Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Founded in 1990. In opposition. Led by Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick.
Key facts
- Party
- Green Party website
- Leaders
- Marama Davidson (Co-leader), Chlöe Swarbrick (Co-leader)
- Founded
- 1990
- Seats before the 2026 election
- 15
- 2023 election
- 11.6% of the party vote, 15 seats
- Now
- In opposition in the Parliament elected in 2023.
Sources: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
About the party
The Green Party was formed in 1990, drawing its members from the environmental movement and the Values Party. Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick are its Co-leaders. It won 15 seats at the 2023 election, held 15 when Parliament was dissolved on 1 October 2026, and is in opposition. It gave a Labour-led government confidence and supply from 2017, and had a cooperation agreement with Labour from 2020 under which its co-leaders were ministers outside Cabinet. Its charter sets out an opening statement on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and four principles, shown below in the party's own words.
History. The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand was formed in 1990, drawing its members from the environmental movement and the defunct Values Party, and won 6.8% of the vote and no seats at that year's election (Te Ara). In 1991 the Greens joined the Alliance, a grouping of several parties, and left it in 1997. Standing on its own in 1999, it won seven seats. The Electoral Commission's register gives its date of registration as 17 August 1995.
In government. From 1999 to 2002 the Greens supported the Labour–Alliance government on confidence and supply (RNZ, 2017). After the 2005 election it had a co-operation agreement with the Labour-led government. In October 2017 it signed a confidence and supply agreement with Labour, which governed in coalition with New Zealand First, and held the climate change portfolio outside Cabinet. In 2020 it agreed a Cooperation Agreement with Labour: it would not oppose confidence and supply votes for the full term, and co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson became ministers outside Cabinet.
In Parliament. At the 2023 election the party won 11.60% of the party vote (330,883 votes) and 15 seats, 3 electorate and 12 list. It has been in opposition in the 54th Parliament. During the term five list seats changed hands: Golriz Ghahraman resigned (replaced by Celia Wade-Brown, declared January 2024), Fa'anānā Efeso Collins died (replaced by Lawrence Xu-Nan, March 2024), James Shaw resigned (replaced by Francisco Hernandez, May 2024), Darleen Tana left the party in July 2024 and her seat was vacated on 22 October 2024 under the Electoral Act's party-hopping provisions after party delegates voted to use them (replaced by Benjamin Doyle), and Doyle resigned (replaced by Mike Davidson, October 2025). That left it with 15 seats when Parliament was dissolved on 1 October 2026.
Leadership. The party has two Co-leaders: Marama Davidson, elected in April 2018, and Chlöe Swarbrick, first elected on 10 March 2024 to replace James Shaw. Both gave speeches as Co-leaders at the party's AGM on 26 July 2026. Under the constitution the Co-leaders are elected each year at the AGM by delegates in a secret ballot; one must be a woman and the other a person of any gender, and one must be Māori.
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 (updated 25 July 2026), the Charter: its opening statement and four Principles.
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Ecological Wisdom
- Social Responsibility
- Appropriate Decision-making
- Non-Violence
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Its charter opens by accepting Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand and recognising Māori as Tangata Whenua.
“The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand accepts Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand; recognises Māori as Tangata Whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand; and commits to the following four Principles:”
[8][9]Ecological Wisdom
Human beings are part of a finite natural world, so unlimited material growth is impossible and "ecological sustainability is paramount".
“The basis of ecological wisdom is that human beings are part of the natural world. This world is finite, therefore unlimited material growth is impossible. Ecological sustainability is paramount.”
[8][9]Social Responsibility
Because unlimited material growth is impossible, it says the key is "the just distribution of social and natural resources, both locally and globally".
“Unlimited material growth is impossible. Therefore the key to social responsibility is the just distribution of social and natural resources, both locally and globally.”
[8][9]Appropriate Decision-making
To put ecological wisdom and social responsibility into effect, decisions are made directly, at the appropriate level, by those affected.
“For the implementation of ecological wisdom and social responsibility, decisions will be made directly at the appropriate level by those affected.”
[8][9]Non-Violence
Non-violent conflict resolution is how the other three principles are to be put into practice, at all levels.
“Non-violent conflict resolution is the process by which ecological wisdom, social responsibility and appropriate decision-making will be implemented. This principle applies at all levels.”
