{
  "jurisdiction": "New Zealand registered political parties",
  "description": "What each party states, in its own words, across the policy areas of the 2026 general election. Every position is a verbatim quote from the party's own material with the page it came from; where a party does not state a position in an area, it is shown as \"not stated\" rather than inferred.",
  "attribution": "Quoted from each party's own published policy material, with the source page linked on every position. Party policy content is the parties' own; it is quoted here for reporting, not reproduced in full.",
  "year": 2026,
  "limitations": [
    "This is what each party says about itself, quoted verbatim — not an assessment of whether a policy is costed, workable or likely to be enacted.",
    "A position shown as \"not stated\" means no clear statement was found in the party's published material for that area at the time of retrieval; it does not mean the party has no view.",
    "Party platforms change, especially through a campaign. Each quote records the date it was retrieved, and a guard re-checks that every quote still appears on its source page.",
    "Some parties publish a single standing policy manifesto rather than a 2026-specific policy page; the quote is taken from that, and the party's note below says so. A party may also announce policy at campaign events before it appears on a policy page.",
    "Only parties already registered before the 6 August 2026 close of party registration are included; the field is not final until then."
  ],
  "areas": [
    {
      "id": "cost-of-living",
      "label": "Cost of living"
    },
    {
      "id": "tax",
      "label": "Tax"
    },
    {
      "id": "housing",
      "label": "Housing"
    },
    {
      "id": "health",
      "label": "Health"
    },
    {
      "id": "education",
      "label": "Education"
    },
    {
      "id": "climate",
      "label": "Climate & environment"
    },
    {
      "id": "law-order",
      "label": "Law & order"
    },
    {
      "id": "treaty",
      "label": "Treaty & Māori affairs"
    }
  ],
  "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
  "parties": [
    {
      "partyId": "nat",
      "note": "Sourced directly from National's own policy pages. No dedicated Treaty/Māori-affairs policy page exists on the site, so that area is not stated.",
      "positions": [
        {
          "area": "cost-of-living",
          "quote": "National has a five-point plan to get inflation under control.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand National Party",
            "url": "https://www.national.org.nz/policies/dealing-with-inflation",
            "title": "Dealing with inflation",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "tax",
          "quote": "National’s prudent, fully-funded and balanced tax plan also reduces major cost pressures faced by working people by removing some current and planned petrol taxes and reducing the taxes on rental properties which have driven higher rents.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand National Party",
            "url": "https://www.national.org.nz/policies/back-pocket-boost",
            "title": "National’s Back Pocket Boost",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "housing",
          "quote": "National will fix New Zealand’s housing crisis by unlocking land for housing inside and around our cities, building infrastructure, and making sure communities share in the benefits of growth",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand National Party",
            "url": "https://www.national.org.nz/policies/housing-growth",
            "title": "Going for housing growth",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "health",
          "quote": "A National Government will bring back targets for important measures like wait times and cancer treatment to focus the health system on achieving better results, and will incentivise GP clinics to lift immunisation rates.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand National Party",
            "url": "https://www.national.org.nz/policies/targeting-better-health-outcomes",
            "title": "Targeting better health outcomes",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "education",
          "quote": "National will make sure schools are teaching the basics brilliantly, so every child has the opportunity to succeed.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand National Party",
            "url": "https://www.national.org.nz/policies/teaching-the-basics-brilliantly",
            "title": "Teaching the basics brilliantly",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "climate",
          "quote": "National is passionate about safeguarding New Zealand’s unique natural environment, abundant native biodiversity, pristine waters and spectacular landscapes for future generations.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand National Party",
            "url": "https://www.national.org.nz/policies/blueprint-for-a-better-environment",
            "title": "Blueprint for a Better Environment",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "law-order",
          "quote": "Ensuring people are safe in their homes, on the streets and in their workplaces is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of any government.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand National Party",
            "url": "https://www.national.org.nz/policies/restoring-law-and-order",
            "title": "Restoring law and order",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "partyId": "lab",
      "note": "Quoted from Labour's published 2026 election policy page. Its 2026 platform leads with health, transport, tax and energy measures; it does not state a housing, law-and-order or Treaty policy on that page, so those areas are not stated.",
      "positions": [
        {
          "area": "cost-of-living",
          "quote": "$20 a week is the most you'll pay to get around by bus or train under Labour. In place by 1 July 2027.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand Labour Party",
            "url": "https://www.labour.org.nz/policy",
            "title": "$20 Fare Cap",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "tax",
