New Zealand election 2026: What you need to know

The current government is led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, whose centre-right National party came to power in 2023. It governs in coalition with the ACT and New Zealand First parties.

His party emphasised economic management, restoring a budget surplus, and expanding KiwiSaver, New Zealand's retirement savings scheme.

The main opposition is the centre-left Labour party, led by former prime minister Chris Hipkins.

Labour has focused on reducing living costs, improving healthcare and transport, and investing in housing, jobs and public services.

National's coalition partners also have their own priorities. ACT, led by David Seymour, has advocated stricter immigration policies, while New Zealand First, led by Winston Peters, has proposed changes to voting eligibility, with the party proposing that voting in New Zealand should be restricted to citizens only.