 and maintains progressive income tax. They oppose a broad capital gains tax, having ruled it out during their tenure, but support closing tax loopholes and ensuring multinationals pay their fair share.
Simple explanation
Keep a high tax rate for very high earners, make sure large corporations pay tax in New Zealand, and close loopholes used to avoid tax.
Labour's Economic Policy
Labour's economic approach centres on investment in public services, the Future of Work Commission, the New Zealand Green Investment Finance fund, the Provincial Growth Fund for regional economies, and building a more productive and sustainable economy through skills and innovation.
Simple explanation
Invest in people and regions, fund clean technology, and grow a productive economy that works for everyone — not just those at the top.
Labour's Immigration Policy
Labour introduced the 2021 immigration reset to reduce dependence on low-wage migration, created the Green List for critical health and education workers, and introduced the Pacific Access Category reset. They support a more selective, skills-focused immigration system.
Simple explanation
Focus immigration on skilled workers New Zealand really needs, make it easier for Pacific Islanders to come to NZ, and reduce reliance on low-wage overseas labour.
Labour's Climate Policy
Labour introduced the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Act, establishing net-zero carbon by 2050 and the independent Climate Change Commission. Policy includes clean car incentives, renewable energy investment, and the ETS with agriculture entering in 2025.
Simple explanation
Stick to the legal target of net-zero carbon by 2050, use carbon pricing for all sectors including farming, and support electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Labour's Environment Policy
Labour passed the Natural and Built Environment Act replacing the RMA, introduced the Essential Freshwater package to clean up waterways, increased conservation funding, and declared a biodiversity emergency. They established the Jobs for Nature programme to fund conservation work.
Simple explanation
Reform environmental law, clean up rivers and lakes, fund conservation jobs, and declare biodiversity a national emergency requiring urgent action.
Labour's Crime & Justice Policy
Labour focused on rehabilitation through the Hāpai te Hauora health-based approach, reducing Māori over-representation in prisons, alternatives to imprisonment for non-violent offending, mental health courts, and addressing the root causes of crime through social investment.
Simple explanation
Address the causes of crime through health and social support, reduce the number of Māori in prison, and use alternatives to jail for non-violent offenders.
Labour's Transport Policy
Labour funded Auckland light rail investigations, invested significantly in public transport including half-price fares, commenced electrification of the Wellington rail network, and introduced the New Zealand Upgrade Programme for roads and rail. They also supported mode shift away from cars.
Simple explanation
Invest in light rail and public transport, keep public transport affordable, upgrade rail, and make it easier for people to get around without a car.
Labour's Infrastructure Policy
Labour invested heavily in infrastructure through the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, the shovel-ready COVID recovery programme, and establishing Crown Infrastructure Partners. They focused on water services infrastructure, transport, and school rebuilds.
Simple explanation
Invest billions in upgrading roads, rail, water, and schools, and use government agencies to coordinate and fund large infrastructure projects.
Labour's Employment Policy
Labour introduced Fair Pay Agreements to set minimum conditions across whole industries, increased the minimum wage to $22.70, strengthened collective bargaining, added five days sick leave, and introduced a public holidays reform. They support union rights and worker protections.
Simple explanation
Set fair pay standards across whole industries, raise the minimum wage, strengthen unions, give workers more sick leave, and improve public holiday rules.
Labour's Small Business Policy
Labour established the Small Business Council, introduced digital invoicing, provided COVID-19 wage subsidies to protect small businesses, and created the Regional Business Partner programme. They also introduced the Business Finance Guarantee Scheme during the pandemic.
Simple explanation
Support small businesses with advice and mentoring, help them go digital, and provide emergency support when things get tough.
Labour's Agriculture Policy
Labour proposed bringing agriculture into the ETS from 2025, introduced the He Waka Eke Noa levy system alternative, invested in agricultural research, and balanced freshwater standards with farming needs. They support sustainable farming practices and increasing export returns.
Simple explanation
Price agricultural emissions to help NZ meet climate goals, invest in sustainable farming research, and clean up rivers while supporting farmers to adapt.
Labour's Māori Affairs Policy
Labour established the Māori Health Authority, implemented co-governance in Three Waters, developed the He Puapua framework for Treaty implementation, increased Māori language funding, and worked to address Māori inequity across health, housing, education, and justice.
Simple explanation
Create Māori-led health and water governance, fund the Māori language, and reduce the major gaps between Māori and non-Māori in health, housing, and education.
Labour's Foreign Policy
Labour maintained New Zealand's independent foreign policy tradition, the nuclear-free policy, and strengthened Pacific engagement through Pasifika Futures. They negotiated free trade agreements with the EU and UK, supported CPTPP, and took a human rights-focused approach to international relations.
Simple explanation
Keep New Zealand independent and nuclear-free, support Pacific nations, negotiate trade deals with Europe and the UK, and stand up for human rights internationally.
Labour's Energy Policy
Labour set a target of 100% renewable electricity by 2030, supported new wind and solar generation, invested in the Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme, banned new coal boilers, and opposed reopening offshore oil and gas. They also funded the just transition away from fossil fuels.
Simple explanation
Power all of NZ with 100% renewables by 2030, build big pumped hydro storage, ban new coal boilers, and help workers and communities transition away from fossil fuels.
Labour's Social Welfare Policy
Labour made the most significant benefit increases in decades, removed the youth payment and young parent payment abatements, abolished the winter energy payment means test, increased the accommodation supplement, and created the Disability Action Plan. They reformed the welfare system to be more supportive.
Simple explanation
Significantly increase benefit rates, make the winter energy payment available to more people, increase housing support for those on low incomes, and better support disabled people.