ACT New Zealand

Confirmed: Election Day 2026 is 7 November. Our last two election results were ACT’s best ever, and we’re ready to do it again. We’re proud of our record, driving change in Government. This election we’ll be giving Kiwis a clear choice: Party Vote ACT to avoid the reds and greens, without settling for beige. As usual ACT will honestly and fearlessly tell it like it is. New Zealand is the most successful society in history, but we’re selling ourselves short. When we avoid hard issues in our polite Kiwi way, it’s the battlers who suffer. Kiwis are people who came to these islands for a better tomorrow. We are adventurous, pioneering people by nature, or we wouldn’t be out here. Bureaucracy, red tape, and identity politics are kryptonite to our ambitions. ACT has proven it can shrink Government waste, cut through red tape, and get better performance for the taxpayer dollar. We can also drive the hard conversations about who we are as a country. We’ve also proven we can work collegially and effectively with our partners in coalition. In everything from youth justice to medicines, we have delivered. ACT provides the full package for voters who rightly fear the Labour-Green-Māori menace, but also want faster action on waste, red tape, and pride in our country.

Yes.

School Strike 4 Climate, then vs now. @dbseymour's school attendance push is working.

What parent would want their child protesting next to adults with signs stating ‘a murdered fascist makes no noise. I’d shed your blood to save the world.’ These students should be in school.

𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲… “𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀” 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁 ACT Leader David Seymour says the Government’s review of Treaty references demonstrates why New Zealand still needs clear statutory definitions of Treaty principles. “We were told there were no Treaty principles, and perhaps this review would remove them. Well, the jury is in and the words ‘Treaty principles’ still exist throughout our laws," says Mr Seymour. “Undefined Treaty principles have created uncertainty, inconsistent legal obligations, and endless scope for activist interpretation and bureaucratic expansion. “The Government’s decision to repeal several Treaty references outright, and standardise others so agencies need only ‘take into account’ Treaty principles, is an improvement. It reinforces the principle that laws should be clear, predictable, and understandable to the people expected to follow them. “But the key problem remains. Even just requiring agencies to ‘take into account’ Treaty principles still leaves open the fundamental question: what exactly are those principles? “As I’ve said all along, the Treaty principles are real, they do need to be defined, and the Treaty Principles Bill was designed to do just that. One day, sooner or later, the debate begun by the Treaty Principles Bill will need to conclude. The idea of the Treaty principles is not going anywhere, so wouldn’t it be good to know what they mean? “If Parliament doesn’t define Treaty principles clearly, courts, officials, consultants, and activist groups will continue expanding them over time. “A free and equal society requires that constitutional principles are determined by elected lawmakers accountable to the public, not gradually rewritten through vague interpretation. “The Treaty Principles Bill sparked an important national conversation about equality, citizenship, and the role of the Treaty in modern New Zealand. While other parties stepped away from that debate, the underlying issue has not gone away. “ACT will continue advocating for laws based on equal rights and clear constitutional principles.” Treaty references to be repealed •⁠ ⁠Education and Training Act •⁠ ⁠Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act •⁠ ⁠Organic Products and Production Act •⁠ ⁠Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act •⁠ ⁠Crown Pastoral Land Act •⁠ ⁠Plant Variety Rights Act Acts where Treaty clauses will be standardised to ‘take into account’ •⁠ ⁠Education and Training Act •⁠ ⁠Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai Act •⁠ ⁠Climate Change Response Act •⁠ ⁠Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act •⁠ ⁠Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act •⁠ ⁠Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Act •⁠ ⁠Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Act •⁠ ⁠Data and Statistics Act •⁠ ⁠Criminal Cases Review Commission Act Acts under separate review •⁠ ⁠Resource Management Act •⁠ ⁠Conservation Act •⁠ ⁠Crown Minerals Act •⁠ ⁠Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act •⁠ ⁠Urban Development Act •⁠ ⁠Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities Act

This is a major step toward clearer laws, greater consistency, and equal treatment under the law. But it also shows why New Zealand still needs something like the Treaty Principles Bill. Even requiring agencies to “take into account” Treaty principles leaves room for activist interpretation and bureaucratic scope creep if nobody can clearly define what those principles actually are. In a free and equal society, the meaning of constitutional principles should be decided by Parliament and understood by all New Zealanders, not endlessly expanded through vague legal interpretation.

