Expense limits and broadcasting allocations Parties and candidates During the regulated period prior to election day, parties and candidates have limits on how much they may spend on election campaigning. The limits are updated every year to reflect inflation. It is illegal in New Zealand to campaign on election day itself, or within 10 metres of an advance polling booth. For the 2023 general election, every registered party contending the party vote is permitted to spend $1,388,000 plus $32,600 per electorate candidate on campaigning during the regulated period, excluding radio and television campaigning (broadcasting funding is allocated separately). For example, a registered party with candidates in all 72 electorates is permitted to spend $3,735,200 on campaigning for the party vote. Electorate candidates are permitted to spend $32,600 each on campaigning for the electorate vote.
Broadcasting allocation Registered parties are allocated a separate broadcasting budget for radio and television campaigning. Only money from the broadcasting allocation can be used to purchase airtime; production costs can come from the general election expenses budget. The Electoral Commission determines how much broadcasting funding each party gets, set out by part 6 of the
Broadcasting Act 1989. The allocation is based a number of factors including the number of seats in the current Parliament, results of the previous general election and any by-elections since, and support in opinion polls. An initial broadcasting allocation was released from the Electoral Commission on 12 May 2023. On 31 May
Freedoms New Zealand and two of its component parties, the
NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party and
Vision New Zealand, challenged the
Electoral Commission's decision to allocate broadcasting funds to them collectively rather than as individual political parties. The Electoral Commission had decided to allocate broadcasting funds to them collectively on the basis that they were a "group of parties" that had joined forces. The plaintiffs argued that the Broadcasting Act 1989 did not clearly define what was a "group of parties" and that the Electoral Commission had not published clear criteria for how their parties had joined forces. On 17 July 2023, the High Court dismissed the case. The final broadcasting allocation was released on 8 September 2023.
Third-party promoters Third-party promoters, such as trade unions and
lobby groups, can campaign during the regulated period. The maximum expense limit for the election is $391,000 for those promoters registered with the Electoral Commission, and $15,700 for unregistered promoters. • ActionStation •
Julian Batchelor • The Better NZ Trust •
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions •
New Zealand Dairy Workers Union • Democracy Action Inc •
E Tū • Every Kiwi Vote Counts •
Family First New Zealand •
Forest & Bird •
Generation Zero •
Greenpeace Aotearoa •
Jim Grenon •
Groundswell NZ • Richard Harward •
Hobson's Pledge • Living Juicy Ltd •
Maritime Union of New Zealand • Motor Trade Association (MTA) • Natural Health Alliance • New IT Systems Ltd •
New Zealand Nurses Organisation •
NZEI Te Riu Roa •
Oxfam Aotearoa •
Public Service Association (PSA) •
Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE) • The S.B. Group • Tax Justice Aotearoa NZ •
New Zealand Taxpayers' Union •
Voice for Life • Vote for Better Ltd In early September 2023, the
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) launched an advertisement campaign attacking National Party leader Christopher Luxon. In response, National's campaign chair
Chris Bishop accused the NZCTU and Labour Party of promoting
negative campaigning. The NZCTU's president Richard Wagstaff defended the union's advertisement campaign, claiming that it was targeting National's policies including the elimination of fair pay agreements, the restoration of 90-day work trials, and public sector cuts. Labour leader and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins defended the NZCTU's advertisements, stating that the union had published advertisements in previous elections. He also accused the National Party and its alleged surrogates including the
New Zealand Taxpayers' Union,
Groundswell NZ, and
Hobson's Pledge of publishing attack advertisements against him and the Labour Government. In late September 2023, Hobson's Pledge launched a series of attack advertisements targeting Labour leader Chris Hipkins, with the caption "Delivers division, not outcomes." In late February 2024,
RNZ reported that third party groups had spent a total of NZ$2 million during the 2023 election, 13 times the amount spend during the 2020 general election. According to the Electoral Commission, seven of the 31 registered third-party promoters spent more than NZ$100,000 in the lead-up to voting. These seven third parties were Tim Barry's "Vote for Better" campaign ($386,514.99),
Jordan Williams'
New Zealand Taxpayers' Union ($371,565.05), the left-wing
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions ($299,344.11),
Don Brash's
Hobson's Pledge ($283,898.73), the clean car advocacy group Better NZ Trust ($266,069.39),
Bob McCoskrie's conservative
Family First New Zealand advocacy group ($204,771.40) and farming advocacy group
Groundswell NZ ($141,061). Other notable third parties with significant campaign spending included the Motor Trade Association (which campaigned against the Government's Clean Car Discount), the Natural Health Alliance and SB Group (which advocated for a repeal of the Therapeutic Products Act and supported NZ First).