[8][9]
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 in a debate whether the Greens would settle for Labour's capital gains tax, Chlöe Swarbrick said "You don't negotiate before you get to the negotiating table." (13 October 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
Tax and public finances
The Greens' public services policy: uphold Te Tiriti and keep services public
The Greens would uphold Te Tiriti across the public service and fund Māori organisations, iwi, hapū and marae to run community and environmental projects in their areas. They would fund public services adequately, keep public services and state-owned enterprises in public hands, and reform public finance rules to support long-term resilience and wellbeing. They would also restore the Children's Commissioner's monitoring role, set standard pay, career paths and training across the public sector with equal pay for equivalent roles, and give the community sector secure, full funding.
Health
The Greens' health policy: public health care for all, focused on prevention
The Greens would make public health care available to everyone, with more focus on prevention and on early screening, diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as kidney disease, cancers and diabetes. They would fund mobile health, mental health, testing and dental vans for rural areas, and work towards free, publicly delivered dental and primary care, including Māori-led community clinics. They would also give Pharmac more lasting funding to buy new medicines and devices, pay pharmacists fairly for medical advice, and set fair pay and safe staffing levels for health workers.
The Greens' mental health policy: free mental health services in all communities
The Greens would expand free mental health services to all communities, including youth services such as Piki, Mana Ake and Youth One Stop Shops, and dedicated support for parents after birth. They would carry out the recommendations of the Every Life Matters suicide prevention strategy and a kaupapa Māori response to suicide, with a focus on young people. They would fund community care so seclusion can be phased out completely, fund kaupapa Māori mental health and addiction programmes, and set clear referral paths between primary care and specialist mental health services.
- Party claimThe Greens say their suicide prevention work would focus particularly on people under 24.
Families, work and welfare
The Greens' children policy: put children's voices at the centre of decisions
The Greens would pass a law so children's views are central in decisions that matter to them, use the Child Impact Assessment Tool consistently, and write more of the Rights of the Child into law. They would increase the Best Start payment and turn it into a universal child benefit for every child under three. They would fund training for people who work with children, improve access to diagnosis and support for disabled children, and change the Oranga Tamariki Act to protect tamariki Māori and give whānau a part in decisions.
- Party claimThe Greens say the Best Start payment would be extended to every child under three.
The Greens' gender equity policy: undo pay equity changes, close pay gaps
The Greens would work to close gender and ethnic pay gaps by reversing the Government's pay equity changes, restarting pay equity claims, and requiring pay transparency and pay gap reporting. They would increase the Best Start payment and turn it into a universal child benefit for every child under three, and fund one-stop support services for whānau from pregnancy to parenthood. They would also speed up diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis, make coercive control a crime, change the legal definition of consent, and lengthen paid parental leave, with set-aside leave for partners.
- Party claimThe Greens say the Best Start payment would be extended to every child under three.
- Party claimThe Greens say paid parental leave for the primary caregiver would rise to 15 months.
The Greens' income policy: reform welfare law, raise benefits to liveable rates
The Greens would reform the Social Security Act, have Work and Income place more trust in the people it supports, raise benefits to liveable rates, work out benefits for each person rather than each couple, and end benefit sanctions. They would extend ACC to cover illness and disability whatever the cause, raise Working for Families payments and extend them to families who are out of work, and replace hardship loans with grants. They would add a tax-free threshold, cut income tax for low and middle earners, raise the top tax rate, and bring in a tax on net wealth over $10 million.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would introduce a tax of 2.5% on net wealth over $10 million.
The Greens' workforce rights policy: default union membership for new workers
The Greens would change employment law so new workers join a union automatically, with the choice to opt out later. They would widen the right to strike, protect workers from unwanted contact outside working hours, raise the minimum wage at least in line with inflation every year, and pay the living wage in all publicly funded jobs. They would also lengthen paid parental leave, strengthen the test for whether gig workers are contractors, and undo the Government's pay equity changes.
- Party claimThe Greens say the minimum wage would rise every year by at least the rate of inflation.
- Party claimThe Greens say paid parental leave for the primary caregiver would rise to 15 months.
Education and skills
Greens would pay students $380 a week during compulsory training placements
The Greens would pay students a weekly amount while they do compulsory placements in courses such as nursing, teaching and social work. The payment would go through StudyLink and sit on top of any student loan living costs, Student Allowance or other support. Students who must relocate for a placement would also get a $1,500 relocation payment. The release does not give a start date.
- Party claimThe Greens say the weekly payment would be $380, paid on top of any student loan living costs, Student Allowance or other support, for the length of compulsory placements.
