The full comparison
Compare the parties
Toggle parties, scroll for all 22 policy domains, and tap "Explain simply" on any row for a plain-English analogy.
Swipe to see all parties
What the public thinks
Real polls, side by side
The latest published opinion polls from New Zealand media and research firms — not our own straw poll below, the actual professional surveys.
Swipe for more polls
Behind the headlines
Campaign moments, decoded
Real statements and flashpoints from the campaign trail, explained like you're 15. Each one is labelled with exactly what it is — a social media post, a press statement, a debate — and links to the original coverage.
Personalised in 2 clicks
Find your match
Tell us who you are, then what matters most — we'll line up what every party proposes, explained simply.
1 I am a...
Keeping everyone honest
Manifesto watch
A bot checks each party's official policy page every 2 hours and flags when it changes. It tracks that something changed, not what — always read the source.
Every registered party
Also on the ballot
17 parties are registered with the Electoral Commission for 2026 (as at 5 August 2026). Beyond the seven above, here's the headline pitch for each of the rest.
Live, auto-refreshed every 2 hours
Developing movements
Pulled automatically from RNZ and Beehive.govt.nz. For live social updates, use the link below — this page can't pull from X/Twitter directly.
Just for fun
Which way are you leaning?
A casual, anonymous straw poll — not a scientific survey. One vote per browser; change your mind any time.
Anonymous — no name, email or IP is stored, just a random id in your browser. Results are visible to everyone.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2026 New Zealand general election?
The 2026 New Zealand general election is scheduled for Saturday 7 November 2026. Advance voting typically opens around two weeks before election day.
Which parties are contesting the 2026 election?
Seven parties are compared in full detail on this page: National, Labour, the Green Party, ACT, NZ First, Te Pāti Māori, and The Opportunity Party (TOP). In total, 17 parties are registered with the Electoral Commission for 2026 — see "Also on the ballot" above for the other ten.
How do I find out which electorate I'm in, and who's standing?
Use our electorate candidate lookup for a quick answer, or check the Electoral Commission's own tool at vote.nz for the definitive, address-based result.
Is this website affiliated with the Electoral Commission or any political party?
No. This is an independent, non-partisan educational project. It is not affiliated with the New Zealand Electoral Commission or any political party, and policy summaries here are simplified for comparison — always verify against each party's official manifesto before voting.
How often is the information on this site updated?
A bot checks party policy pages and pulls fresh election news automatically every 2 hours (see "Manifesto watch" and "Developing movements" above). Published opinion polls are refreshed periodically by hand, not scraped live — each section states when it was last updated.
Where do the "Explain simply" analogies come from?
They're hand-written, plain-English analogies meant to make each policy understandable at a glance — written for this site, not quoted from any party. They're a starting point for understanding, not a substitute for reading the actual policy.
Help us improve
Suggest an improvement
Spot something missing, outdated, or want another policy row added? Let us know.