Party campaigns Labour announcing Labour's policy of removing GST for fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and increases to Working for Families The Labour Party's campaign chairperson was Minister
Megan Woods and campaign manager was
Hayden Munro. The party also enlisted the services of advertising company "Together" as a
media buyer. On 17 May 2023, the Labour Party government attacked National's record on healthcare. On 27 May, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni launched Labour's first election policy: to keep the superannuation age at 65 years and above. On 28 May, Hipkins announced Labour's second election promise: that it would retain the Apprenticeship Boost scheme. On 12 July, Hipkins ruled out introducing a
capital gains tax if Labour was re-elected to Government. On 16 July, Labour launched its election campaign and unveiled its election slogan "In It For You." Hipkins also campaigned on cutting inflation, reducing living costs, public safety, and investing in education, health and housing. On 17 July, Labour introduced its youth crime package which included building two "high-needs units" within existing
youth justice residences in Auckland and Christchurch, improving safety and security at youth justice residences, focusing on crime prevention measures including family group conferences, and empowering Family Courts to require youth offenders to perform community service including cleaning graffiti and rubbish disposal. That same week, the Labour Government announced several justice policies including introducing legislation to punish adults convicted of influencing young people to commit crimes, making the publishing of recordings of criminal behaviour on social media an aggravating factor in sentencing, making
ram-raiding a criminal offence with a ten-year sentence and allowing 12 and 13-year old ram raiders to be tried in Youth Courts. On 31 July, the party released its official list of 76 party list candidates. Several Labour MPs including
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta,
Soraya Peke-Mason, and
Greg O'Connor also confirmed they would be standing solely as electorate candidates. On 13 August, Labour announced that it would remove the
goods and service tax (GST) for fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, and would increase the "Working for Families" programme for families. Labour's proposed GST policy attracted criticism including economist
Brad Olsen, Child Poverty Action Group economist Susan St John, Health Coalition Aotearoa food expert Sally Mackay,
Stuff political editor Luke Malpass,
Newshub political editor Jenna Lynch,
Newsroom journalist Marc Daalder, and
The New Zealand Herald business journalist Jenée Tibshraeny. On 15 August, Labour campaigned on extending paid parental leave from two weeks to four weeks if re-elected, almost three weeks after Labour voted down National's proposed bill allowing parents to share their leave entitlement. On 19 August, Labour launched its
Māori campaign and released its
Māori language manifesto. On 2 September, the Labour campaign launch in
Auckland was interrupted by protesters from
Freedoms New Zealand. The Labour party announced a policy of free dental care for under 30s, starting in July 2025. On 6 September, Hipkins announced Labour's five part economic plan and also promised to lead a trade delegation to India within the first 100 days of government if re-elected. On 7 September, Labour announced several law and order policies including adding 300 frontline Police officers, expanding the use of mental health officers, and introducing legislation to make
stalking a criminal offence. On 12 September, Labour campaigned on rolling out free cervical screening for women aged between 25 and 69 years. In response to National's campaign pledge to build a third medical school at the
University of Waikato, Hipkins announced on 13 September that the Government would invest in training 335 extra doctors by 2027. On 17 September, Labour released its women's election manifesto and pledged to raise the age for free breast cancer screening, and to develop an
endometriosis action plan. On 18 September, Labour campaigned on introduced rebates for rooftop
