The Conservatives would shrink government to what they call its core business — justice, defence, border control and critical infrastructure — abolishing agencies and programmes they judge useless, ending all climate-focused taxes, subsidies and regulations, and ending corporate welfare including media subsidies. Working for Families would be replaced by FamilyBuilder tax cuts, legislation would curtail what they term unconstitutional bureaucratic power, and spending would be redirected to roads, bridges and waterways.
The organising idea is a narrow definition of what government is for: justice, defence, border control, and critical infrastructure and services. Everything measured against that. The stated premise is that New Zealand is over-governed, over-regulated and over-taxed, and that debt levels are a crisis needing attention now.
Legislation to curtail what the party calls unconstitutional bureaucratic power, alongside abolishing agencies and programmes it judges useless and ending regulation it considers unnecessary. Their wider priorities list adds a smaller government workforce, fewer layers of government, accountable local government, and defending freedom of speech and assembly.
The welfare system would be reformed with Working for Families replaced by FamilyBuilder tax cuts, and education reformed including early childhood education — the stated test being whether the system supports the family rather than undermining it.
All climate-focused taxes, subsidies and regulations would end, which the party frames as restoring rational economic policy. Alongside it, all corporate welfare would go, with subsidies for the media named specifically.
Spending redirected towards critical services and infrastructure — roads, bridges and waterways are named — with major infrastructure projects reviewed for viability, real benefit, and delivery on time and within budget.
The party would regularly review current expenditure, which it notes is day-to-day spending that dwarfs capital expenditure, with a view to reducing costs — presenting this as something every government should do continuously rather than as a one-off exercise.
“New Zealand is over-governed, over-regulated, and over-taxed”
“The only solution is to shrink government, so that it focuses on its core business - justice, defence, border control, and critical infrastructure and services.”
“We do not need Big Government done better.”
“Everyday New Zealanders have to work hard to balance their books, and they need government to do the same.”
Points the document defers or leaves undefined. These are gaps in the document, not criticisms of the policy.
Which party holds a published position on which topic.
Swipe across to see all 11 topics — the party column stays put.
| Party | Economy | Housing | Health | Education | Climate | Environment | Crime & Justice | Treaty & Māori Affairs | Immigration | Foreign Policy | Democracy & Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National |
| ∅ |
| Labour | ∅ | ∅ | ∅ | ∅ | ∅ | ∅ |
| Green |
| ACT |
| NZ First |
| Te Pāti Māori |
| TOP |
| Also contesting, without seats in Parliament | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s Rights | |||||||||||
| Animal Justice | |||||||||||
| ALCP | |||||||||||
| Conservative | |||||||||||
| Outdoors & Freedom | |||||||||||
| Vision NZ | |||||||||||
| Alliance | |||||||||||
| Free Palestine | |||||||||||
| NZ Loyal | ∅ | ||||||||||
| Te Tai Tokerau | ∅ | ||||||||||