Sixth National Government
Ministries of New Zealand
2023–present
Ministers pictured with the Governor-General after their swearing-in, 27 November 2023[a]
Date formed	27 November 2023
People and organisations
Monarch	Charles III
Governor-General	Cindy Kiro
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Deputy Prime Minister	Winston Peters (until 31 May 2025) David Seymour (from 31 May 2025)
Member parties	New Zealand National Party   ACT New Zealand   New Zealand First
Status in legislature	Majority (coalition) 68 / 123 (55%)
Opposition parties	New Zealand Labour Party   Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand   Te Pāti Māori
Opposition leader	Chris Hipkins
History
Election(s)	2023
Legislature term(s)	54th Parliament
Budget(s)	2024 budget
Predecessor	Sixth Labour Government

The Sixth National Government is a coalition government comprising the National Party, ACT Party and New Zealand First that has governed New Zealand since November 2023. The government is headed by Christopher Luxon, the National Party leader and prime minister, along with coalition party leaders David Seymour and Winston Peters.

Following the 2023 general election on 14 October 2023, coalition negotiations between the three parties ended on 24 November,^[1] and the new government was sworn into office by the Governor-General on 27 November.^[2]

The coalition government has agreed to a select committee with the possibility of amending the Treaty of Waitangi legislation, affirm local referendums on Māori wards, and prioritise English over te reo Māori in Government departments. On broader issues, the government's plan includes restoring interest deductibility for rental properties, changes in housing policies, infrastructure investment, conservative law and justice reforms, and tax cuts.

Background

2023 general election

In the 2023 general election held on 14 October, the National Party defeated the incumbent Labour Party,^[3][4] winning 48 seats and 38.1% of the popular vote.^[5] Labour won 27% of the popular with its share of parliamentary seats dropping from 64 to 34. Prime Minister and Labour leader Chris Hipkins conceded the election and congratulated National Party leader Christopher Luxon.^[4]

Coalition negotiations

Following the 2023 general election, National entered into coalition negotiations with both the libertarian ACT New Zealand and populist New Zealand First parties.^[6][7] Luxon stated that he would be conducting these negotiations privately and would not confirm how his stance on policies such as ACT's referendum on co-governance.^[6] University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis speculated that National's coalition talks with ACT would be influenced by NZ First leader Winston Peters' demands and history of playing a "kingmaker" role in previous elections. Peters had also publicly criticised several National and ACT policies during the 2023 election campaign including National's proposal to ease the ban on foreign home purchases, tax cuts, agricultural emissions pricing, proposal to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67, and ACT's proposal to slash government expenditure and public service jobs.^[7]

Coalition talks between the three parties was also influenced by close results in several marginal seats including Te Atatū, Banks Peninsula, Nelson, Tāmaki Makaurau, and Te Tai Tokerau.^[8] Nicola Willis was expected to be Finance Minister.^[9] Following the release of final results on 3 November, National's parliamentary representation dropped from 50 to 48 seats. Since National and ACT did not meet the 62 seat threshold needed to form a government, a prospective National-led government needed New Zealand First to form the next government.^[5]

On 8 November, ACT and NZ First made first contact in their coalition talks with National during a meeting between ACT's chief of staff Andrew Ketels and NZ First's chief of staff Darroch Ball. This introductory meeting was meant "to establish a line of communication" between the two parties. In addition, Luxon, Peters alongside senior colleagues and chiefs of staff from both National and NZ First held talks in Wellington that same week. Peters' negotiation team included Ball and fellow NZ First MP Shane Jones while National's negotiation team included Chris Bishop.^[10] Following the release of final results, Seymour had attempted to contact Peters via text message but the NZ First leader had dismissed it as a scam.^[11] On 9 November, Seymour expressed a hope that coalition negotiations and government formation would be completed before an upcoming APEC meeting in mid-November 2023.^[12] That same day, Peters criticised the law change by the previous Labour Government that had allowed voters to register on election day, thus delaying the Electoral Commission's publication of final results by one week. Peters had previously supported the law change in 2020.^[13]