solar panels and batteries, and a NZ$20 million community energy fund. That same day, campaign manager Woods confirmed that Labour would rule out an electoral deal with the Green Party in tight electorate seats. On 22 September, Hipkins announced that Labour would retain its free lunch school programme if re-elected. On 23 September, Labour promised to introduce a 10-year multiple-entry "Super Visa" that would allow migrants' relatives to make successive visits of between 6 months and 5 years, and also campaigned on introducing a one-off amnesty programme for overstayers who had been in New Zealand for ten years. On 24 September, Woods announced that Labour would build 6,000 more state houses if re-elected. On 25 September, Labour released its climate manifesto with key policies including a second emissions reduction plan and boosting renewable energy. On 26 September, Hipkins promised that Labour would invest NZ$1 billion in state pharmaceutical purchaser
Pharmac over the next four years. On 27 September, Labour introduced its fiscal plan, with a focus on reducing government spending and maintaining current income tax settings. On 30 September, Labour released its Rainbow Manifesto, with key policies including reformed surrogacy laws, a new LGBTQ+ refugee quota, and restrictions on gay men donating blood. On 1 October, Deputy Prime Minister
Carmel Sepuloni released the party's full election manifesto, focusing on improving children's education and funding youth training and work programmes. In early October, Labour confirmed that if re-elected it would extend diplomatic recognition to the
State of Palestine by inviting Izzat Salah Abdulhadi, the head of the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, to present credentials as the Palestinian Ambassador to New Zealand. Following
Hamas attack on Israel, Hipkins paused plans to extend diplomatic recognition to Palestine on 10 October.
National National's campaign chairperson was MP
Chris Bishop while
Jo de Doux served as its campaign director. The party also enlisted the services of media buyer Rainmakers, independent creative advertising contractors Sue Worthington and Glenn Jamieson, and advertising company
Topham Guerin. Leader
Judith Collins stated her support in July 2020, but said it would not be possible for the due to time constraints. After the election, Collins affirmed the party's intent to contest Māori electorates in 2023. After
Christopher Luxon replaced Collins as leader, he confirmed that these plans would continue, but stated that it was a "pragmatic" move and that he felt Māori electorates were incompatible with the principle of "
one person, one vote". List MP
Harete Hipango was the first confirmed candidate, announced in April 2023 to be contesting Te Tai Hauāuru. In May 2023, Luxon confirmed that National would not work with
Te Pāti Māori if it formed the next government after the 2023 election, citing National's disagreement with the party's support for co-governance in public services and alleged separatism. On 23 May, a National spokesperson admitted the party had been using images created by
artificial intelligence in some of their attack ads on social media, while Luxon was unaware of this. In June, the party removed numerous videos featuring movie and television content from their
TikTok account after
Newshub contacted studios about whether National was breaching their copyright. On 11 June, National announced that it would end New Zealand's ban on genetic modification and establish a national biotechnology regulator if elected into government. On 18 June, National announced that it would make gang membership an aggravating factor in criminal sentencing. On 25 June, National unveiled several law and order policies including limiting sentencing discounts, scrapping "cultural reports" and the Government's "prisoner reduction" target, and boosting investment in victim support funding and rehabilitation programmes for remand prisoners. In early July, the National Party campaigned on building a new medical school at the
University of Waikato to address the national shortage of doctors and reversing the Labour Government's cuts to the replacement
