ACT's Employment Policy
ACT strongly supports flexible labour markets, opposes minimum wage increases above market rates, supports 90-day trials for all employers, opposes Fair Pay Agreements, and advocates for reducing employment relations compliance to make it easier for businesses to hire.
In simple terms
Keep employment flexible, allow businesses to try new workers for 90 days, oppose setting wages by law, and reduce paperwork for businesses hiring people.
Impact to New Zealanders
More people get hired quickly, but workers avoid demanding better conditions knowing they can be dismissed after 90 days without cause.
Businesses invest less in training since 90-day workers leave frequently, so productivity gains plateau while skill shortages widen in specialized industries.
Chronic job instability reduces consumer spending and tax revenue, forcing government to cut services that low-income workers—who cycle through jobs—rely on most.
Green Party's Employment Policy
The Green Party supports a $25 minimum wage, a four-day working week, universal basic income, strong union rights, banning zero-hours contracts, 26 weeks paid parental leave, and a just transition for workers in fossil fuel industries.
In simple terms
Raise the minimum wage to $25, introduce a four-day work week, ban zero-hours contracts, extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks, and support workers leaving fossil fuel jobs.
Impact to New Zealanders
Small businesses raise prices to cover wage costs; low-income families pay more for groceries and services despite wage rises.
Four-day week normalizes; employers automate routine tasks to maintain output, reducing entry-level job availability for young workers without skills.
Rural regions struggle to attract workers; four-day city jobs pull talent away, widening rural–urban inequality despite higher minimum wage.
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.
In simple terms
Set fair pay standards across whole industries, raise the minimum wage, strengthen unions, give workers more sick leave, and improve public holiday rules.
Impact to New Zealanders
Small businesses raise prices to cover higher labour costs; low-income households pay more for essentials like groceries and rent.
Employers automate jobs faster to reduce wage bills; workers in routine roles face redundancy despite higher hourly rates when employed.
New Zealand becomes less attractive for labour-intensive industries; investment flows to automation hubs, reducing job diversity outside professional sectors.
National's Employment Policy
National supports flexible labour markets, opposes the Fair Pay Agreement system introduced by Labour, and has repealed the FPA legislation. They support 90-day trial periods for all employers, reducing compliance costs on businesses, and linking benefits more clearly to work obligations.
In simple terms
Make it easier for businesses to hire workers with trial periods, remove industry-wide wage agreements, and require beneficiaries to look for work.
Impact to New Zealanders
Businesses hire more workers on trials; some workers accept lower wages to secure positions, reducing average pay across sectors.
Lower wages reduce consumer spending in small towns, hurting local shops; younger workers delay buying homes, affecting construction and banking sectors.
Skill shortages emerge as workers leave for better-paying overseas jobs; businesses then struggle recruiting, forcing wage increases or automation investment.
NZ First's Employment Policy
NZ First supports New Zealand workers having first access to jobs, limiting immigration to protect wages, apprenticeship programmes for young New Zealanders, and maintaining strong workplace safety standards. They have historically supported the minimum wage but oppose excessive regulation.
In simple terms
Put New Zealand workers first for jobs, limit immigration to protect wages, train more apprentices, and keep workplaces safe.
Impact to New Zealanders
Fewer migrant workers means some businesses can't fill roles, pushing up prices for everyday goods and services you buy.
Companies investing less in NZ due to worker shortages move operations overseas, reducing tax revenue funding hospitals, schools, and roads.
Aging population with fewer young workers means higher taxes on remaining workers to pay superannuation and healthcare for retirees.
Te Pāti Māori's Employment Policy
Te Pāti Māori supports a $25 minimum wage, a universal basic income, addressing the higher unemployment rates among Māori, investment in Māori enterprises, strong union rights, and employment programmes targeted at Māori communities and rangatahi (youth).
In simple terms
Raise the minimum wage, give everyone a basic income, address Māori unemployment, invest in Māori businesses, and create jobs for young Māori.
Impact to New Zealanders
Small businesses outside major cities struggle with wage costs, while urban employers automate jobs faster to offset expenses.
Basic income reduces pressure on Work and Income, but landlords raise rents knowing tenants have guaranteed money, offsetting gains.
Māori wealth concentrates among business owners, while wage-dependent Māori workers face inflation eroding real income gains over decades.
TOP's Employment Policy
TOP's Citizen's Income provides a universal income floor that strengthens workers' bargaining power by removing the desperation to accept any job. They support R&D tax credits to create higher-value jobs, small business support, a fair ACC system, and the Impact Company legal structure enabling businesses to balance profit with social purpose.
In simple terms
The Citizen's Income gives workers the freedom to say no to bad jobs, improving wages naturally. TOP also supports R&D to create better jobs, and a new company type that lets businesses prioritise people alongside profit.
Impact to New Zealanders
Small businesses struggle to compete for workers against larger firms; wage bills rise faster than productivity, squeezing profit margins for employers.
Companies automate jobs faster to offset labour costs; workers gain bargaining power but fewer low-skill positions exist, requiring retraining investment.
New Zealand's tax base shrinks as fewer people work; funding citizens' income requires raising taxes on working population or cutting services elsewhere.