We are also separately reviewing Treaty references in the following Acts: - Resource Management Act - Conservation Act - Crown Minerals Act - Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act - Urban Development Act - Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities Act

BREAKING: We are repealing references to the Treaty in the following laws: - Education and Training Act - Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act - Organic Products and Production Act - Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act - Crown Pastoral Land Act - Plant Variety Rights Act

If your power policy relies on retailers selling electricity for less than they buy it, you don’t have a policy – you have a bumper sticker. The Greens just don't get it.

Read more: beehive.govt.nz/release/govern…

If a product is safely used overseas, there’s no reason Kiwi farmers should be left waiting years for it here. We're changing the law to make it faster and easier to access safe agricultural chemicals and veterinary medicines already approved by trusted overseas regulators.

Announced: We’re increasing access to type 2 diabetes medicines, and removing race-based eligibility criteria.

𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 ACT has welcomed the signing of the Western Bay of Plenty Deal today, saying the delivery of the Party's coalition commitment is a major step forward for infrastructure, housing, and economic growth across the region. ACT Leader David Seymour, who is in Tauranga for the signing of the deal, says: “Regional deals are ACT policy in action. They mean government and councils work together, building infrastructure instead of flip-flopping every time there's an election. ACT has promoted this idea since at least 2019, secured it as a coalition commitment, and now it's reality. "Short-term political ambitions are being set aside in favour of a pipeline of projects that can endure beyond the political cycles of any incumbent government or council. Ultimately, this looks like homes being connected to opportunities in employment and education by quality infrastructure." Mount Maunganui-based ACT MP Cameron Luxton, also present for the signing, says: "The Bay of Plenty is the gateway to the central upper North Island, and a dream place to live, but broken infrastructure funding models with poor processes coming out of Wellington have hampered development, locked out the infrastructure connections to the country and made building housing akin to Greek tragedy. “Roads, housing developments, and essential infrastructure have taken far too long to get off the ground. This Deal is about changing that, unlocking the Bay's potential and getting the homes we need for a region where families, understandably, want to live. "Finally, ratepayers in the Bay get to see a more mature approach. Co-ordination between local and central government will mean the infrastructure needed to support growth in the region actually gets built. The Western Bay of Plenty deal will help unlock up to 15,000 new homes over the next decade, upgrade key transport routes, and ensure the Port continues to function as one of New Zealand’s most important export gateways. “The commitment to use innovative funding and financing tools, alongside private investment, will help deliver major projects like Takitimu North Link Stage 2 and Tauriko West faster and more efficiently. “The Deal also recognises that increasing housing supply is critical for the future of the Bay. Delivering 12,000 new greenfield homes alongside 3,000 infill dwellings will help keep the price of housing under control in our part of the country. “Alongside economic infrastructure, health and education services are also supported by the Deal. It recognises we're not just cash cow for the rest of the country, we're a place where it's worth settling down and building lives together."

Judges shouldn’t get to rewrite climate law from the bench. ACT is stopping climate lawfare. Mark Cameron's Member’s Bill would go further by stopping councils from using the RMA to wage their own climate crusades.

Basic transactions shouldn’t involve mountains of paperwork. That’s why we’re fixing anti-money laundering rules.

Flying an Airbus into a remote corner of NZ to protest mining is peak Green politics. They sure didn’t hike there in hemp sandals carrying messages on carved driftwood! A single A321 contains roughly 30+ tonnes of aluminium or well over 120 tonnes of mined bauxite ore to produce.