The ACT party has proposed a referendum on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, something that gained media attention during the 2023 New Zealand general election campaign.^{[14][15][16][17][18]} The referendum was a negotiation issue for the incoming government. However the referendum idea drew criticism from Green Party co-leader James Shaw, Labour MP Willie Jackson, and former Prime Minister and National MP Jim Bolger, who expressed concerns that it would antagonise Māori people and provoke violence.^[19][20][21]

In addition, NZ First and ACT have both expressed disagreement with National's proposed 15% tax on foreign house buyers, a key component of its tax policy which is estimated to raise NZ$740 million a year.^[22]

On 13 November, Luxon said it was unlikely he would go to the 2023 APEC summit in the United States due to prioritising a government coalition.^[23] Instead, the outgoing Trade Minister Damien O'Connor represented New Zealand at the 2023 APEC summit.^[24]

On 15 November, Luxon, Seymour and Peters met at Pullman Hotel's boardroom in Auckland. It was the first time the three leaders had met in person since the election.^[25][26]

On 20 November, Luxon confirmed that National had reached an agreement on policy positions with ACT and New Zealand First. In response to Luxon's announcement, Peters stated that it was an "assumption" to state that a policy agreement had been reached.^[27][28] In addition, Seymour said "that Luxon had maybe had too many Weet-Bix that day." Seymour also opined that ACT as the second largest party in the coalition should hold the position of Deputy Prime Minister and have more ministerial portfolios than NZ First.^[29] That same day, the three parties entered into talks about allocating cabinet ministerial positions.^[28][29] On 21 November, Luxon met with Seymour to discuss ministerial portfolios.^[30]

Coalition agreement

Coalition negotiations between the three parties concluded on the afternoon of 23 November. That same day Luxon, Seymour and Peters met in Wellington to finalise the agreement between National, ACT, and NZ First. Later that night, Luxon informed Governor-General Cindy Kiro that he had the numbers to form the incoming government. On the morning of 24 November, the leaders of the three parties signed the coalition agreement, which was subsequently released to the public.^[31][32] Seymour welcomed the coalition deal and told The New Zealand Herald that the Government would announce a 100-day plan that could include repealing some legislation passed by the outgoing Labour government.^[31]

The terms of National's two coalition agreements with NZ First and ACT were unveiled on 24 November 2023.^[33] As part of National's agreement with NZ First, National would no longer proceed with its proposed foreign buyer tax but would instead fund tax cuts via reprioritisation and other forms of revenue gathering. The Government would also adopt ACT's policies of restoring interest deductibility for rental properties and pet bonds. In addition to adopting National's youth crime and gang policies, the new Government would adopt ACT's policies of rewriting firearms legislation and NZ First's policy of training 500 new Police officers. The new Government would also scrap the previous Labour Government's Fair Pay Agreements Act 2022, proposed hate speech legislation, co-governance policies, Auckland light rail, Three Waters reform programme, and Māori Health Authority. The Government would also establish a new regulatory agency answerable to Minister for Regulation Seymour that would review the quality of new and existing legislation. The Government would also adopt NZ First's policy of establishing $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund. In addition, fees-free tertiary education would be shifted from the first to last year of tertiary study.^{[33][34][35][36]}

While the new Government would not support Act's proposed referendum on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, the Government would introduce a Treaty Principles Act and amend exiting Treaty of Waitangi legislation to focus on the "original intent of the legislation."^[35][37] The Government also adopted NZ First's policy of legislating the English language as an official language of New Zealand and requiring all government departments to use English in their communications and keep their primary name in English, except for those dealing with Māori people. The Government also adopted NZ First's policy of halting all work related to the He Puapua report and confirming that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has no legal basis in New Zealand law. The Government would also restore the right to local referendum on the establishment or ongoing use of Māori wards.^[35][38][39] In addition, the new Government would adopt most of National's fiscal, taxation, 100-day and 100-point economic plans, with exceptions specified in the agreements with ACT and NZ First.^[35]

As part of National's agreement with New Zealand First, the Government agreed to end all remaining COVID-19 vaccine mandates and to hold an independent inquiry into how the COVID-19 pandemic was handled in New Zealand. This proposed independent inquiry would be conducted publicly by local and international experts and is expected to examine the use of multiple lockdowns, vaccine procurement and efficacy, social and economic impacts on both national and regional levels, and whether decisions and actions taken by the Government were justified.^[40][41] While the outgoing Labour Government had commissioned a Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned, Peters claimed the inquiry's terms of reference were "too limited" during election campaigning. Luxon also stated that the Government supported broadening the inquiry's terms of reference.^[41]

