NZ First policies 2026

NZ First on economy, tax & cost of living

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

  Strongly opposes

  Opposed to new housing-related taxes, framing cost-of-living relief as the priority.

  NZ Herald: Peters on immigration · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Opposes

  No published 2026 position on a wealth tax. Its platform contains no new capital taxes and relies on state ownership instead, but it has not explicitly ruled one out, so this is inferred from the policy it has published rather than a stated commitment.

  NZ First: Our Policy · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Mixed / no clear position

  Mixed, critical of bureaucracy, but campaigning on large new state spending including buying back BNZ and a $1b oil and gas survey.

  2026 NZ general election: party platforms · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly supports

  Flagship policy, nationalise BNZ and merge with Kiwibank to form a Crown-owned 'National Bank of New Zealand', split the four gentailers, and split Foodstuffs into two cooperatives.

  RNZ: NZ First's bank takeover and KiwiSaver-from-birth plan · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly opposes

  Flatly rejects any change to NZ Super, including means testing or raising the age.

  RNZ: Party positions on the superannuation age · verified 2026-08-13

NZ First on housing & renting

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

  Opposes

  Prefers supply-side and ownership measures such as Crown co-investment for first-home buyers over rent regulation.

  interest.co.nz: NZ First's first-home co-investment idea · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Mixed / no clear position

  No large public-build commitment; focused instead on Crown co-investment to get first-home buyers into private ownership.

  interest.co.nz: NZ First's first-home co-investment idea · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly supports

  Supported restoring deductibility as part of the coalition's tax changes.

  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

  Its published policy commits to a special economic zone at Marsden Point with relief from planning rules, and its resources minister has pushed to move fast-track consenting to a more development-focused body.

  NZ First: Our Policy · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Supports

  Sceptical of added landlord compliance costs, framing them as a driver of higher rents.

  2026 NZ general election: party platforms · verified 2026-08-13

NZ First on health & education

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

  Supports

  Sceptical of the tax needed to fund universal free GP visits, focusing instead on cost-of-living relief and regional health access.

  2026 NZ general election: party platforms · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly opposes

  Strongly opposed to a separate Māori health commissioner, consistent with its 2026 platform of 'one people, one law' and its support for disestablishing Te Aka Whai Ora in government.

  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.

  Supports

  Supports a back-to-basics curriculum and is critical of what it calls ideological content in schools.

  2026 NZ general election: party platforms · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Mixed / no clear position

  No strong published position; has historically been sceptical of charter schools while supporting local state schools.

  2026 NZ general election: party platforms · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Mixed / no clear position

  Mixed, supports significant new state spending, but opposes the taxes usually proposed to fund it, favouring state asset revenue instead.

  2026 NZ general election: party platforms · verified 2026-08-13

NZ First on climate, energy & environment

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

  Strongly opposes

  Would withdraw New Zealand from the Paris Agreement.

  NZ Herald: Peters would leave the Paris Agreement · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly supports

  Campaigning on a $1b state-funded survey of offshore oil and gas reserves, funded through a new Future Fund, to bring down power prices.

  NZ Herald: NZ First's $1b oil and gas survey · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly supports

  Strongly supports keeping farming out of emissions pricing and is critical of climate rules affecting rural communities.

  NZ Herald: Peters would leave the Paris Agreement · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly supports

  Its published policy commits to returning 50% of mining royalties to the regions, and its resources minister launched a strategy to double mineral exports to $3 billion by 2035.

  NZ First: Our Policy · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Opposes

  No published position on stocking rates or fertiliser. Its 2026 platform is silent on freshwater, so this is inferred from its consistent rural and farming advocacy rather than a stated commitment.

  NZ First: Our Policy · verified 2026-08-13

NZ First on law, order & justice

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

  Strongly supports

  Supports the coalition's sentencing reforms and consistently campaigns on tougher penalties.

  Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Act 2024 · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly opposes

  Voted for the reinstatement of Three Strikes mandatory sentencing in 2024, which is expected to increase the prison population rather than reduce it.

  Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Act 2024 · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly supports

  Long-standing supporter of higher police numbers and prison capacity.

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

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

  Strongly opposes

  Strongly favours deterrence, and is critical of what it calls soft-on-crime approaches.

  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

  A signature coalition win for NZ First, which has pushed gang crackdowns for decades.

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

NZ First on te tiriti, rights & immigration

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

  Strongly opposes

  Strongly opposed, campaigning to disestablish bodies such as Auckland Council's Independent Māori Statutory Board.

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

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

  Strongly supports

  Campaigning for a referendum on the future of the Māori electorates.

  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 supports

  Long-standing signature policy, has pushed for dramatically lower net migration and criticised its own coalition partners over the India FTA's migration effects.

  NZ Herald: Peters on immigration · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly supports

  Strongly supportive, alongside restricting voting rights to citizens only.

  NZ Herald: Peters on immigration · verified 2026-08-13

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

  Strongly opposes

  Strongly opposed, has campaigned specifically on English-first names for government departments.

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

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