Live: National would make Year 11 compulsory, Greens promise jobs for all young Kiwis
New Zealand political parties are ramping up their election campaigns with competing policy announcements. The Green Party has proposed a youth employment guarantee, while the ACT party has unveiled a fiscal plan focused on spending cuts and debt reduction.
Why it matters
These policy shifts highlight the core ideological differences between New Zealand's political parties regarding welfare, fiscal responsibility, and youth labor market intervention.
ACT unveiled its fiscal plan, Dame Jacinda Ardern returned, and the two major parties unveiled their own fresh policies during another busy Sunday on the campaign trail.
ACT revealed its fiscal plan on Sunday afternoon, promising to cut debt and spending, raise the superannuation age by three months every year, and cut disability benefits by $653 million.
This would be achieved partly by abolishing "demographic" ministries, bringing disability benefits "under control", cutting foreign aid and back-office spending, and preventing migrants claiming benefits for five years after entering the country.
Two policies in the plan remain mysterious: one costing $100 million a year, and the other being some kind of tax relief costing $264m in its first year, rising to $303m in 2031.
Multiple parties promptly spoke out against the plan. The Greens labelled it "welfare for the wealthiest", while Labour accused ACT of "punching down".
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