History

2023

The new government was formally sworn into office on 27 November 2023.^[2] On 29 November, the Government announced its 100-day plan which would focus on implementing 49 economic, law and order, and public service policies. Notable economic policies have included introducing legislation to limit the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's mandate to combating inflation, cancelling various fuel taxes including the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax, repealing the Clean Car discount programme, reintroducing 90-day trials periods for all businesses, halting the Lake Onslow hydro scheme, and repealing the previous Labour Government's Water Services Entities Act 2022, Spatial Planning Act 2023 and Natural and Built Environment Act 2023. Notable law and order policies have included banning gang patches, preventing gang members from gathering in public and communicating with each other, ending taxpayer funding for Section 27 cultural reports, and extending rehabilitation programmes to remand prisoners. Notable public service policies have included beginning work on establishing a third medical school at the University of Waikato, banning cellphones in schools, testing new World Health Organization (WHO) regulations against a "national interest" test, and disestablishing Te Pukenga and the Māori Health Authority.^[42] The government has been described by various observers as a very conservative government for New Zealand standards.^{[43][44][45][46]}

On 7 December, Foreign Minister Winston Peters successfully moved a motion calling for a ceasefire in the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict. The motion also condemned Hamas' terror attack on 7 October 2023, called for the release of all hostages, recognised Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with international law, and called for civilians to be protected from armed conflict. The government's motion also incorporated an amendment by Labour MP Phil Twyford calling for the establishment of a State of Palestine in accordance with a two-state solution. Peter's motion was criticised as being insufficient by Labour MP Damien O'Connor and Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman.^[47][48]

On 8 December, Minister of Transport Simeon Brown ordered Waka Kotahi (the New Zealand Transport Agency) to give primacy to its English name over its Māori name.^[49] That same day, Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds confirmed that the mega polytechnic Te Pūkenga (New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology) would be dissolved and replaced by eight to ten institutions.^[50] That same day, Luxon announced during an official visit to Hawke's Bay that the Government would pause work on restoring the Napier-Wairoa railway line and focus on repairing State Highway 2.^[51]

On 11 December, Education Minister Erica Stanford announced that the Government would be delaying the previous Labour Government's plans to make online mathematics and literacy tests a prerequisite for National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualifications in 2026. Trial runs of the tests had recorded failure rates of more than 40% particularly among Māori, Pasifika students, and schools in poorer communities. Stanford said that the students had been let down by the education curriculum and that it would be unfair to make the tests the only way to achieve NCEA qualifications.^[52]

On 13 December, the Government passed its first new law reversing the previous Labour Government's law change in 2018 giving the Reserve Bank of New Zealand the dual mandate of managing inflation and supporting maximum sustainable employment. The Government's law change ordered the Reserve Bank to focus solely on managing inflation. The Bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Labour's finance spokesperson Grant Robertson criticised the National coalition government for reversing his party's financial reforms.^[53] That same day, Willis declined KiwiRail's request for an additional NZ$1.47 billion to replace its ageing Interislander ferry fleet. The Government also cancelled the previous Labour Government's plans to buy new replacement ferries, with Willis stating that the Government would be looking at cheaper alternatives.^[54]

On 14 December, the Government passed legislation repealing the previous Labour Government's Fair Pay Agreements Act 2022 under urgency. While National, ACT and NZ First supported the bill, it was opposed by the Labour, Green, and Māori parties.^[55] Several unions including Stand Up, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Post Primary Teachers' Association and Unite Union had also opposed the National-led government's plans to repeal fair pay agreements, staging protests outside the electorate office of ACT leader Seymour on 12 December.^[56] By contrast, Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young welcomed the repeal of Fair Pay Agreements, claiming they were unnecessary and complicated employment laws.^[57]

