National policies 2026

National on economy, tax & cost of living

• New Zealand should tax the profit people make when they sell an investment property.

  Strongly opposes

  Opposed. Campaigning on keeping taxes low and returning to surplus by 2028/29 through spending restraint rather than new taxes.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• People who own more than $10 million should pay a yearly tax on it.

  Strongly opposes

  Opposed to new taxes of any kind; campaigning on keeping tax low.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• The government should fix the deficit by spending less, not by taxing more.

  Supports

  Committed to surplus by 2028/29 and $6b less borrowing through restraint, but is also increasing health, education and police spending.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• The government should buy back a major bank and break up the power companies and supermarkets.

  Strongly opposes

  Opposed to nationalisation, favouring competition and regulatory settings over state ownership.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• The age you can start getting NZ Super should rise above 65.

  Supports

  Would keep the age at 65 until 2044, then gradually lift it to 67, not affecting anyone born before 1979.

  Newsroom: National and the retirement age · verified 2026-08-13

National on housing & renting

• Annual rent increases should be capped at around 2%, and landlords should not be able to evict without a reason.

  Strongly opposes

  Opposed, restored no-cause evictions in government and argues rent caps reduce rental supply.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• The government should build tens of thousands of new state and public houses.

  Opposes

  Prefers planning reform and community housing providers to large-scale state building, and has reduced Kāinga Ora's build programme.

  Beehive: Kāinga Ora turnaround plan · verified 2026-08-13

• Landlords should be able to deduct mortgage interest as a business expense before paying tax on rental income.

  Strongly supports

  Restored full interest deductibility in government, phasing it back to 100% from 1 April 2025, arguing landlords should be taxed like any other business.

  Interest deductibility rules, 2021–2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• It should be quicker and easier to get houses and roads built, even if neighbours get less say and there are fewer environmental checks.

  Strongly supports

  Replacing the RMA with a new planning system and passed the Fast-track Approvals Act to let ministers approve major projects outside normal consenting.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• There are too many rules on landlords, and the cost ends up in the rent.

  Supports

  Has eased Healthy Homes compliance timelines, arguing extra cost on landlords is passed to tenants as rent.

  Beehive: Kāinga Ora turnaround plan · verified 2026-08-13

National on health & education

• Health money should go to medicines and hospitals rather than making doctor's visits free.

  Strongly supports

  Prioritises more medicines funding, lowering the bowel screening age to 56 and three-day post-natal stays over universal free GP visits.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• There should be a Māori-led health authority running health services designed for Māori.

  Strongly opposes

  Disestablished the Māori Health Authority in government, arguing health services should be delivered on need, not ethnicity.

  RNZ: National would demote Māori health boards · verified 2026-08-13

• Schools should focus on the basics with standardised national testing, and NCEA should be replaced.

  Strongly supports

  Campaigning on a new national qualification to replace NCEA, more funding for maths, reading and writing, and doubling Trades Training Academy places.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• Parents should have more choice of school, including more charter and special-character schools.

  Supports

  Supported reintroducing charter schools in coalition, though it is not a headline part of National's own platform.

  ACT: Reinstating partnership schools · verified 2026-08-13

• Public services like health and education should be expanded, even if that means higher taxes overall.

  Opposes

  Increasing health and education spending, but within a commitment to low taxes and a return to surplus.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

National on climate, energy & environment

• New Zealand should stay in the Paris climate agreement and keep to its emissions targets.

  Supports

  Remains committed to Paris, while softening the domestic methane target and taking agriculture out of the ETS.

  Beehive: Agriculture to come out of the ETS · verified 2026-08-13

• New Zealand should look for more oil and gas, including funding a survey of offshore reserves.

  Strongly supports

  Reversed the offshore exploration ban in government and supports gas as a transition fuel for energy security.

  Beehive: Government to reverse the oil and gas exploration ban · verified 2026-08-13

• Farmers should not have to pay for the greenhouse gases their animals produce.

  Strongly supports

  Took agriculture out of the ETS in government and set a softer 14–24% methane target for 2050.

  Beehive: Agriculture to come out of the ETS · verified 2026-08-13

• New Zealand should make it easier to mine and develop natural resources, including on the seabed.

  Strongly supports

  Passed the Fast-track Approvals Act and supports expanding mining as an economic growth measure.

  Beehive: Shane Jones on the minerals strategy · verified 2026-08-13

• Farm animal numbers should be reduced and synthetic nitrogen fertiliser phased out to clean up rivers.

  Opposes

  No published 2026 freshwater policy. Inferred from the coalition's easing of freshwater rules for farmers and its opposition to limits on stocking rates, rather than a stated commitment.

  Beehive: Agriculture to come out of the ETS · verified 2026-08-13

National on law, order & justice

• Sentences should be longer, with automatic minimum jail terms for repeat offenders.

  Strongly supports

  Reinstated Three Strikes, capped sentence discounts at 40% and removed repeat discounts for youth and remorse.

  National: Restoring law and order · verified 2026-08-13

• Prisons should be phased out by 2040 and replaced with community-led alternatives.

  Strongly opposes

  Strongly opposed, expanding prison capacity is an explicit Budget 2026 commitment.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• We should build more prison capacity and put considerably more police on the front line.

  Strongly supports

  Budget 2026 funds frontline police and corrections officers, expanded prison capacity and new transnational crime initiatives.

  National: Budget 2026 · verified 2026-08-13

• The justice system should spend more on fixing the causes of crime, like poverty and addiction, and less on punishment.

  Opposes

  Prioritises deterrence and consequences, while funding some prevention and rehabilitation programmes.

  National: Restoring law and order · verified 2026-08-13

• Gang patches should stay banned in public and police should have more power to disrupt gangs.

  Strongly supports

  Banned gang patches in public in government and campaigns on the resulting drop in ram raids and violent crime victims.

  National: Restoring law and order · verified 2026-08-13

National on te tiriti, rights & immigration

• An independent commissioner should be able to block laws that breach Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

  Strongly opposes

  Opposed to a constitutional veto body; has removed Treaty clauses from a range of legislation in government.

  1News: Government proposals on Treaty clauses · verified 2026-08-13

• There should be a binding referendum on whether to keep the Māori electorates.

  Opposes

  Has not backed a referendum on the Māori seats, though it supports referenda on MMP and a four-year parliamentary term.

  RNZ: NZ First to campaign on Māori seats referendum · verified 2026-08-13

• Net migration should be cut significantly to take pressure off housing, roads and hospitals.

  Strongly opposes

  Wants to increase international student numbers and fast-track residency for Green List occupations by removing the work-to-residence divide.

  NZ Herald: Where the parties stand on immigration · verified 2026-08-13

• Non-citizens who commit serious crimes should be deported, and a dedicated unit should track down overstayers.

  Supports

  Supports deporting serious offenders, while prioritising attracting skilled migrants and students.

  NZ Herald: Where the parties stand on immigration · verified 2026-08-13

• Te reo Māori should be actively promoted across government and society, including in the names of public agencies.

  Mixed / no clear position

  Mixed, supports te reo as an official language and its teaching in schools, but has directed agencies to use English-first names and communications.

  NZ First: English names for government departments · verified 2026-08-13

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