Dunedin Hospital. On 16 July, Luxon confirmed that National's election slogan would be "Get our country back on track". He also announced that National would create a NZ$500 million fund for repairing both state highways and local roads. On 30 July, National announced that it would take a tough stance against gangs. On 31 July, National announced a NZ$24 billion transportation package that included building 13 new roads of "national significance," investing in three new bus "transport corridors" in Auckland, upgrading the lower
North Island's railway infrastructure, and investing in road infrastructure in both the North and
South Islands. Luxon also proposed creating a
National Infrastructure Agency to coordinate government funding, promote investment, and improve funding, procurement and delivery. On 9 August, National proposed banning cellphones in schools in order to help students focus and improve their academic outcomes. On 19 August, National released its official party list; with senior MP
Michael Woodhouse opting to stand solely as an electorate MP due to his disagreement with his list ranking. On 21 August, National campaigned on spending NZ$280 million to fund 13 cancer treatments. On 22 August, Luxon confirmed that National would not support ACT's proposal to repeal the
Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act and proposed
Treaty of Waitangi principles legislation. On 23 September, National announced a new "Parent Visa Boost" which would allow relatives to visit family members in New Zealand for five years, with the possibility of renewal for another five years. Visa-holders would have to have health insurance since they would not be eligible for superannuation and other entitlements. On 30 August, National announced a proposed $14.6 billion in income
tax cuts aiming to relieve "
the squeezed middle". These will be funded by a reduction in the public service and by new taxes on foreign home buyers, foreign gambling operators and commercial buildings. On 3 September, Luxon released National's election year pledge card at the party's campaign launch in South Auckland, which listed eight priority promises. Members of Freedoms NZ protested outside the venue hosting the campaign launch. On 5 September, National announce that it would demote the Māori partnership boards, which the Government had established as part of its 2022 health sector reforms. On 6 September, National campaigned on investing NZ$257 million over the next four years to increase the number of
electric vehicle chargers to 10,000 and stated it would end the Government's "clean car" discount programme and "
ute tax." On 7 September, National released its tourism policy, which would be funded by a proposed International Visitor Levy. On 21 September, National announced that it would fast track visa processing for international students and expand their working rights. On 22 September, National unveiled its 100-point economic plan; with a focus on cutting "wasteful" spending and red tape, delivering tax relief, and promoting economic growth, trade and investment. On 24 September, National campaigned on reversing the Government's "blanket speed limit reductions" and restoring highway and local roads' speed limits to 100 km and 50 km respectively. On 25 September, National leader
Christopher Luxon said he could pursue a coalition with
Winston Peters New Zealand First after the elections. On 26 September, National proposed a "traffic light system" to transition Jobseeker beneficiaries into the work force, including benefit reductions or mandatory community work. On 29 September, National releases its fiscal plan, promising lower taxes and to reduce government spending and net debt. On 1 October, National released its 100-day action plan. Key promises included removing Auckland's Regional Fuel Tax, banning gang patches and insignia, restoring the 90-day employment period for businesses, banning cellphones in schools, and repealing the Government's Three Waters and
"RMA 2.0" legislation. On 5 October, Luxon announced that a National government would create a Minister for Space. In addition, Willis conceded that under National's proposed tax policy only 3,000 households would get full tax relief but denied that National had misled voters about its tax plan. Former Prime Minister Sir
John Key also released a video urging voters to give their "party vote" to National in order to prevent a
hung government.
