National: policies for Election 2026

Economy and tax

• No new taxes. National’s fiscal plan prioritises bringing down debt and delivers a surplus in 2028/29.
• Budget Responsibility Rules: three rules to keep debt down, return to surplus and keep taxes low.
• A plan to double the value of New Zealand’s exports by 2034.
• Keeping rates affordable and refocusing councils on core services, with a reset of the International Visitor Levy so councils see a return from visitors.

Family, savings and housing

• Make KiwiSaver compulsory for all workers and kickstart every child’s savings at birth.
• Make it easier to get a 5% first-home deposit through the First Home Loan scheme; income caps would rise to $300,000 for everyone (from $95,000 for a single buyer and $150,000 for multiple buyers).
• A long-term vision to modernise Paid Parental Leave.
• More funding for seniors’ housing and greater financial certainty for seniors.
• Student loan holders keep more of what they earn, with tougher rules for those who leave the country before repaying.

Cost of living and energy

• Separate New World and PAK’nSAVE so they compete harder on pricing, specials and range.
• A nine-point energy plan to address the costs pushing up power bills, plus a Home Energy Fund to help electrify homes and farms.

Law and order

• Modernise sexual consent laws so there must always be a “yes”, rather than an absence of a “no”.
• Abolish good character assessments at sentencing for all sexual offending.
• Remove the right to silence when a child is murdered.
• A dedicated Auckland Transport Police Team for buses and trains.

Health and education

• More money spent caring for people with cancer and other serious illnesses at home.
• A focus on “teaching the basics brilliantly” in schools.

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