On 14 December, the Government passed the Land Transport (Clean Vehicle Discount Scheme Repeal) Amendment Act 2023 under urgency. This bill repealed the previous Labour Government's Clean Car Discount, which encouraged consumers to buy electrical and hybrid vehicles by imposing a tax on high-emissions vehicles such as utes. While the governing National, ACT and NZ First parties supported the Bill, it was opposed by the opposition Labour, Green and Māori parties.^[58]

On 16 December Transport Minister Brown instructed the New Zealand Transport Agency to halt the Transport Choices Programme, which involved funding various local council projects to promote cycling, walking and public transportation. The Government's transport policy changes were criticised by Cycling Action Network spokesperson Patrick Morgan and Mayor of New Plymouth Neil Holdom but were supported welcomed by New Plymouth councillor Murray Cheong.^[59] Notable projects affected by the Government's transportation policy change included the "Let's Get Wellington Moving" programme. Following negotiations with the Wellington City Council (WCC) and the Greater Wellington Regional Council, the three parties reached an agreement in which the Government would fund the Basin Reserve upgrade while the WCC would take over the Golden Mile project.^[60]

On 20 December, the Government passed legislation repealing the Natural and Built Environment Act and the Spatial Planning Act as part of its plans to reform the Resource Management Act framework.^[61] That same day, Finance Minister Willis released the Government's mini-budget, which delivered NZ$7.47 billion in operational savings.^[62]

On 21 December, the Government passed legislation reinstating 90-day trials for all employers, a key campaign promise by National and Act. While the bill was supported by National, ACT, and NZ First, it was opposed by Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden argued the legislation would provide employers and employees with certainty and allow the removal of difficult employees. By contrast, Labour's Workplace Relations and Safety spokesperson Camilla Belich criticised the repeal as an attack on working people.^[63][64] By further contrast, The Treasury published a review of the prior 90-day trial which started in 2009. The authors concluded that that the main benefit of the policy was a decrease in dismissal costs for firms, while many employees faced increased uncertainty about their job security for three months after being hired.^[65] That same day, Reti announced that the Government would invest NZ$50 million over the two next years to help Māori health providers boost immunisation rates within the Māori community.^[66]

2024

On 12 January, Foreign Minister Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins expressed New Zealand's support for Anglo-American airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, which had been disrupting international shipping in response to the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.^[67][68]

On 14 January, Transport Minister Brown confirmed the cancellation of Auckland light rail, stating the projected NZ$29.2 billion cost of the project. He also criticised the previous Labour Government for spending NZ$228 million on the project over the past six years with little to show for it.^[69]

On 23 January, the Government dispatched six New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel to the Middle East in response to the 2024 missile strikes in Yemen to help provide maritime security including "precision targeting."^[70] The opposition Labour and Green parties criticised the deployment, citing the lack of a United Nations mandate and claiming it would inflame tensions respectively.^[71] Though Foreign Minister Peters rejected any connection between New Zealand's Yemen military contribution and the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, University of Otago geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller opined that this development could mark the end of New Zealand's "independent" foreign policy due to the Government's support for the Anglo-American military actions in Yemen.^[72]

On 26 January, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown confirmed that the Government would halt plans by the previous Labour Government to introduce legislation to lower the voting age to 16 years for local council elections.^[73][74] Also on this day, Finance Minister Nicola Willis asked "all departments" to identify savings to cut annual public service spending by $1.5 billion. Agencies have been asked to identify savings options of either 6.5 or 7.5 percent.^[75] As at 6 April, at least 845 job losses have been signalled, according to figures made public by ministries and the Public Service Association.^[76] Some confusion was evident over whether the Suicide Prevention Office would close or not.^[77]

On 30 January, Luxon announced that New Zealand would be suspending its annual NZ$1 million aid to UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East) in light of allegations that at least 12 UNRWA workers had participated in the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel.^[78]

On 1 February 2024, Peters and Collins met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles in Melbourne to discuss New Zealand's involvement in the AUKUS Pillar Two developments. Marles confirmed that Australia would send officials to brief their New Zealand counterparts about Pillar Two, which would focus on advanced military technology including quantum computing and artificial intelligence. New Zealand is not expected to join AUKUS Pillar One due to its nuclear-free policy. The two governments also committed to reinforced security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and increased military integration between the Australian and New Zealand militaries.^[79][80]