Greens The Green Party's campaign was led by the Campaign 23 Committee, which was convened by deputy mayor of
Nelson Rohan O'Neill-Stevens and party activist Gina Dao-McClay. Chennoah Walford served as campaign director while the party enlisted the services of media buyer and advertisement company "Reason." On 20 May, the Greens released their finalised list of 31 candidates, which excluded
Elizabeth Kerekere, who left the party to sit as an independent MP until the election whereupon she retired. Following the success of
Chlöe Swarbrick's 2020 Auckland Central campaign, the Green Party ran three additional "two tick" campaigns in this election;
Ricardo Menéndez March in Mount Albert,
Julie Anne Genter in Rongotai, and
Tamatha Paul in Wellington Central. The Green Party also campaigned for electorate votes in
Panmure-Ōtāhuhu,
Tāmaki Makaurau, and
Te Tai Tokerau. In June 2023, the Greens announced they would be introducing various wealth and taxation proposals including tax cuts for anyone earning below NZ$125,000, a minimum income guarantee of NZ$385 per week, a wealth tax on assets worth above NZ$2 million, a 1.5% trust tax, a 45% top income tax rate, and a corporate tax rate of 33%. In early July 2023, the Greens announced their "Pledge to Renters." Key provisions included imposing rent controls on landlords, introducing a rental "warrant of fitness," providing a government underwrite for housing providers, accelerating the public housing building programme, and creating a national register for all landlords and property managers. On 9 July, the party announced its election manifesto. Key provisions include establishing a new
climate change ministry, expanding the criteria for carbon emissions, decriminalising drugs, boosting the refugee intake to 5,000, introducing rent controls, and building 35,000 new public homes. On 17 July, the Greens launched their Hoki Whenua Mai policy. Key provisions include introducing legislation to return all confiscated land to the indigenous
Māori people, removing a 2008 deadline for
Treaty of Waitangi breaches, and establishing a process for privately owned land. On 23 July, the Greens formally launched their election campaign along with the slogan "The Time Is Now" and a new campaign video. On 6 August, the Greens proposed setting up a national dental service to provide free dental health care, which would be funded by a wealth tax. On 13 August, the Greens announced a Clean Power Payment and Zero Carbon Homes upgrade with the goal of equipping homes with solar panels and replacing fossil fuel appliances like gas heaters. On 10 September, the Greens launched its oceans policies, which included creating an independent Ocean Commission and passing a Health Ocean Act. On 16 September, the Greens co-leader
Marama Davidson campaigned on raising workers' minimum annual leave from four to five weeks. On 19 September, Davidson announced that the Greens would support expanding the free school lunch programme to 365,000 children. On 23 September, the Greens campaigned on introducing a full amnesty for all overstayers accompanied with residency pathways. On 1 October, the Greens released a document, entitled "The Future is Up to Us", unveiling its three priorities: income guarantee, affordable and healthy homes, and climate action. The party also released an independent fiscal review to support their plan.
ACT for an ACT public meeting on 30 July 2023 The ACT Party's campaign committee chairperson was Nick Wright and campaign chairperson was Stu Wilson. The party also enlisted the services of American pollster
Joe Trippi & Associates as its media buyer. Contrary to the Greens, ACT leader
David Seymour has said that he believes it's inequitable for a small portion of New Zealand's population to bear a substantial share of the country's tax revenue. In late April, ACT confirmed that it would be running "two-ticks" campaigns for both Seymour and Deputy Leader
Brooke Van Velden in Auckland's
Epsom and
Tāmaki electorates. The party launched its campaign on 4 June 2023, with Seymour announcing a policy to create a new "Ministry of Regulation" to police
red tape and introduce a new law to ensure that regulation is underpinned by law-making principles. On 9 July, ACT vowed to lower the youth justice age back to 17 years. In 2016, the previous
National Government had raised the youth justice age to 18 years, with 17 year olds being tried in youth courts for most offences except serious offences such as murder, sexual assault, aggravated robbery, arson, and serious assaults. On 13 July, ACT released its
Oranga Tamariki (Ministry for Children) policy which advocated making the
Independent Children's Monitor (ICM) an independent
Crown entity, separating social workers' jobs into mentors and Child Protection Officers, and transferring youth justice functions from Oranga Tamariki to the
Department of Corrections. On 16 July, ACT released their finalised list of 55 candidates, with notable newcomers including former
Federated Farmers president
Andrew Hoggard and former National MP
Parmjeet Parmar. On 30 July, ACT announced that it would seek to speed up the
Employment Relations Authority's (ERA) personal grievance process in order to help small businesses. This was a reference to the