          "quote": "A simple, targeted 28% tax on profit from selling investment property after 1 July 2027. Nine in 10 New Zealanders won't pay it.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand Labour Party",
            "url": "https://www.labour.org.nz/policy",
            "title": "Capital Gains Tax",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "health",
          "quote": "Three free doctor's visits a year for everyone. Delivered with Labour's new Medicard.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand Labour Party",
            "url": "https://www.labour.org.nz/policy",
            "title": "Free Doctor's Visits",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "education",
          "quote": "Labour will support more tradies with extended employer payments, a $1,000 toolbox grant, and five new trades covered. From 1 July 2027.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand Labour Party",
            "url": "https://www.labour.org.nz/policy",
            "title": "Apprenticeship Boost",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "climate",
          "quote": "Labour's SolarSaver is a fully-funded program to help homeowners, renters and communities get solar without the upfront cost.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand Labour Party",
            "url": "https://www.labour.org.nz/policy",
            "title": "SolarSaver",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "partyId": "grn",
      "note": "Quoted from the Green Party's individual topic policy pages; the cost-of-living position is from its Livelihoods (income support) policy.",
      "positions": [
        {
          "area": "cost-of-living",
          "quote": "The Green Party will take a Tiriti-based approach to financial and material security. We will ensure that the income support system is sufficient, accessible, and dignifying, and recognises unpaid labour.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.greens.org.nz/livelihoods_policy",
            "title": "Livelihoods Policy",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "tax",
          "quote": "The Green Party’s tax plan will address inequality, tackle corporate greed, and tax income fairly. It will tax the super-rich and mega-corporations, help fund critical social services, and cut income tax for 96% of people — chances are that’s you.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.greens.org.nz/tax_system_for_all",
            "title": "A tax system for all of us",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "housing",
          "quote": "The Green Party will ensure people’s right to healthy, secure housing.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.greens.org.nz/housing_policy",
            "title": "Housing and Sustainable Communities Policy",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "health",
          "quote": "All people in Aotearoa will live in a country with improved determinants of health, holistic preventive interventions and comprehensive health services that removes health disparities and promotes equity for the most marginalised groups",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.greens.org.nz/health_policy",
            "title": "Health Policy",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "education",
          "quote": "The Green Party supports an inclusive, accessible, and democratic education system that enables lifelong learning, empowering people to develop the skills and knowledge to participate effectively in a changing world.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.greens.org.nz/education_policy",
            "title": "Education Policy",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "climate",
          "quote": "Tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti seek to mitigate climate harms by prioritising a cultural shift that addresses the root causes of climate change.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.greens.org.nz/climate_change_policy",
            "title": "Climate Change Policy",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "law-order",
          "quote": "The Green Party envisages a justice system based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori values. We will prioritise restorative justice, rehabilitation, and community responses to offending.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.greens.org.nz/justice_policy",
            "title": "Justice Policy",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "treaty",
          "quote": "We support the mutually agreed resolution of, and restitution for, all outstanding historical and contemporary breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and acknowledge a Crown obligation to prevent ongoing and further breaches, including degradation of our environment and the loss of biodiversity.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.greens.org.nz/te_tiriti_policy",
            "title": "Te Tiriti o Waitangi Policy",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "partyId": "act",
      "note": "ACT's policy site has no standalone housing or climate page; the housing position is quoted from its Infrastructure page and the climate position from ACT's own climate release.",
      "positions": [
        {
          "area": "cost-of-living",
          "quote": "The cost of living crisis is half about high prices, and half about having a low wage economy.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "ACT New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.act.org.nz/economy",
            "title": "Economy & Cost of Living",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "tax",
          "quote": "ACT has proposed a two-rate income tax system with a top rate of 28 percent, aligning personal, trust, and company tax rates. This will simplify the system, reward effort, and remove distortions.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "ACT New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.act.org.nz/economy",
            "title": "Economy & Cost of Living",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "housing",
          "quote": "ACT delivered reforms that allow thousands of high-quality international construction materials to be used in New Zealand, bringing down costs for homes and buildings.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "ACT New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.act.org.nz/infrastructure",