𝗦𝗲𝘆𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 ACT Leader David Seymour is welcoming confirmation that Budget 2026 will spend less new money than previously planned, while keeping New Zealand on track to return to surplus by 2028/29. “Spending less new money means less debt. It means Kiwis will keep more of what they earn, so life is more affordable,” says Mr Seymour. “The Prime Minister has confirmed net operating spending on new initiatives will be $2.1 billion, about $300 million less than the allowance set in December. That is $300 million less pressure on taxpayers, less pressure on the cost of living, and less pressure on future generations. “Debt is not free money. It is taxation by time travel. Politicians spend today and send the bill to children who are still learning their ABCs. “New Zealanders are already paying dearly for past borrowing. Core Crown finance costs were forecast at $8.8 billion this year. We’re spending about $4,300 per household, just to pay the interest on government debt. This buys no hospital bed, teaches no child, and fixes no road. “That is why ACT remains focused on returning to surplus and putting debt on a downward track. A small country in a volatile world needs buffers. Continuing to borrow, as Labour would do, will only make us more vulnerable to the next big shock. “ACT has pushed hard for fiscal discipline across government. We have helped save billions, reprioritise spending, and focus taxpayers’ money on the essentials. “The alternative is more borrowing or higher taxes. ACT rejects both. New Zealand does not need a capital gains tax, wealth tax, inheritance tax, or any other envy tax. We need a Government that spends less, regulates better, and leaves more money with the firms, farms, and families who earned it.”

𝗦𝗲𝘆𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗲𝘀’ 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 David Seymour has welcomed Sharesies’ announcement that it will contribute to KiwiSaver savings for children under 16. “Sharesies’ new KiwiSaver kids contribution is a generous initiative that will help more young New Zealanders get started on the path to saving, investing, and ownership,” says Mr Seymour. “Earlier this year, I spoke about the need to give young New Zealanders a practical introduction to investing. I believe if we stop treating young people as passive observers in the economy and start equipping them to become active creators of wealth, young New Zealanders will have more profitable lives. “I made a proposal for the Government to put $500 in a controlled investment account for every year 11 student, with a structured pathway into real investing. Approximately five per cent of the annual KiwiSaver subsidy would fund this. “If we introduce young New Zealanders to these concepts earlier in life, and help them get real skin in the game, we’ll be setting them up for a much more prosperous future. “A generation of savvy, financially literate young Kiwis will increase productivity more drastically than almost anything else. Imagine the culture change. Instead of being taught to channel their economic frustration into blaming others’ success. We would be teaching young Kiwis to see themselves as owners, investors, participants, and decision-makers. “I congratulate Sharesies on this initiative and look forward to seeing its impact over the year ahead.” Under the initiative, Sharesies will contribute $0.25 for every $1 contributed to eligible children’s KiwiSaver accounts between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. The Sharesies contribution is capped at $100 per eligible child and will be paid between July and August 2027.

𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 "If New Zealanders want to know why they pay so much at the checkout, they should look at the red tape strangling new supermarkets," says ACT MP Todd Stephenson. "Flaxmere is finally getting a new supermarket, but just six weeks from opening, it faces objections to its alcohol licence from Police and public health officials. One proposed condition would require moving the alcohol area to a quieter part of the store, a late-stage demand Woolworths says will cost $5 million. "People might assume a massive chain can easily absorb that hit. But those costs don't just disappear. They get baked into the operating budget, and shoppers ultimately pay for them through higher prices. "The broader issue is the chilling effect this has on competition. We all want an international disruptor like Aldi to set up shop here and drive down prices. But imagine being a global brand looking at the New Zealand market. Why would you risk capital here when local bureaucracy can ambush a multi-million-dollar project right before the doors open? "Unpredictable rules are toxic to investment. We've seen how the previous government's oil and gas ban damaged our reputation with energy companies. If we treat grocery competitors the same way, we will be stuck with a duopoly forever. "Medical Officers of Health have a statutory job to do under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act, but demanding a $5 million structural change at the eleventh hour is a sign of a broken system. "We can't keep blaming supermarkets for a lack of competition while the system actively punishes anyone trying to open a new store. Fixing this kind of overreach is exactly why ACT established the Ministry for Regulation, and Minister David Seymour has confirmed the Ministry is now looking into this specific case."