What the parties promised on tax, KiwiSaver, wages, competition, energy and councils, and what happens to each promise after the election. Written for people who run a business.
Promises checked 3 November 2026NZ Business Alliance
No government has been formed yet, so every promise is still just a promise. Statuses change as coalition talks finish and bills are introduced.
A fairer tax system: the Greens say 96% of workers would pay less income tax while people worth over $10 million pay more, with about $8 billion a year in new revenue from the super-rich and big corporations. Source
A New Zealand-owned supermarket chain to compete with the two major chains; the Greens estimate buying 120 supermarkets and two distribution centres would cost $2.8 billion. Source
Remove the minimum price for emissions trading auctions and return 100% of net carbon auction revenue to New Zealanders through a carbon tax refund. Source
Keeping rates affordable and refocusing councils on core services, with a reset of the International Visitor Levy so councils see a return from visitors. Source
A fully costed fiscal plan that returns the books to surplus in 2029/30, funded by about $8 billion a year in new revenue from the super-rich and big corporations. Source
Introduce lobbying regulation and a cap on political donations. Source
Promised
How this tracker works
Each row is a promise a party announced before the 7 November 2026 election that affects businesses directly: what you pay in tax, what staff cost, what you pay for power and fuel, how hard big competitors have to compete, and what councils charge. The wording follows our parties and policies summaries, which link to the party’s own pages or named news reports.
Once a government is formed, promises from parties outside it are marked not in government, and promises from governing parties move to in a coalition agreement, under way, done or dropped as the agreements are published and bills go through Parliament. Each change links to its source.
Promise wording from the parties’ published policies and named news reports, checked 3 November 2026; see each party’s page for the full list of sources. Statuses are updated by NZ Business Alliance from coalition agreements, government announcements and Parliament’s bills. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
