ACT New Zealand
Founded in 1994. In the National-led government since 2023. Led by David Seymour.
Key facts
- Party
- ACT Party website
- Leader
- David Seymour (Leader)
- Founded
- 1994
- Seats before the 2026 election
- 11
- 2023 election
- 8.64% of the party vote, 11 seats
- Now
- Coalition partner in the National-led government with New Zealand First, formed in November 2023.
Sources: [1][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][2][12][13]
About the party
ACT New Zealand was formed as a political party in 1994, named after the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers set up in 1993. David Seymour is its Leader. It won 11 seats at the 2023 election, held 11 when Parliament was dissolved on 1 October 2026, and is a coalition partner in the National-led government with New Zealand First, formed in November 2023. From 2008 to 2017 it supported National-led governments under confidence and supply agreements. Its constitution lists ten fundamental principles and values, shown below in the party's own words.
History. ACT New Zealand was formed as a political party in 1994, named after the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers, which Derek Quigley and Roger Douglas set up in 1993. The Electoral Commission's register gives its registration date as 17 February 1995. Roger Douglas was its first leader, and Richard Prebble took over in 1996. It has held seats in Parliament since 1996 and the Epsom electorate since 2005.
In government. From 2008 to 2017 ACT supported National-led governments under confidence and supply agreements. Since the 2023 election it has been a coalition partner with National in a three-party government that also includes New Zealand First. Ministers from the three parties were sworn in on 27 November 2023.
In Parliament. At the 2023 election ACT won 8.64% of the party vote (246,409 votes) and 11 seats, 2 electorate seats and 9 list seats. None of its MPs left Parliament during the term, so it had 11 seats when Parliament was dissolved on 1 October 2026.
Leadership. David Seymour has led ACT since the board appointed him on 3 October 2014, after Jamie Whyte resigned as leader. Under ACT's constitution the party board appoints, removes or replaces the leader, and once the party has at least five MPs, a majority of the caucus may make a recommendation to the board.
What it says it stands for
In the party's own words and order. Where the party gives an item no heading, the heading is a short neutral topic name added by this site. From: Constitution and Rules (adopted 13 July 2025), rule 8: fundamental principles, and rule 9: values and subsidiary principles.
- Owners of their lives
- Freedom of thought, expression
- Proper purpose of government
- Same law for everyone
- Objectively justifiable laws
- Scrutiny of regulations
- Judged as an individual
- Dialogue and reason
- Voluntary choice and agreement
- Treaty of Waitangi
Owners of their lives
Says individuals own their own lives and must be free to act on their own judgments, while respecting "the like freedom of others".
“That it is inherent in the nature of human beings as individuals that they are the owners of their own lives and must be free to act according to their own judgments so long as they accept and respect the like freedom of others;”
[6]Freedom of thought, expression
Says freedom of thought, conscience, religion, belief and expression is essential to a free society and "must be promoted, protected, and preserved".
“Freedom of thought, conscience, religion, belief, and expression including the right to adopt, hold opinions, and express those opinions, is essential to a free society and must be promoted, protected, and preserved;”
[6]Proper purpose of government
Says government's proper purpose is to enact and enforce laws that secure individual freedom from the actions of others, including those who constitute the government.
“That the proper purpose of government is to enact and enforce laws, and to take such action as may be necessary to secure freedom of the individual from the actions of others, including those others who constitute the government, which could constrain individuals from exercising ownership of their own lives.”
[6]Same law for everyone
Says no one is above the law and all are subject to the same law, administered in the same way.
“No one is above the law; all are subject to the same law administered in the same way;”
[6]Objectively justifiable laws
Says laws must be objectively justifiable and objective in how they are applied, implemented and administered.
“Laws must be objectively justifiable and objective in their application, implementation and administration;”
[6]Scrutiny of regulations
Says regulations and other delegated legislation must be scrutinised, and recalled or cancelled if they cannot be objectively justified.
“Regulations and other delegated legislation must be scrutinised and subjected to recall or cancellation if they are not able to be objectively justified;”
[6]Judged as an individual
Says each person must be judged by their own character and actions, not as a member of a group defined by race, gender, sexuality, religion, political belief or other characteristic.