- Party claimThe Greens say students who must relocate for a placement would get a $1,500 relocation payment covering some of their costs.
- Party claimThe Greens say the indicative cost, based on the best publicly available information, is $74.67m in 2027/28, $77.51m in 2028/29, $78.78m in 2029/30 and $80.43m in 2030/31.
Greens would abolish the training wage and give apprentices $2,000 equipment grants
The Green Party says it would abolish the training wage, which lets employers pay some apprentices less than the adult minimum wage. It would give each apprenticeship a $2,000 grant for tools, uniforms and course materials. Employers whose apprentices finish their qualifications would get a $2,000 payment, and more money would go to Māori and Pasifika-led training. The Herald story does not say when it would start.
- Party claimThe party says it would abolish the training wage and provide a $2,000 equipment grant for each apprenticeship, to cover tools, uniforms and course materials.
- Party claimThe party says employers whose apprentices complete their qualifications would receive $2,000.
- Party claimThe party says an extra $30 million a year would go to Māori and Pasifika-led training, including pastoral support, job matching and first-job assistance.
- Party claimThe party says the package would cost $117.35 million a year, and that Infometrics verified the figures.
The Greens' education policy: free, public early childhood education
The Greens would make early childhood education free, provide it as a public good like schooling, and stop for-profit corporate operators. They would reset the Government's curriculum and assessment changes, widen who can get learning support, and expand Ka Ora, Ka Ako as a first step towards a locally made lunch for every school student. They would also work towards a Māori Education Authority for Māori-medium and Kaupapa Māori education, and support fair pay and staffing for teachers.
The Greens' tertiary education policy: a universal student income
The Greens would pay all students, including postgraduates, a universal student income, and pay at least the living wage on courses with work placements. They would overhaul tertiary funding, give polytechnics enough funding and strong local control, expand free apprenticeships, cut student loan repayments, and work towards fees-free study and writing off student debt. They would also require tertiary institutions to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi, fully fund Whare Wānanga, and make student union membership the default again.
Climate, energy and environment
The Greens' climate adaptation policy: Māori resilience fund and wider disaster cover
The Greens would make sure climate adaptation planning affirms tino rangatiratanga (Māori self-determination), with a Māori Climate Resilience Fund. They would widen the Natural Hazards Commission to cover climate-related weather events and to manage community-led adaptation and moving away from risky places. They would favour long-term, nature-based solutions over short-term engineering, set up a fund for central and local government adaptation work, and work with Pacific neighbours on adaptation.
The Greens' conservation policy: reform nature laws, ban new conservation-land mining
The Greens would reform conservation and wildlife laws to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, support Indigenous-led care of the land, and focus the system on stopping and reversing nature loss. They would ban new mining on conservation land, including stewardship land, and put more money into Jobs for Nature (Mahi mō te Taiao), which pays for nature work and creates regional jobs. They would legally protect all remaining natural wetlands, fund the action plan for the national biodiversity strategy, and raise public conservation funding, including support for Predator Free 2050.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would work towards protecting 30% of land and oceans.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would restore at least 30% of degraded wetland area.
- Party claimThe Greens say more Jobs for Nature funding would create thousands of regional jobs.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would support the Predator Free 2050 goal.
The Greens' energy policy: put people before profit in power laws
The Greens would change the law so the power system puts public wellbeing ahead of profits, and set up a renewable energy infrastructure agency to secure supply and lower prices. They would make it easier for households, marae and suitable public buildings to have solar panels and batteries, and support community energy planning. They would ban new fossil fuel extraction, end fossil fuel subsidies, cancel the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, and create a single energy regulator and a Ministry for Energy.
The Greens' environmental protection policy: set evidence-based limits, repeal fast-track law
The Greens would set evidence-based limits for the health of ecosystems and make tangata whenua shared decision-makers in the new resource management system. They would repeal the Fast-track Approvals Act and cancel fast-track consents for new coal, gold and seabed mining. They would bring back a standalone Ministry for the Environment, give the Environmental Protection Authority more resources, update air quality standards, and work towards wiping out wilding pines, Caulerpa and yellow-legged hornets.
The Greens' food, fibre and forestry policy: support farmers to farm sustainably
The Greens would give farmers more support, such as low-interest loans and grants, to move to more sustainable production. They would use New Zealand-grown natural fibres such as wool in schools and public buildings, ban the animal feed palm kernel expeller, and put strong controls on clear-felling of plantation forests. They would also set up a National Soil Strategy and a voluntary biodiversity credits scheme as an alternative to the Emissions Trading Scheme for landowners to earn money.
