These policies were last reviewed and updated on 15/07. Policy positions are reviewed and updated every Wednesday.
National’s response to the 2026 fuel crisis was a time-limited $50-per-week boost to the In-Work Tax Credit for roughly 143,000 working families. National says the increase will be temporary, lasting for one year or until the price of 91 octane petrol drops below $3 a litre for four consecutive weeks.
In addition, from April 1, 2026, increases to NZ Superannuation, Veteran’s Pension, family tax credits, Jobseeker Support, and Student Allowance will take effect.
In April the Government announced home and community support workers will receive a temporary 30 per cent increase to their mileage rates to help offset the cost of rising fuel prices.
Read more from National on how they’re tackling the cost of living here
Labour will cap weekly bus and rail fares at just $20 in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and $10 a week everywhere else in New Zealand. They say the policy is “designed to put money back into the pockets of commuters, students and families”.
Labour have also outlined four priorities to guide their response to tackle cost-of-living: take action on power prices, make seeing a doctor cheaper, back local businesses, and invest in good jobs so everyone has a future they can count on.
The Green Party point to rising fossil fuel and power prices as a key driver of the cost of living, and support free public transport and the electrification of infrastructure to drive down daily household expenses. Their Green Budget 2025 proposes free dental care and GP visits, 20 hours free care per week for children from six months until school age, and a “Family Top-Up” payment of $220 per week for a family’s first child, and $135 per week for every other child. They also propose an “Income Guarantee” to ensure everyone out of paid work or studying has an income of at least $395 a week, plus top-ups of $140 a week for sole parents.
Read the full Green Party statement on fossil fuels and power prices here
ACT says cutting low-value Government spending, cutting tax, and removing unnecessary regulation will create growth and reduce cost-of-living pressures.
New Zealand First have published a seven-point plan for tackling the cost of living crisis. They point to Singapore and Iceland as economic models New Zealand should emulate. They say breaking up the supermarket “duopoly” will make food cheaper and help with the cost of living.
Te Pāti Māori have pledged via social media to remove GST from food for people earning under $60,000, freeze rents and implement a wealth tax to tackle the cost of living. They highlight that Māori and Pasifika whānau are often on lower incomes and bear the brunt of rising energy and food costs.
In May 2026, Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi announced she was splitting from Te Pāti Māori and would contest the 2026 General Election as part of a new political party, named Te Tai Tokerau Party. Ms Kapa-Kingi announced the party would be grounded in tino rangatiratanga, local decision-making, and mana mokopuna. We will post the party policies here as they’re released.
Opportunity has proposed a comprehensive “Tax Reset” to help ease cost-of-living pressures. Their strategy features a fully funded package incorporating a Citizen’s Income, a 1.75% Land Value Tax to shift the tax burden away from working income, and a compulsory KiwiSaver 2.0 system.
Retail NZ has included the policies of all parties currently represented in Parliament, listed in order of the number of seats they currently occupy. Additionally, any parties that poll at or above 3% in a political poll during 2026* will also be included underneath, in chronological order of when they met that threshold. Policies are reviewed and updated every Wednesday.
*Opportunity reached 3% in the 1News Verian Poll on 19 April 2026.
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