“Each person must be judged as an individual by reference to the person’s own personality, character and actions and not as a member of a group defined by race, gender, sexuality, religion, political belief or other group characteristic;”
[6]Dialogue and reason
Says disagreements must be resolved by dialogue and reason, not by physical force or actions that aim to prevent a speaker from being heard.
“Disagreements must be resolved by dialogue and the application of reason, not by physical force or actions which although falling short of physical force aim to prevent a speaker from being heard;”
[6]Voluntary choice and agreement
Says voluntary choice and agreement should be how people deal with each other, in everyday life and in the economic market place.
“Voluntary choice and agreement should be the way in which people deal with each other in everyday life and in the economic market place;”
[6]Treaty of Waitangi
Says the Treaty of Waitangi is an agreement intended to set an honourable course for the future interaction of individual Māori with individual non-Māori.
“The Treaty of Waitangi is an agreement which should be viewed as intended to set an honourable course for the future interaction of individual Māori with individual non-Māori.”
[6]
Bottom lines for coalition talks
What the party has publicly said it must get, or won't accept, to form or support a government after the 2026 election. Every party's bottom lines
No bottom lines found (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- Asked whether its Treaty policies were coalition bottom lines, David Seymour said "We haven't announced bottom lines, and we don't intend to do so." (23 August 2026) 1News
Its other policies
Policies on its own policy page (read 17 Oct 2026) or in its releases that no issue page compares yet, each on the same short card. Some parties list single policies and others list broad areas, so the number of cards says nothing about how much a party has planned. Every party's policies
Health
ACT's health policy: close the medicines gap with Australia
ACT says everyone should get timely, high-quality healthcare based on their own need. It is campaigning to close the medicines gap with Australia, let pharmacies provide more everyday care, and strengthen the End of Life Choice law on assisted dying. ACT wants public, private and community providers to work together, with less waste and more accountability for how health money is spent.
Housing
ACT's housing and infrastructure policy: a clear route for innovators
ACT says people should be free to build on their own property unless they cause material harm to other people or the environment. It says councils need practical ways to pay for growth, and people who add to demand for infrastructure should pay a fair share. ACT would give innovators a clear route through outdated regulation and require temporary workers to contribute to infrastructure from their first day in New Zealand.
Education and skills
ACT's education policy: school uniform costs and empty seats on rural buses
ACT says children should first learn to turn up and to read, write and do maths, and parents should see their child's progress and have another option when a school is not working. It backs clear standards, honest reporting and more freedom for schools that get results, and says it brought back charter schools, which get public funding to try different approaches. Its first commitments for 2026 deal with the cost of compulsory school uniforms and rural school buses that pass children while they have empty seats.
Climate, energy and environment
ACT would raise fines for illegal rubbish dumping
ACT says it would lift the on-the-spot fine for illegally dumping rubbish and punish people who use land as their own tip. Repeat offenders would pay more, and courts could give higher penalties for the worst cases. ACT says the current fine is too low to put people off. The release does not say when the change would start.
- Party claimThe party says it would raise the infringement fee for illegal rubbish dumping from $400 to $1,000.
- Party claimThe party says repeat offenders would face fines of $2,000, and courts could impose higher penalties for the most serious offences.
- Party claimThe party says thousands of tonnes of illegally dumped waste are collected each year, with clean-up costs running into the millions.
ACT would set national standards for core farming activities
ACT would set national standards for everyday farm work, such as crop rotation, water storage, small-scale solar, drain maintenance and culverts. The aim is to cut red tape, so routine jobs no longer need costly consent processes under the Resource Management Act. ACT would also set a national method for freshwater limits and remove Te Mana o te Wai. ACT says National now backs the plan, and it has not given a start date.
- Party claimThe party says routine farm work can face consent processes that cost "tens of thousands of dollars".
- Party claimThe party says it first announced the national standards about two weeks before 16 October 2026, at the Rural Issues debate in Hamilton.
ACT's hunting policy: put hunters in charge of game-animal management
ACT would put hunters in charge of managing game animals within firm conservation limits, treating them as partners in conservation, while the Department of Conservation keeps its wider role. It would back volunteers, improve access to public land and protect lawful hunting from dangerous interference. Where hunters and community groups can do the work, ACT would give them the authority and funding to do it.