The Greens' freshwater policy: national water limits and a lower nitrate limit
The Greens would set evidence-based national minimum standards for freshwater health, including a lower limit for nitrate in drinking water, and bring back Te Mana o Te Wai, a rule that puts the health of water first in decisions. They would end public funding for big new irrigation and dam projects, tighten rules on wastewater so lakes, rivers and beaches stay swimmable, and fund the drinking water regulator to monitor and enforce the protection of drinking water sources. They would also phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and act to reduce stocking rates catchment by catchment.
The Greens' oceans policy: protect 30% of the ocean by 2030
The Greens would protect at least 30% of New Zealand's ocean territory by 2030 by reforming marine protected area laws, including tikanga-led tools. They would phase out damaging fishing methods, starting with a ban on bottom trawling on seamounts, ban set netting, dredging and seabed mining, and put cameras on the whole fishing fleet to cut bycatch of protected species. They would also review the Quota Management System and move towards managing fisheries as whole ecosystems.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would protect at least 30% of New Zealand's ocean territory by 2030.
The Greens' zero waste policy: product stewardship and a container return scheme
The Greens would make product stewardship compulsory, start a drink container return scheme, phase out problem products, and bring in a full right to repair. They would spend waste levy money on cutting waste, raise the levy, charge one rate across all landfills, and put a moratorium on waste-to-energy plants. They would also set binding waste reduction targets through reform of the Waste Minimisation Act and favour local, mana whenua and community-led resource recovery.
Law and order
The Greens' drug law policy: treat drug use as a health issue
The Greens would replace the Misuse of Drugs Act with a law that treats drug use as a health issue and allows regulated access to cannabis for personal use. They would spend more on harm reduction and addiction support, license psychedelic treatment, pass Good Samaritan laws so people can seek help for an overdose without fear of punishment, and fund more naloxone and supervised consumption spaces. They would also fund help to quit smoking and vaping, replace the 2025 drug-driving law with an approach based on impairment from any cause, and phase out alcohol advertising and sponsorship.
The Greens' justice policy: fund rehabilitation for everyone convicted of an offence
The Greens would fund rehabilitation for anyone convicted of an offence, offer tikanga-based and restorative options such as Te Pae Oranga, expand the Te Ao Mārama court model to all courts, and make specialist courts available to everyone who wants them. They would end military-style academies, raise the age of criminal responsibility, require body cameras for frontline police, and give the Independent Police Conduct Authority more power. They would also scrap mandatory minimum sentences, life sentences, preventive detention and three strikes, and carry out the Royal Commission recommendations on the Christchurch mosque attacks and on abuse in care.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would increase the Steps to Freedom Grant to cover at least 30 years of inflation.
The Greens' violence prevention policy: fund the family and sexual violence strategy
The Greens would fund the action plan for Te Aorerekura, the national strategy to eliminate family and sexual violence, and fund kaupapa Māori and community-led responses designed by the groups most affected. They would make coercive control a crime, change the legal definition of consent so it must be free and can be withdrawn at any time, and remove the reluctant consent defence. They would also restore relationship and sexuality teaching guidelines in all schools, and fund more counselling for victims, whānau and others involved in the justice system.
Te Tiriti, democracy and the constitution
The Greens' democracy policy: a national constitution conversation and voting at 16
The Greens would fund a national conversation on changing the constitution, treating He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi as founding documents and using the Matike Mai Aotearoa approach for community discussions. They would lower the voting age to 16, let everyone in custody vote, and allow people to enrol up to election day. They would entrench the Māori seats in Parliament, limit political donations to registered voters with a cap, increase public funding of campaigns, and set up a lobbyist register and code of conduct.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would lower the voting age to 16.
The Greens' local government policy: votes at 16 and single transferable voting
The Greens would hand the running of local elections to the Electoral Commission, let 16-year-olds vote in them, and require the single transferable vote system. They would make councils' role as a Te Tiriti partner clear in law and restore councils' ability to keep Māori wards. They would reject the proposed rates cap, give councils new ways to raise money such as a bed levy and congestion charging, hand councils more responsibilities with funding, and make more use of citizens' assemblies.
- Party claimThe Greens say 16-year-olds would be able to vote in local elections.