            "title": "Infrastructure",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "health",
          "quote": "New Zealand’s health system should deliver timely, high-quality care based on individual need, regardless of background.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "ACT New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.act.org.nz/health",
            "title": "Health",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "education",
          "quote": "Every child should have access to a quality education that equips them with the knowledge and skills to succeed in life.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "ACT New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.act.org.nz/education",
            "title": "Education",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "climate",
          "quote": "ACT maintains that, as it stands, the Paris Agreement unfairly and nonsensically punishes New Zealand's efficient primary industries.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "ACT New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.act.org.nz/news/new-zealand-taking-back-control-of-climate-agenda",
            "title": "Taking back control of the climate agenda",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "law-order",
          "quote": "ACT believes in being both tough and smart on crime. We will deliver real consequences for criminals, and rights for victims.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "ACT New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.act.org.nz/policies/law-and-order",
            "title": "Law & Order",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "treaty",
          "quote": "ACT will continue to push for a clear definition of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi as based on what was actually written and signed in 1840 – including Article 3, the same rights and duties for all New Zealanders.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "ACT New Zealand",
            "url": "https://www.act.org.nz/defending-equal-rights-democracy",
            "title": "Democracy & Equal Rights",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "partyId": "nzf",
      "note": "New Zealand First had not published a 2026-specific policy page when this was retrieved, so these positions are quoted from the standing policy manifesto its site still presents as current. Its 2026 campaign has begun announcing further policies not yet gathered onto a policy page. The Treaty area is framed by the party as equal treatment rather than as a Treaty-named policy.",
      "positions": [
        {
          "area": "cost-of-living",
          "quote": "All our costs are going up and up – food, power, fuel, health care, rents, rates, and mortgages.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand First",
            "url": "https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_policies",
            "title": "Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "tax",
          "quote": "NZ First will legislate to make the lowest tax bracket (currently $14,000 pa) of income tax-free no later than 1 April 2027; providing an extra $28.27 a-week for workers.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand First",
            "url": "https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_policies",
            "title": "Tax reforms in the next term of Parliament",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "housing",
          "quote": "New Zealand First believes that through direct government intervention, home ownership can again become an integral part of each New Zealanders’ lives.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand First",
            "url": "https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_policies",
            "title": "Housing",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "health",
          "quote": "Return New Zealand to a single health system for all based on need not race",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand First",
            "url": "https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_policies",
            "title": "A Healthier New Zealand",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "education",
          "quote": "Focus on doing the basics better through emphasising the ‘Historic Three R’s’ Reading, Writing, Arithmetic.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand First",
            "url": "https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_policies",
            "title": "A Better Educated New Zealand",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "climate",
          "quote": "New Zealand First will not support emissions pricing in any form unless adopted by trading partners, especially the European Union",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand First",
            "url": "https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_policies",
            "title": "Emissions reduction plan",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "law-order",
          "quote": "New Zealand First believes that keeping society safe should be the priority of law-and-order policies. Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe, secure, and have their person and property respected.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand First",
            "url": "https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_policies",
            "title": "Law and Order",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "treaty",
          "quote": "New Zealand First wants every kiwi to be treated the same, to have equal opportunity and to be treated with fairness and respect.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "New Zealand First",
            "url": "https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_policies",
            "title": "Defending Freedom and Democracy",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "partyId": "tpm",
      "note": "Quotes are 'What we'll do' commitments from each per-topic policy sub-page; treaty maps to the Mana Motuhake page.",
      "positions": [
        {
          "area": "cost-of-living",