Law and order
ACT's law and order policy: stronger penalties for serious and repeat offenders
ACT says stopping crime is the government's first job. It wants stronger penalties for serious and repeat offenders, more protections for victims, and new tools for communities to stand up for themselves. ACT says it wants to be "both tough and smart on crime", choosing the measures that work best.
Te Tiriti, democracy and the constitution
ACT's equal rights policy: put equal rights in the Constitution Act
ACT says rights should not depend on ancestry, politics or group membership, and backs "one person, one vote and one law for all". It would put equal rights in the Constitution Act, protect lawful speech from professional regulators, spend human rights funding on resolving real cases, and make central government small enough for ministers to be held accountable.
Economy, business and infrastructure
ACT's economy policy: keep taxes low and cut red tape
ACT says the cost of living is "half about high prices, and half about having a low wage economy", and that the government cannot create wealth itself but should set the conditions for people to do so. It says people who upskill, save for a home or farm, or start a business should not be punished with rising taxes or red tape. ACT would keep taxes low, provide only essential services, regulate only when there is no other way, and remove red tape that is no longer needed.
ACT's rural policy: back property rights and leave farmers free to farm
ACT says farmers, growers and rural communities are "the backbone of our economy". It backs property rights, practical environmentalism and an economy that rewards innovation and hard work, with a government that listens to rural people and gets out of their way. ACT says it wants rural people to be free to farm and confident to invest.
Switch to Explain to see them by topic.
Its answers on the issues
The same questions every party is asked. Each links to the full comparison with every party.
- How should supermarket competition be fixed?
Make it easier for new supermarkets to open
One consent process for new supermarkets, and overseas food labels accepted by default.ACT would set up a one-stop process so a business opening one or more supermarkets could get its resource consents, liquor licences and other approvals in one place, which ACT says would take "months, not years". Alcohol licence applications would be dealt with earlier. Food labelled for the UK, EU or US could be sold without relabelling, which ACT says would let overseas chains enter without special product runs for Australasia. ACT has not published a cost or start date. It opposes forced break-ups of Foodstuffs or Woolworths and has indicated it would block them in a re-elected coalition. The biggest tradeoff: it relies on a new chain choosing to enter, and a faster consenting route the government announced in 2025 had no supermarket applications by July 2026.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - How should income tax change?
OpposesKeep current rates and thresholds
No change to income tax rates in its fiscal plan; prefers flatter rates later.ACT's fiscal plan, released on 11 October 2026, makes no change to income tax rates or thresholds. The plan sets aside $264 million in 2027/28, rising to $303 million in 2030/31, for "additional targeted tax relief to be announced". Its design has not been announced; Seymour has linked it to housing costs. Its other tax changes, such as removing tax on KiwiSaver investment earnings, are not changes to income tax rates. Seymour says cutting taxes by borrowing is "immoral" and wants a surplus first. He does not favour raising thresholds for inflation, and would rather use extra revenue later to reduce the top rates and flatten the rate structure. The biggest tradeoff: an earlier surplus and less debt, but rising wages keep moving more income into higher rates.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - Should KiwiSaver be compulsory, and how much should go in?
Keep contributions voluntaryChange how KiwiSaver savings are taxed
Keep KiwiSaver voluntary, stop taxing fund earnings, end top-ups for those with employer contributions.ACT would remove tax on qualifying investment earnings inside KiwiSaver funds, and in other superannuation schemes, so returns compound untaxed. Members who get employer contributions would lose the annual government contribution, now worth up to $260.72 a year. ACT says it would add rules to stop the change being used to shelter large existing portfolios, but has not published them. It does not propose compulsion or higher contribution rates. ACT's policy document puts the net cost at $2.40 billion over four years from 2027/28, after $2.59 billion saved on the government contribution; its later fiscal plan says $2.77 billion. No start date is stated. The biggest tradeoff: fund returns would compound untaxed, but members with employer contributions would lose the government top-up and the Crown would give up tax revenue.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - Should the NZ Super age rise to 67?