The Greens' Māori-centred policy: hand power and resources to tangata whenua
The Greens would devolve power and resources to tangata whenua so whānau, hapū and iwi make their own decisions, and invest in reducing the inequities Māori face in most social and economic outcomes. They would set up a Marae Resilience Fund for Māori to lead projects for their people, including emergency preparedness. They would end perpetual leases on Māori land, change the Public Works Act so Māori land and land near marae, urupā and wāhi tapu cannot be taken, and expand the learning and use of te reo Māori.
The Greens' Te Tiriti policy: make Te Tiriti the authoritative Treaty text
The Greens would amend the Treaty of Waitangi Act to recognise Te Tiriti as the authoritative text, alongside He Whakaputanga, and use Te Tiriti-based decision-making across government so iwi and hapū take part as partners rather than advisors. They would change the Treaty settlements process, including removing "full and final settlement" clauses, ending the "large natural grouping" approach and recognising hapū rangatiratanga. They would give the Waitangi Tribunal more resources and the power to make binding recommendations to return Crown and private land to iwi, hapū and whānau, and help return land outside settlements, including exploring a right of first refusal when private land is sold.
Immigration and population
The Greens' immigration policy: residence for long-settled migrants and more refugees
The Greens would create ways for migrants who have settled here long-term, including people whose visas have expired, to get residence. They would scrap the health requirements that can stop migrants and refugees with health conditions or disabilities getting visas, let migrant workers change employers, and remove the rule making some workers leave between visas. They would clear the refugee family reunification backlog, restore birthright citizenship, raise the refugee quota step by step, and build a Te Tiriti-based immigration system with more decisions made by hapū and iwi.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would raise the refugee quota to 5,000 by 2029.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would remove the 12-month stand-down period that requires some migrant workers to leave between visas.
Economy, business and infrastructure
The Greens' digital technology policy: a duty of care for social media
The Greens would regulate social media platforms to address harmful content and behaviour through a Digital Duty of Care, with transparent algorithms, accessible complaints systems and an independent regulator. They would regulate artificial intelligence so it is safe, transparent and accurate, with stronger rules on deepfakes and scams. They would also crack down on tax avoidance by large tech companies, use Māori data governance rules across the public sector, strengthen privacy protections, and expand digital literacy education and internet access.
The Greens' small business policy: revive Buy Kiwi Made and origin labelling
The Greens would revive the Buy Kiwi Made scheme and expand country-of-origin labelling so people can more easily support local businesses. They would require government departments to buy more from New Zealand businesses, expand grants and rebates for smaller technology firms creating low-carbon jobs, and keep funding community-led regional development. They would also reform competition laws to help small businesses and consumers, and give regulators more resources and powers to investigate anti-competitive practices.
- Party claimThe Greens say New Zealand had its highest number of business liquidations in almost 15 years in the last year.
The Greens' transport policy: mass rapid transit and city-wide bus lanes
The Greens would build mass rapid transit in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and bus lanes across all cities, and invest in fast rail for passengers and freight around the country. They would subsidise e-cargo bikes and e-bike sharing, fund rural and interregional buses, and extend the Community Connect scheme to give free fares to more groups. They would also run public transport publicly rather than for profit, build safe walking and cycling routes to schools, and set a date to stop importing fossil-fuel vehicles.
- Party claimThe Greens say public transport would be free for students, apprentices, Community Services Card holders, everyone under 18 and Total Mobility card holders.
Foreign affairs and defence
The Greens' global affairs policy: independent foreign policy, out of Five Eyes
The Greens would return to an independent foreign policy that opposes human rights abuses wherever they happen, and focus defence on climate, humanitarian and environmental monitoring work. They would separate New Zealand's military and security ties from the United States, including not joining the AUKUS security pact and leaving the Five Eyes intelligence network. They would recognise Palestine as a state and sanction Israel, and require trade deals to face democratic scrutiny and include enforceable commitments on Te Tiriti, workers' rights, human rights and climate.
Communities, culture and sport
The Greens' culture policy: living wage for artists on publicly funded projects
The Greens would require publicly funded projects to pay artists at least the living wage, and offer more paid artist residencies. They would give creative organisations and events stable funding, with long-term funding for significant creative initiatives such as Te Matatini and Polyfest, and fund the arts without relying on gambling money. They would support returning taonga (treasured items) held overseas to Māori, and increase funding for non-commercial public media, including Radio New Zealand and Whakaata Māori.
