---
title: "Business policy tracker: NZ election 2026 promises on tax, wages and costs | NZ Business Alliance"
description: "32 promises on tax, KiwiSaver, wages, competition, energy and councils from the parties in the 2026 New Zealand election, tracked for business owners: 32 promised."
source: https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/policy-tracker/
---

[Election 2026](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/)

# The business policy tracker

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

**Not endorsed by any party.** NZ Business Alliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by or paid by any political party or candidate. This page is purely informational: it summarises what each party has said, it does not recommend how to vote, and the party's own website is always the authority on its policy.

No government has been formed yet, so every promise is still just a promise. Statuses change as coalition talks finish and bills are introduced.

Promised

32

Announced during the campaign.

## Tax

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[National](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/national/) | No new taxes. National’s fiscal plan prioritises bringing down debt and delivers a surplus in 2028/29. [Source](https://www.national.org.nz/policies) | Promised |
| __[Labour](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/labour/) | A 28% capital gains tax on profit from selling investment property after 1 July 2027, with the revenue ring-fenced for health. [Source](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) | Promised |
| __[Greens](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/greens/) | 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](https://www.greens.org.nz/policy_announcements) | Promised |
| __[Te Pāti Māori](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/te-pati-maori/) | The “Kiwi Tax Plan”: the first $30,000 of income would be tax-free, and the party says 97% of people would pay less income tax. [Source](https://waateanews.com/2026/08/27/election-2026-te-pati-maori-promises-tax-cuts-for-97-with-wealthiest-3-asked-to-pay-more/) | Promised |
| __[Te Pāti Māori](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/te-pati-maori/) | A targeted wealth tax on the wealthiest 3%, plus more revenue from corporations, offshore profit transfers, vacant property and land banking. [Source](https://waateanews.com/2026/08/27/election-2026-te-pati-maori-promises-tax-cuts-for-97-with-wealthiest-3-asked-to-pay-more/) | Promised |

## KiwiSaver and savings

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[National](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/national/) | Make KiwiSaver compulsory for all workers and kickstart every child’s savings at birth. [Source](https://www.national.org.nz/policies) | Promised |
| __[Labour](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/labour/) | Raise compulsory employer KiwiSaver contributions to 6% by 2032. [Source](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) | Promised |

## Wages and employment

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[Labour](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/labour/) | Restore pay equity legislation and bring back Fair Pay Agreements. [Source](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) | Promised |
| __[Labour](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/labour/) | A $4 an hour pay rise for care and support workers from 1 January 2027. [Source](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) | Promised |
| __[Greens](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/greens/) | A job pathway guarantee for every 16- to 24-year-old who has been out of work for six months. [Source](https://www.greens.org.nz/policy_announcements) | Promised |

## Support for business

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[Labour](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/labour/) | Extend apprenticeship support and a Small Business Action Plan costed at $1.56 billion over four years. [Source](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) | Promised |
| __[National](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/national/) | A plan to double the value of New Zealand’s exports by 2034. [Source](https://www.national.org.nz/policies) | Promised |
| __[Greens](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/greens/) | An economic development plan the party says would create 284,000 jobs over four years and lift research and development towards 3% of GDP. [Source](https://www.greens.org.nz/policy_announcements) | Promised |

## Competition and prices

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[National](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/national/) | Separate New World and PAK’nSAVE so they compete harder on pricing, specials and range. [Source](https://www.national.org.nz/policies) | Promised |
| __[Labour](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/labour/) | Make it illegal for large companies to overcharge for essentials, and open up grocery competition. [Source](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) | Promised |
| __[Greens](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/greens/) | 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](https://www.greens.org.nz/policy_announcements) | Promised |
| __[Opportunity](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/opportunity/) | Give the Commerce Commission more independence and power to tackle excessive market power, including forcing structural separation. [Source](https://www.opportunity.org.nz/statements) | Promised |

## Energy and fuel

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[National](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/national/) | A nine-point energy plan to address the costs pushing up power bills, plus a Home Energy Fund to help electrify homes and farms. [Source](https://www.national.org.nz/policies) | Promised |
| __[Labour](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/labour/) | Freeze fuel excise tax for three years. [Source](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) | Promised |
| __[Greens](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/greens/) | Lower power bills and a shift to cleaner energy, with energy under public ownership. [Source](https://www.greens.org.nz/policy_announcements) | Promised |

## Climate and emissions

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[ACT](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/act/) | Repeal the Zero Carbon Act and scrap the net zero by 2050 target. [Source](https://www.act.org.nz/) | Promised |
| __[ACT](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/act/) | 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](https://www.act.org.nz/) | Promised |
| __[ACT](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/act/) | Oppose a tax on agricultural emissions. [Source](https://www.act.org.nz/) | Promised |
| __[Opportunity](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/opportunity/) | Recommit to climate goals, including the Paris Agreement obligations, and protect the Climate Change Commission’s independence. [Source](https://www.opportunity.org.nz/statements) | Promised |

## Councils and regions

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[National](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/national/) | 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](https://www.national.org.nz/policies) | Promised |
| __[NZ First](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/nz-first/) | Return half of any mining royalties to the regions. [Source](https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/07-09-2026/new-policy-round-up-supermarkets-superannuation-first-home-buyers-and-climate-change) | Promised |

## Property and rentals

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[Labour](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/labour/) | Ban no-cause evictions and set warmer, safer rental standards. [Source](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) | Promised |

## Government books

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[National](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/national/) | Budget Responsibility Rules: three rules to keep debt down, return to surplus and keep taxes low. [Source](https://www.national.org.nz/policies) | Promised |
| __[Labour](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/labour/) | Return the books to an operating surplus (OBEGAL) by 2028/29 and reduce net debt towards 20% of GDP. [Source](https://www.labour.org.nz/our-policies/) | Promised |
| __[Greens](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/greens/) | 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](https://www.greens.org.nz/policy_announcements) | Promised |

## Lobbying and donations

| Party | Promise | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| __[Greens](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/greens/) | Cap political donations at $30,000, stop companies donating and set up a public register of lobbyists. [Source](https://www.greens.org.nz/policy_announcements) | Promised |
| __[Opportunity](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/opportunity/) | Introduce lobbying regulation and a cap on political donations. [Source](https://www.opportunity.org.nz/statements) | 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](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/) 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](mailto:hello@alliance.org.nz).

**Not endorsed by any party.** NZ Business Alliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by or paid by any political party or candidate. This page is purely informational: it summarises what each party has said, it does not recommend how to vote, and the party's own website is always the authority on its policy.