These policies were last reviewed and updated on 15/07. Policy positions are reviewed and updated every Wednesday.
The coalition Government raised the National Minimum Wage by 2% from $23.50 to $23.95 in April 2026.
Labour described April’s 2% rise in minimum wage as “piddly”.
They say the 2% doesn’t keep up with the cost of living, “with the prices for basics like food and energy skyrocketing, a two percent bump simply doesn’t keep up.”
Read the full press release here
The Labour Party had not made any specific policy announcements about minimum wage for the 2026 election at the time of the last page review.
The Green Party supports increasing the National Minimum Wage to a Living Wage. Currently, the 2026/27 Living Wage rate is $29.90.
ACT has previously called for a three year moratorium on increases to minimum wage, arguing rises should be more closely aligned with productivity gains. The coalition Government raised the National Minimum Wage 2% from $23.50 to $23.95 in April 2026, an increase which “balances business and worker needs”, according to ACT party minister Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden.
New Zealand First advocates for exploring the feasibility of lifting the adult minimum wage to at least $25 an hour, paired with a targeted tax concession for businesses to offset the increased operational costs.
Te Pāti Māori announced on social media in November 2025 they would support increasing the minimum wage to the living wage.
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 don’t have a specific policy on the minimum wage. However, they are proposing a “Citizen’s income”, guaranteeing every New Zealander an annual payment of $19,400, paid for by a Land Value Tax, so “that every Kiwi has the basics to live well and contribute”.
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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