READ OUR FIRST POLICY
We have a plan to guarantee a job for every young person in Aotearoa.
REAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
We will shape an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.
see our other policies
Check out our previous policy announcements for 2026.
The Problem
The Luxon Government’s cost-of-living crisis is making it harder for everyday New Zealanders to build good lives in the communities they call home.
The rising cost of essentials like rent, food, power and transport is putting increasing pressure on households across Aotearoa. At the same time, a lack of government investment in skills, infrastructure, and innovation has resulted in too few jobs for too many people.
We have everything we need to create a thriving economy that works for all of us. Yet New Zealanders are being forced into insecure low-wage work, or to leave their whānau and communities in search of a decent job.
This makes no sense when there is so much work that that needs to be done. New Zealand needs more quality and affordable houses, better public transport options, cleaner energy, and a healthier environment. We have the tools to make that happen.
New Zealanders want secure jobs, decent pay and the opportunity to build skills close to home. They want an economy that creates opportunity, strengthens communities and prepares us for the future.
That is why the Green Party will create thousands of jobs for New Zealanders, investing in the work our communities need done while removing barriers to access training opportunities so people can build lasting careers close to home.
Our plan will tackle the cost of living and unemployment, strengthen local communities, and build an economy that works for all of us.
Policy: 01/04
Youth Jobs Guarantee
There is no shortage of work to do in New Zealand. Yet more than 1 in 3 young people in Aotearoa are short of work. The Green Party will guarantee them a decent job, fixing and improving things in their local community.
GUARANTEE DECENT WORK FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Every 16- to 24-year-old who has been out of work for six months will be guaranteed a pathway into education, training, or a new job.
Every job under the guarantee will be additional, this means no job will replace an existing worker.
CREATE JOBS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Establish the Jobs for Young People pilot programme, based on the successful Jobs for Nature model, to support new jobs in businesses, councils, iwi, non-profits or the public sector.
Empower people in each community to determine what work needs doing to ensure it addresses local needs.
FUND LOCAL JOBS IN EVERY DISTRICT
Get 32,000 young people into local jobs by scaling up funding of the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs for all 67 councils.
Connect young people with local businesses, community organisations, iwi and hapū.
PLAN FOR THE FUTURE WORKFORCE
Make sure national workforce strategies plan for young people and the future economy to ensure our workforce has the skills and experience needed to transform our economy.
Policy: 02/04
An Economy That Works For All of Us
The Green Party is serious about the economy. Not just an economy for the powerful and wealthy few. The Green Party has the plan to create an economy where people have jobs and can afford their groceries. An economy where we make things, businesses thrive, and we build a clean, resilient energy system that lowers the power bills of everyday kiwis. An economy that looks after our people and our planet. An economy, for all of us.
Create thousands of new jobs
Our proposed investments in public transport, clean energy, food security, resilience, science, innovation, and public services will support 64,000 new jobs in the New Zealand economy.
Thousands of jobs will be concentrated in the construction, engineering, science and technology, education, health, and public service sectors.
Coordinate the economy to deliver the skills, infrastructure, innovation, and resilience the country needs.
Create active investment and intervention to grow the productive capacity of our economy to do the things that we need.
Strengthen the foundations of real fiscal sustainability by making strategic public investment to develop our productive capacity.
Strengthen workplace democracy for economic security.
Remove excessive regulatory barriers that stand in the way of small businesses challenging entrenched monopolies, ensuring New Zealanders get a fair deal from big corporates, and breaking up monopoly power so the economy actually works.
Plan our workforce as deliberately as our infrastructure, investing in the skills and workforce development for the future.
Build a fair tax system that rewards productive investment, work, and innovation, using tax policy to build a truly democratic economy.
Reignite the research, science, and innovation system.
Policy: 03/04
Paid placements for the future workforce
At a time when Aotearoa New Zealand desperately needs more skilled professionals like nurses, teachers, and social workers, students should be able to cover the basics while they complete their training. The Green Party will support students to train for the jobs we need is an investment in our future workforce and a more resilient Aotearoa New Zealand.
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We will support students as the future workforce of Aotearoa
Make sure students can afford to pay for the essentials while they train for the jobs New Zealand needs, with a universal weekly payment of $380.
Prioritise sectors where unpaid placements are pushing students out and making workforce shortages worse, including in health and education.
Support students who need to move from the place they live to complete a placement, with a relocation payment of $1500.
Policy: 04/04
Apprenticeships for the future workforce
There is important work to be done in Aotearoa, and it’s time to back the people who do it. If we want to build more homes, scale up renewable energy and strengthen our infrastructure, we need skilled builders, electricians, plumbers, and mechanics to make it happen. That is why the Green Party will invest in the apprentices we need for the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.
We will invest in the apprentices we need and ensure they can finish their qualifications and enter the workforce with confidence.
Abolish the training wage, so apprentices and trainees can get paid properly and support themselves while they train.
Increase support for Māori and Pasifika apprentices, pastoral care, and job-matching with a $30m funding boost.
Restore the centres of vocational excellence and enable them to develop future-fit apprenticeships.
Introduce an apprentice equipment grant of $2000 to cover tools, uniforms, and materials.
Back employers to take on apprentices and support them to complete their training, with completion bonuses of $2000.
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