The Greens' disability policy: a disability rights law with enforceable accessibility standards
The Greens would pass a disability rights law based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with accessibility standards that can be enforced. They would give disabled people quick, easy income support for disability-related living and medical costs, whatever their relationship status or the cause of their disability. They would work towards safe, accessible, affordable housing for all disabled people, keep funding the Total Mobility taxi subsidy and make it easier to use, and use the Enabling Good Lives approach to guide how government agencies work with disabled people.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would keep funding the Total Mobility taxi subsidy at 75%.
The Greens' overseas Kiwis policy: citizenship pathway for people with Māori ancestry
The Greens would create a tikanga-based pathway for people with Māori ancestry to become New Zealand citizens, wherever they live or were born. They would lower student loan repayments and interest for borrowers living overseas, extend their repayment holiday, and stop border arrests over student loan repayments. They would let New Zealanders stay overseas longer without losing the vote, set the time living here needed to qualify for NZ Super back to 10 years, and seek deals with other countries on healthcare, welfare and visa-free travel.
- Party claimThe Greens say 15% of New Zealanders live overseas.
- Party claimThe Greens say they would restore the 10-year residence period in New Zealand needed to qualify for NZ Super.
The Greens' Pacific peoples policy: visa-free travel for Pacific Island visitors
The Greens would let visitors from the Pacific Islands come to New Zealand without a visa, restore and increase New Zealand's international climate aid, and back Pacific nations' calls for stronger climate action. They would replace the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme with one that gives Pacific workers fair wages, housing, open work rights and paths to residency. They would also support independence for West Papua and French Polynesia, and support Pacific Island states' marine protection work, including with more funding.
The Greens' rainbow communities policy: health services designed with rainbow communities
The Greens would work with rainbow communities to design health services and strategies, and give rainbow organisations more funding, including Māori and Pasifika-led groups. They would fund free, timely gender-affirming health care based on informed consent, and reverse the ban on puberty blockers. They would add sexual orientation, gender identity and variations in sex characteristics to the Human Rights Act's grounds of discrimination, ban medically unnecessary interventions on intersex people without consent, and change laws for rainbow asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.
The Greens' seniors policy: a long-term strategy for an ageing population
The Greens would write a long-term strategy for an ageing population, covering kaumātua (elders) wellbeing, preventing elder abuse, enough income to live comfortably, and a state-owned, not-for-profit retirement village scheme. They would fund more community spaces and programmes for seniors, build more papakāinga housing, put kaumātua higher on social housing waitlists, and design homes that are single-level, warm and accessible. They would also pay home and community care workers fairly, including for travel time, and fund Māori, Pacific and migrant groups to care for kaumātua.
The Greens' welfare of animals policy: an independent Commissioner for Animals
The Greens would create an independent Commissioner for Animals to monitor and speak up for animals, set up an independent ministry, and bring in stronger welfare codes for farmed animals. They would phase out debeaking of hens, intensive winter grazing, factory farming, octopus farming, farrowing crates and rodeo, and require imported products, including cosmetics, to meet New Zealand's welfare standards. They would also keep the ban on live animal exports by sea and extend it to exports by air and to wild-caught animals such as endangered tuna and longfin eels.
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?
Create a public supermarket chainBan excessive pricesGive the regulator more power
Move at least 120 supermarkets into a public chain, KiwiMart, and ban excessive prices.The Greens would require Woolworths and Foodstuffs to sell at least 120 stores and distribution centre capacity into public ownership, forming KiwiMart, a publicly owned chain with a mandate to keep prices down. The Commerce Commission would choose the stores based on local market share and set compensation. The party estimates the cost at about $2.8 billion: $1.3 billion to buy the stores and two distribution centres and $1.5 billion to set up the business. It would also ban excessive supermarket prices, require supermarkets to disclose their margins, and give the Commerce Commission more funding, higher fines and power to issue binding directions. No start date or funding source has been published. The biggest tradeoff: taxpayers would carry the commercial risk of running a supermarket chain.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - How should income tax change?
Make the first part of income tax-freeAdd higher rates for top earners
First $10,000 tax-free, new rates from 10% to 33.5% up to $160,000, and 45% above.The Greens would make the first $10,000 of income tax-free and replace the five current rates with seven: 0%, then 10% to 33.5% in steps, and 45% on income over $160,000. The party says 96% of people would get a tax cut: about $27 a week more at $40,000 and $10 at $90,000, and $66 a week less at $200,000. The party costs the income tax changes at about $2.3 billion in 2027/28, rising to about $2.7 billion in 2030/31, funded by taxes on net wealth over $10 million, inheritances over $1 million, large companies and banks. It says the whole package raises a net $5.15 billion in 2027/28; no independent costing has been found. No start date is given. The biggest tradeoff: most people pay less income tax, but top earners pay up to 45% and the cuts rely on new taxes.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - Should KiwiSaver be compulsory, and how much should go in?