          "quote": "No whānau should be forced to choose between kai, rent, power, transport, medicine, or school costs.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Te Pāti Māori",
            "url": "https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/cost_of_living",
            "title": "Cost of living",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "tax",
          "quote": "Make sure the wealthiest pay their fair share.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Te Pāti Māori",
            "url": "https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/tax",
            "title": "Tax",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "housing",
          "quote": "Build and support more public and affordable homes.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Te Pāti Māori",
            "url": "https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/housing",
            "title": "Housing",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "health",
          "quote": "Re-build and strengthen Māori-led health authority and solutions.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Te Pāti Māori",
            "url": "https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/health",
            "title": "Health",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "education",
          "quote": "Embed mātauranga Māori properly across learning.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Te Pāti Māori",
            "url": "https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/education_training",
            "title": "Education & Training",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "climate",
          "quote": "Protect whenua and moana from extractive industries (including banning seabed mining).",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Te Pāti Māori",
            "url": "https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/climate",
            "title": "Climate",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "law-order",
          "quote": "Move away from mass imprisonment and toward long-term transformation.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Te Pāti Māori",
            "url": "https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/justice",
            "title": "Justice",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "treaty",
          "quote": "Commit to Te Tiriti-based constitutional change.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "Te Pāti Māori",
            "url": "https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/mana_motuhake",
            "title": "Mana Motuhake",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "partyId": "top",
      "note": "top.org.nz now 301-redirects to opportunity.org.nz (rebranded 'The Opportunity Party'). Cost-of-living from the Tax Reset (Citizen's Income) page.",
      "positions": [
        {
          "area": "cost-of-living",
          "quote": "When groceries feel out of reach, things need to change. The Citizen’s Income will put $370 per week into most adult’s hands – providing the financial security to live well and contribute.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "The Opportunities Party",
            "url": "https://www.opportunity.org.nz/tax-reset",
            "title": "Tax Reset",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "tax",
          "quote": "The Tax Reset will increase incomes for 70% of New Zealanders.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "The Opportunities Party",
            "url": "https://www.opportunity.org.nz/tax-reset",
            "title": "Tax Reset",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "housing",
          "quote": "A home is security and stability – the place we build good, productive lives from. But our housing market is broken, with home ownership now out of reach for generations of Kiwis. It's time to make houses homes again, not just investment vehicles.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "The Opportunities Party",
            "url": "https://www.opportunity.org.nz/affordable_housing",
            "title": "Affordable Housing",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "health",
          "quote": "Our healthcare system is about more than just hospitals. Every $1 spent on primary care (like GPs, practice nurses and midwives) can save upwards of $13 in wider health system costs.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "The Opportunities Party",
            "url": "https://www.opportunity.org.nz/healthy_people",
            "title": "Healthy People",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "education",
          "quote": "The world our children will grow up in will be challenging and complex. Education needs to change with the times to ensure our young people are ready.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "The Opportunities Party",
            "url": "https://www.opportunity.org.nz/future_fit_education",
            "title": "Future fit Education",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "climate",
          "quote": "Climate change is real, is caused by human activity and is already here. The decisions we make today will shape how we, our children and grandchildren adapt — or not — to a warming world.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "The Opportunities Party",
            "url": "https://www.opportunity.org.nz/climate_action",
            "title": "Climate Action",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "law-order",
          "quote": "It costs all of us more than $150,000 a year to house a prisoner. For context, we spend about $9,000 educating a child for a year.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "The Opportunities Party",
            "url": "https://www.opportunity.org.nz/smart_on_crime",
            "title": "Smart on Crime",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        },
        {
          "area": "treaty",
          "quote": "Opportunity takes the responsibility of the Crown as a Treaty partner seriously.",
          "source": {
            "publisher": "The Opportunities Party",
            "url": "https://www.opportunity.org.nz/honouring_te_tiriti",
            "title": "Honouring Te Tiriti",
            "retrieved": "2026-07-24",
            "method": "manual"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}