Raise the Super age by three months a year, reaching 67 by 2035.ACT would raise the qualifying age for NZ Super by three months a year until it reaches 67 in 2035. People who have spent a substantial part of their career in physically demanding jobs could get "compassionate early access"; Local Matters reports this would mean at least 20 years of such work and Super from 65. KiwiSaver could still be withdrawn at 65, and people already on Super would not be affected. ACT's fiscal plan counts savings of $1.89 billion in 2031, less $270 million for early access and benefits. ACT would also keep contributions to the NZ Super Fund suspended. It has not said which birth years would be affected first. The biggest tradeoff: projected Super spending is lower than currently forecast from 2028, but people who cannot keep working and do not qualify for early access would wait up to two years longer.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
Opposes
Argues against free GP visits; $400 million more for general practice over four years.ACT argues against free GP visits and would invest an additional $400 million in general practice over four years, an ongoing $100 million a year on top of normal per-patient funding increases. It says the money would go to pay and retention, extra hours and rewards for extra appointments, and faster entry for overseas-trained doctors. Its release does not say whether GP fees or the $5 prescription charge would change. It argues that free visits would not help without enough doctors to provide the appointments. The biggest tradeoff: the plan funds GP pay, hours and recruitment, but its release does not say whether patient fees or the prescription charge would change, and it has no independent costing.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - What should change in medicines funding, the health workforce and Māori health services?
Give Pharmac more money for medicinesTrain or bring in more health workersKeep one national system
Lift medicines' share of health spending one point a year until 2033.ACT would raise the share of the health budget spent on medicines by one percentage point each year until it matches Australia's in 2033, and set Pharmac's future funding increases in advance. It would pay for this from expected growth in the health budget, and says this needs no new tax and no cut to the rest of the health budget. On Māori health, ACT says treatment should be based on individual need, regardless of background. On the workforce, ACT would put an extra $400 million over four years into general practice to keep GPs, support extra hours and bring in doctors from overseas. The biggest tradeoff: ACT says a fixed path would give Pharmac a budget it can plan around without cutting other health spending, but it has not set out how the rest of each year's growth in the health budget would be shared.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - How should housing policy change?
Make planning and building rules easierChange tax on property
End landlords' loss ring-fencing; "exclude purely spiritual and religious effects" from consenting.ACT would end loss ring-fencing, the rule that stops landlords using rental losses to cut tax on their other income. Losses from the day the change takes effect could be offset; ACT says this would ease pressure on rents. It puts the cost at $264 million in year one, rising to $303 million in year four, inside a fiscal plan with "no new taxes". ACT would also "Exclude purely spiritual and religious effects from consenting" and "Ban compulsory religious observances in consent conditions". The biggest tradeoff: ACT says ending ring-fencing would ease pressure on rents, but it reduces government revenue and ACT has not estimated extra homes or lower rents; the consent change would stop consents requiring karakia, which ACT says developers must pay for, and would remove spiritual effects as a ground for decisions.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - How should households get solar?
Change what households are paid for exported power
No subsidies; households could sell power to other buyers and export more where networks allow.ACT opposes solar subsidies; energy spokesperson Simon Court says "if solar stacks up, Kiwis are going to invest without handouts". Its election policy would let households sell the power they generate to a different company from the one they buy from, or to local businesses and community schemes, with metering, network charges and consumer protections. It would allow households to export more power where the network has room, make lines companies explain and justify restrictions, and require them to test major upgrades against options such as batteries. ACT has not published a cost or start date. The biggest tradeoff: ACT proposes no public spending on household solar, so households would still pay the upfront cost themselves; it has not said who would bear network costs from more exports.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - How should the electricity market change?
Keep generators and retailers togetherMake it easier for others to buildChange the regulators or their powersChange wholesale pricing or lines companies
Keep the gentailers; let private investors build lines; make lines companies justify upgrades.ACT's electricity policy, released on 18 September 2026, would keep whole the companies that both generate and sell power; energy spokesperson Simon Court says breaking them apart would "shatter the confidence of anyone seeking to invest in growing capacity". It would strengthen enforcement where companies misuse market power. Private investors could build, own and operate new transmission lines connected to the National Grid, paid for through voluntary agreements with the generators and customers who use them. Customers could hire competing accredited contractors for connection work, and lines companies would have to test major upgrades against options such as batteries before charging consumers. ACT has not said whether it supports building the LNG terminal, or published a cost or start date. The biggest tradeoff: the plan keeps the gentailers' combined structure and opens lines work to competing providers, but how its market power enforcement would work is not yet detailed.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - What should New Zealand's climate commitments be?