No stated position found (checked 16 Oct 2026)
- Should the NZ Super age rise to 67?
Opposes
Keep Super universal at 65; do not raise the age.The Green Party supports keeping NZ Super universal at 65. Its 2023 policy promised to "maintain universal superannuation for all New Zealanders 65 years and older", with $16 a week more after tax; no 2026 Super policy page was found. Its Grey Power survey answers list making sure Super covers everyday costs as a priority. Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick questions "the premise that superannuation is supposedly, in their argument, becoming more unaffordable", and says "We can afford to ensure that everybody retires with dignity, and that means that we have to fix the tax system." The party's 2026 tax plan proposes new taxes on high wealth and a higher rate for the largest companies and an income tax cut for most taxpayers. The biggest tradeoff: Super stays universal at 65, but its projected cost is unchanged, so its growth would be met from taxes, borrowing, other spending or payment changes.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - Should GP visits or prescriptions be free?
Make GP visits free for everyone
Work towards fully free GP, nurse and dental care, delivered by public clinics.The Greens' 2026 manifesto commits to "work towards a publicly delivered, fully free provision of dental and primary care services", including clinics run by Māori for Māori, and to fund mobile health and dental vans for rural areas. It does not say how GP fees or the $5 prescription charge would change along the way. The party's 2025 alternative budget was more specific: a public Community Health Service providing free GP and nursing care, free prescriptions and free dental care, paid for with new taxes, including a wealth tax, and more borrowing. The 2026 manifesto also backs more funding for Pharmac. The biggest tradeoff: the plan aims at fully free primary and dental care for everyone, but gives no cost or timeline for it and does not tie it to a funding source.
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 workersRaise pay or set safe staffing levelsFund Māori-led providers directly
More Pharmac funding, pay parity, staffing levels and funding for kaupapa Māori care.The Greens would increase sustained funding for Pharmac so it can invest in new medicines and health care devices, with no amount stated. They say they would ensure "fair wages" for health workers, fund pay parity for primary care nurses and hauora providers, and set "safe staffing levels". Students on compulsory nursing and other placements would get $380 a week, plus $1,500 if they must move. The Greens would work with and fund kaupapa Māori approaches, and work with Iwi Māori Partnership Boards and Hauora Māori to simplify funding for providers. They also support Labour's graduate nurse job guarantee. The biggest tradeoff: the Greens say pay parity, safe staffing and paid placements would support health workers and keep students from dropping out of placements, but they have not said how much these would cost or when they would start.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - How should housing policy change?
Government builds more public homesFund community and Māori housing providersMake planning and building rules easierChange how rents are setStrengthen renters' rights or rental standardsChange tax on property
Tens of thousands of public homes, 2% rent rise cap, and no landlord interest deductions.The Greens would build "tens of thousands" of public homes, fund councils, community housing providers and papakāinga on Māori land, and require councils to enable enough new housing, including in existing urban areas. Rent rises would be capped at 2% a year, with a new tenancy's rent tied to the previous rent, no-cause terminations would end, and rentals would need an independently certified warrant of fitness. Landlords could no longer deduct mortgage interest, investment homes sold within 10 years would be taxed, and property would count toward a 2.5% tax on net wealth over $10 million. The biggest tradeoff: the party says renters would get capped rents and more public homes, while landlords with mortgages would pay more tax; ACT says rent caps would mean fewer rentals, and the party has published no cost for the public homes.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - How should households get solar?
Government-backed loans repaid over timePay part of the costAllow plug-in solar and remove rulesChange what households are paid for exported powerFund community and Māori-owned energy
Homeowner loans with government-paid interest, solar on public homes, and plug-in solar rights for renters.The Greens would set up a loan scheme, owned 20% by central government and 80% by councils and the Local Government Funding Agency, offering homeowners loans over 15 to 30 years for solar, batteries and other electrification. The government would pay the interest. Loans would be tied to the property and repaid through a levy; some owners could defer repayment until they sell. Renters would get a right to plug-in solar, and solar would go on more than half of public homes within four years. The party costs the loans at about $429 million over four years and says its wider energy package would be paid for by its proposed wealth tax and other tax changes. The biggest tradeoff: borrowers pay no interest, but the government pays it over loans of 15 to 30 years, beyond the four years costed.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - How should the electricity market change?