Gunpowder Plot, planned in 1605 by English
Catholic plotters but foiled at the last minute. ACT has campaigned for the abolition of the Ministry, alongside the
Human Rights Commission and
Ministry for Women. Seymour's remarks were criticised by Deputy Prime Minister
Carmel Sepuloni and former National Party minister
Alfred Ngaro as inflammatory and insensitive towards
Pasifika New Zealanders. On 20 August, Seymour announced that ACT would set performance benchmarks for public sector organisations, "
key performance indicators" for public sector chief executives, and would restore "performance pay" for public sector chief executives. On 27 August, ACT pledged to remove
Māori wards in local governments. On 3 September, Seymour announced that ACT would reverse the Government's ban on oil and gas exploration, ease the consent process for offshore wind projects, and remove the
Te Mana o te Wai framework from the resource consenting process. On 6 September, Seymour confirmed that ACT's "red tape review" would focus on the
early childhood education sector, health services, primary industries, and financial services. On 13 September, Seymour unveiled ACT's law and order policies which included reforming the reparations process in favour of victims, imposing tougher sentences for crimes against vulnerable workers, reinstating
"three strikes" legislation, and building 500 additional prison beds and 200 youth justice beds. On 15 September, ACT campaigned on stripping welfare beneficiaries off their benefits if they did not seek treatment for drugs and stress or seek work. On 17 September, ACT launched its election campaign on a platform of opposing co-governance and introducing legislation setting out the principles of the
Treaty of Waitangi. The campaign launch was interrupted by Freedoms NZ candidate Karl Mokoraka. A
Newshub cameraman and visual journalist were also allegedly assaulted by an ACT supporter. Seymour condemned the alleged assaults and vowed to support the investigation. On 20 September, ACT launched its education and early childhood education policies, with a focus on combating bureaucratic "micro-management" and truancy. Following the pre-election fiscal and economic update, ACT announced on 21 September that it would revise its budget to delay tax cuts and proposed defence spending boosts. On 22 September, ACT unveiled its senior citizens policy, which included reforming the Retirement Commission, ending the ban on
pseudoephedrine, and boosting the health workforce. On 23 September, ACT promised to introduce a new "Unite Visa" that would allow to visit family in New Zealand for up to five years, with a renewal requirement each year and an annual fee of NZ$3,500 to cover potential health costs. On 28 September, ACT announced several policies that would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants and terminate tenancies. On 29 September, ACT announced that it would amend the COVID-19 inquiry's terms of reference to give the public a greater say. That same day, Seymour suggested that an ACT government would reduce New Zealand's carbon emissions cap to match its trading partners' emissions. On 30 September, ACT unveiled its small business policy plan which involved abolishing Fair Pay Agreements, not raising the minimum wage for three years, and removing the 2 January public holiday.
Te Pāti Māori Te Pāti Māori's campaign was led by campaign chairperson and party president
John Tamihere and the party enlisted the services of creative agency "Motion Sickness." On 15 June, Te Pāti Māori co-leader
Rāwiri Waititi released a Facebook video targeted towards Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon, calling for the pair to "shut their mouths and stop using our iwi as a political football to score points", in regards to the
tangihanga of Steven Taiatini, who was the
Ōpōtiki president of the
Mongrel Mob Barbarians. Waititi is of the
Whakatōhea iwi. Both Hipkins and Luxon objected to Waititi's comments, citing concerns of safety. Te Pāti Māori launched its election campaign at Te Whānau O Waipareira's
Matariki event in
Henderson, Auckland. Waititi and fellow co-leader
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer led the event, which featured a music concert. The party campaigned on advancing the interests of the
Māori people, combating racism, and the "second-rate" status of Māori, as Ngarewa-Packer labelled it. During the campaign launch, a man attempted to assault Waititi but was removed by security. The man was later given a warning for disorderly conduct and resisting police. On 27 July, Te Pāti Māori announced a raft of tax policies including a zero tax policy on those earning below NZ$30,000, a new 48% tax on those earning above NZ$300,000, raising the companies tax rate back to 33% and a wealth tax on millionaires. On 2 August, the party campaigned on ending state care for Māori children and replacing the present
Oranga Tamariki (Ministry for Children) with an independent
Mokopuna Māori Authority that would network with Māori organisations,
iwi (tribes), and
hapū (sub-groups) to ensure that Māori children remained connected with their
whakapapa (genealogies). On 20 August, Te Pāti Māori released its official candidate list of 30 candidates.