Leave or renegotiate the Paris AgreementChange the 2050 targetsChange the Climate Change Commission's roleChange the Emissions Trading SchemeCut farm emissions without a price
Repeal the net zero target, close the Climate Commission, and refund carbon auction money.ACT would repeal the Zero Carbon Act and its 2050 net zero target, and tie New Zealand's emissions cap to a trade-weighted average of its major trading partners. It would remove the minimum price at Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auctions and refund all net auction revenue to households; ACT says the ETS costs an average household about $478 a year. It would close the Climate Change Commission, saving what ACT puts at $14 to 15 million a year, and move its monitoring to a ministry. It opposes new climate taxes, including a tax on agricultural emissions. It would renegotiate the Paris commitment and says New Zealand "should be prepared to leave" if that fails. The biggest tradeoff: no auction floor and auction revenue returned to households, but trade risk if New Zealand leaves Paris and, if the carbon price falls, less price pressure on emitters to cut emissions.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - What should change in sentencing, prisons, youth offending, gang laws and policing?
Tougher sentences, new offences or deportationKeep military-style academiesKeep or add laws aimed at gangsMore police or patrols
Three strikes for burglary, more rural police patrols, deport serious offenders.ACT would bring in three strikes for burglary: a third burglary conviction would mean at least three years in prison, with no parole, home detention or early release. It would let residents convicted of offences carrying 10 years or more be deported however long they have lived here. It would fund a target of 100,000 more rural police patrol hours a year, and let licensed security officers detain some people until police arrive. In government, Karen Chhour led the youth military-style academy law, and Nicole McKee the Arms Act that bars gang members from firearms licences. The biggest tradeoff: ACT says repeat burglars could not offend while in prison, but it puts the cost at up to $200 million, for up to 952 more prisoners.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - What should happen to Te Tiriti settings and Māori representation?
Replace or close the Waitangi TribunalNarrow or remove Treaty clauses in lawsChange constitutional lawAbolish the Māori seats or put them to a vote
Close the Waitangi Tribunal after historical claims; remove general Treaty clauses from laws.ACT would limit the Waitangi Tribunal to historical claims lodged by 1 September 2008, end its inquiries into current policy, and close it once those claims are heard. It sets no deadline but links finishing settlements to 2040. It would add three principles to the Constitution Act: Parliament is sovereign, the rule of law is fundamental, and all are equal before the law. Tikanga could influence court decisions only where Parliament has expressly allowed it; ACT says courts should use it in cases such as disputes between iwi. Cabinet would have to state which Treaty interests a bill engages, and clauses ACT calls "vague" would go. Brooke van Velden says ACT supports abolishing the Māori seats by Act of Parliament. No cost is published. The biggest tradeoff: ACT says Parliament, not a tribunal, would have the final say, but no specialist body would hear Māori claims about current Crown actions.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources
Sources for this page
- About ACT (vision, origins, values and statement of identity and purpose) · ACT New Zealand · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Free Press, 27 November 2023 · ACT New Zealand · accessed 17 Oct 2026 · archived copy (17 Oct 2026)
- People · ACT New Zealand · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Official results for the 2023 General Election · Electoral Commission · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Key dates for 2026 General Election · Electoral Commission · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Constitution and Rules of ACT New Zealand (adopted 13 July 2025 Annual General Meeting, V.250713) · Electoral Commission (document lodged by ACT New Zealand) · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Register of Political Parties and Logos, as at 2 April 2026 · Electoral Commission · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- ACT MP Mark Cameron to leave Parliament due to health reasons · 1News · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Henry leapfrogs sitting MPs to fourth on ACT party list · 1News · accessed 17 Oct 2026 · archived copy (17 Oct 2026)
- Christopher Luxon sworn in as New Zealand's new Prime Minister · 1News · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- How old are New Zealand's parliamentary political parties? · 1News · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Whyte quits as ACT leader, Seymour steps in · NBR · accessed 17 Oct 2026
- ACT Party - Party for Party vote - NZ Election 2026 · Policy.nz · accessed 17 Oct 2026
Change history
Every recorded change to this page, newest first, including our own corrections after checks.
- 17 Oct 2026 Profile written. [6][4][1]