Separate power generation from retailDon't build the LNG terminalGovernment builds or backs new supplyChange the regulators or their powers
A public backup power company, separate generation and retail, and no LNG terminal.The Greens would set up Kiwipower, a publicly owned Crown entity that would invest in new renewable backup ("firming") power such as geothermal, batteries and pumped hydro. It would also contract firming, including a required share from the big power companies, for independent generators, retailers and energy users. The Greens cost Kiwipower at $980 million over four years, to be paid for, they say, by their proposed Super Rich Tax. They would cancel the LNG terminal, create a single energy regulator and a Ministry for Energy, and put public wellbeing outcomes into energy law. A Green MP's member's bill, not the manifesto, would require large generator-retailers to run generation and retail as separate companies. No start date is given. The biggest tradeoff: independent retailers could buy backup power from Kiwipower, but how much firming it would buy, at what price, and on what timetable are not published.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - What should New Zealand's climate commitments be?
Stay in the Paris AgreementChange the 2050 targetsChange the Climate Change Commission's roleChange the Emissions Trading SchemePut a price on farm emissions
A Budget tied to 1.5°C and gross targets, a farm emissions price, a tighter ETS.The Greens would strengthen the Zero Carbon Act so the government Budget process must be consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C, gross emissions reduction targets (before forests are counted) and international commitments. The Climate Change Commission would set the number of units in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Free units for industry would be phased out and forestry offsets removed, with ETS money going to a fund to cut industrial emissions. Farm emissions would be priced to meet the methane targets, with support for farmers. The Greens would meet the Paris pledges at home and, if needed, through projects overseas, and show the pledge's cost in the government's accounts. No costs or start dates are given. The biggest tradeoff: a cap on gross emissions with farming priced, but new costs for farmers and for industries that lose free units.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - What should change in sentencing, prisons, youth offending, gang laws and policing?
Repeal three strikes and limits on judgesSpend more on rehabilitation and alternativesEnd military-style academiesRaise the age of criminal responsibilityBody cameras and stronger police oversight
Repeal three strikes and mandatory minimums; fund rehabilitation; end military-style academies.The Greens would let judges decide sentences by abolishing mandatory minimum sentences, life sentences, preventive detention, three strikes and limits on sentence discounts and on home detention. They would fund rehabilitation for anyone convicted of an offence, make tikanga-based and restorative options available to anyone who wants them, expand the Te Ao Mārama court model to all courts, and improve support after release, including housing. They would end military-style academies, raise the age of criminal responsibility to an unstated age, require police to wear body cameras and strengthen the Independent Police Conduct Authority. No 2026 Green statement on the gang laws or police numbers was found. The biggest tradeoff: the Greens say tackling the causes of crime would make communities safer, but their 2026 manifesto gives no cost; the only figure found, the 2025 alternative budget's $770 million from averting prisoner number increases, was not independently costed.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources - What should happen to Te Tiriti settings and Māori representation?
Keep or strengthen the Waitangi TribunalRestore or strengthen Treaty clauses in lawsChange constitutional lawEntrench the Māori seatsSet the rules for Māori seats on councils
Entrench the Māori seats, give the Tribunal binding powers, and make Te Tiriti's text authoritative.The Greens would amend the Treaty of Waitangi Act so the te reo Māori text, Te Tiriti, is the authoritative text, read alongside He Whakaputanga, the 1835 Declaration. They would fund the Waitangi Tribunal more and let it make binding recommendations to return Crown and private land to iwi, hapū and whānau, and explore a right of first refusal when private land is sold. They would remove "full and final" wording from the Crown's settlement policy guide, and iwi and hapū would take part in government decisions as partners. The Greens would entrench the Māori seats, let Māori switch rolls at any time, let councils keep Māori wards without polls, and fund a national conversation on constitutional change. No costs or start dates are published. The biggest tradeoff: firmer and more lasting Māori rights in law, but less room for future Parliaments and some private landowners to decide.
Full entry, tradeoffs and sources
Sources for this page
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Change history
Every recorded change to this page, newest first, including our own corrections after checks.
- 17 Oct 2026 Profile written. [1][8][6][4]