New Zealand First New Zealand First leader
Winston Peters says if NZ First is elected to government, New Zealand First would remove Māori names from government departments and bring back English names. The party has also resisted changes to the age of eligibility for Superannuation. Additionally, New Zealand First is against vaccine mandates and proposes that gang affiliation should automatically serve as an aggravating factor in crime sentencing. On 30 July, NZ First campaigned on moving the
Ports of Auckland and the
Royal New Zealand Navy's
Devonport base to
Northport, extending the
North Island Main Trunk Line to
Marsden Point, a new four-lane alternative highway through the
Brynderwyn Range, and establishing a full inquiry into the Government's handling of the
COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. On 20 August, NZ First released a policy of making
English an
official language of New Zealand and withdrawing from the
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. On 3 September, NZ First released a cowboy-themed campaign video featuring Peters riding a horse. On 10 September, Peters claimed that
Māori people were not indigenous to New Zealand on the grounds that they originated in the
Cook Islands and
China during a public meeting in
Nelson. National Party Luxon criticised Peter's remarks but avoided confirming or denying whether his party would enter into coalition with NZ First in a future government. On 16 September, NZ First released its 31 member party list which included several former NZ First Members of Parliament including Peters,
Shane Jones,
Mark Patterson,
Jenny Marcroft, and former
Mayor of Wellington Andy Foster. On 26 September, Peters announced that an NZ First government would place a two-year cap on the Jobseeker benefit to combat welfare dependency. On 6 October, NZ First released its election manifesto, which proposed abolishing
Goods and Services Tax (GST) for basic foods. Following a live-televised
TVNZ debate that same day, the party stated it would support a select committee of inquiry to explore the viability of removing GST for from basic foods.
New Conservatives Party In August 2023, the
New Conservatives leader Helen Houghton released the party's Family Builder policy, which was costed at NZ$9.1 billion for its first year. Key provisions included allowing workers to keep the first $20,000 they earned, child tax credits, allowing couples to split their income, and shifting funding from early childhood centres to parents with the goal of encouraging at least one parent to raise children at home. Houghton said that the Family Builder policy was intended to encourage parents not to split up and to protect the family unit.
The Opportunities Party The Opportunities Party aligns with the Greens on various policy fronts, including the endorsement of
Universal Basic Income (UBI) and for a more
progressive tax system. The proposed tax reforms include implementing an income tax rate of 45% for individuals earning over $250,000 per year, while those earning less than $15,000 per year would be exempt from income tax completely. On 16 June, during a Q&A Wellington Central candidate
Natalia Albert, although acknowledging the similarities, said one key divergence from the Greens was that they were open to forming a coalition with either National or ACT. To secure a place in Parliament, The Opportunities Party primarily banked on their leader
Raf Manji's potential victory in the
Ilam electorate. In March 2023, TOP announced its NZ$1.5 billion "Teal Deal" policy aimed at youths that would allow people under the age of 30 years to use a "Teal Card" to purchase bikes, scooters, free health care, and skills-based training. The party also proposed a national civic service programme for young people, with participants being given a NZ$5,000 tax-free savings boost. On 17 June, Manji confirmed that TOP was developing an artificial intelligence candidate. On 16 August, TOP released its health plan, which included fully-funded contraception, increasing placements at medical, nursing, and dentistry schools, boosting the voluntary bond scheme for health professionals and workers, establishing a fully-funded ambulance service, and fully-funded contraception, antenatal ultrasounds, and doctor visits. On 20 August, Manji announced that TOP would introduce a new NZ$3 million investor visa policy that would be used to support a fund to resettle
climate refugees in New Zealand. On 6 September, TOP's deputy leader Natalia Albert announced the party's democracy policy, with key provisions including a four-year parliamentary term, lowering the
mixed-member proportional threshold, and lowering the voting age to 16 years.
Debates TVNZ announced their debate schedule on 29 August. Newshub announced their debate schedule on 7 September. A debate hosted by
The Press between Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon was scheduled for 3 October, but after Hipkins caught
COVID-19, Luxon pulled out due to being unable to provide any alternative dates. ==Issues==