Who built this, and how to check it

NZVoteCheck is an independent, non-partisan guide to the 2026 New Zealand general election. It is not affiliated with, funded by, or endorsed by any political party, candidate or lobby group.

Who made it

It is built and maintained by Alexander Sharman, who studies Politics and International Relations. You can verify that on LinkedIn, and reach him directly at alexander@thesharmans.co.nz.

A voting tool asks you to trust its judgement about other people's politics. The least it owes you in return is a name, a face and a way to argue with it.

How it stays neutral

• Every one of the 180 party positions links to a source and carries the date it was last checked. If you think one is wrong, the evidence is right there to check against.
• An automated audit runs on every change to the question bank and blocks the build if the questions drift toward one side. It caught a genuine left-lean in the first version.
• We publish the ways the method is not neutral, including the fact that distance-based scoring structurally favours parties with moderate positions.
• Parties are listed alphabetically everywhere, never by poll position or match score.
• The site's own colours were chosen to sit clearly outside every party's brand palette, so the design itself doesn't nudge you.

How it is funded

It isn't. There are no ads, no sponsors, no donations and no political funding. Costs are a domain and hosting, paid personally. That is also why there is no tracking: there is nothing to monetise.

If you think a position is wrong

Email alexander@thesharmans.co.nz with the question, the party and the source you think is better. Corrections are made quickly and the verification date is updated so you can see it changed.

Electoral Act statement

Authorised by Alexander Sharman, alexander@thesharmans.co.nz.