That same day, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden confirmed that the Government would raise the minimum wage by two percent to NZ$23.15 an hour from 1 April 2024.^[81] On 2 February, the Government confirmed that it would expand the scope of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned to include lockdowns, vaccine procurement, the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-effectiveness of the Government's policies, social disruptions caused by the Government's policies, and whether the Government response was consistent with the rule of law.^[82]

On 11 February 2024, Luxon and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced that the Government would contribute NZ$63 million to aid the removal of sediment and debris caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne District.^[83] That same day, Social Development Minister Louise Upston confirmed that the Government would introduce a "traffic light system" to combat "entrenched welfare dependency" including the use of sanctions and mandatory community work experience, a 2023 election campaign promise. In response, Green Party social development spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March claimed the Government's welfare policies were cruel and would reinforce the cycle of poverty.^[84]

On 14 February, the Government passed legislation repealing the previous Labour Government's Three Waters reform programme under urgency. While National, ACT and NZ First supported the bill, it was opposed by the Labour, Green, and Māori parties.^[85] Local Government Minister Brown also announced that the Government would introduce two new laws in 2024 and 2025 rolling its own "Local Water Done Well" programme, which would emphasise local control over water infrastructure and services.^[86] The Government also announced that the replacement legislation would allow local councils to voluntarily form their own water services groupings and council-controlled organisations similar to Wellington Water and Auckland's Watercare Services.^[85]

On 19 February, Social Development Minister Louise Upston announced a ramping up of benefit sanctions from June 2024 including "work check-ins" for jobseekers who have been on a benefit for at least six months. Luxon confirmed the check-ins would not apply to those on a sole parent or supported living benefits.^[87]

On 22 February, the Government extended the New Zealand Defence Force's Ukrainian training deployment to June 2025. Foreign Minister Peters also confirmed that New Zealand would contribute a NZ$25.9 million military, humanitarian and reconstruction aid package to Ukraine, bringing NZ's total aid contribution since the Russian invasion of Ukraine to over NZ$100 million.^[88]

On 25 February, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell announced that the Government would introduce legislation to ban gang insignia in public places, empower Police to stop criminal gangs from gathering and gang members from communicating, and giving greater weight to gang membership during sentencing.^[89]

On 28 February 2024, the Government passed urgent legislation disestablishing Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) and repealing the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022.^[90][91] That same day, the Government designated the entire Hamas organisation as a terrorist entity. Previous governments had only designated the military wing of Hamas as a terrorist organisation. In addition, the Government barred entry to several extremist Israeli settlers who had attacked Palestinians in the West Bank. The Government also extended sanctions against Russia.^[92]

On 5 March, Minister for Children Karen Chhour announced that the Government would be launching a pilot boot camp for youth offenders run by Oranga Tamariki (the Ministry for Children) in mid 2024.^[93] On 6 March, the Government passed urgent legislation ending taxpayer funding for cultural reports.^[94]

On 7 March, the Government introduced legislation to fast-track the resource consent process for significant projects and allow overseas investors to invest in rental housing developments.^[95][96] On 8 March, Reti announced that the Government would focus on meeting five health targets in the areas of cancer treatment, child immunisation, shorter stays in emergency departments, and shorter wait times for special assessments and treatments.^[97]

On 10 March, Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced that the Government would restore interest deductions on residential investment properties.^[98] The government has increased allocations for the landlord tax deductions by $800 million, from $2.1 billion to $2.9 billion. From 1 April 2024, landlords will be able to write off 80 percent of their mortgage interest on residential investment properties, and 100 percent from 1 April 2025.^[99][100]

On 13 March, Workplace Relations Minister Brooke Van Velden confirmed that the Government was planning to overhaul health and safety regulations and amend the Holiday Act 2003. While Business NZ welcomed the proposed changes, First Union New Zealand denounced the proposed changes as an attack on workers.^[101] That same day, the Government confirmed plans to upgrade Linton Military Camp's dilapidated barracks as the first project of its new flagship public-private infrastructure financing programme.^[102]

On 14 March, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard announced that the government would suspend the obligation for councils to impose Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) under the previous Labour Government's National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while the Resource Management Act 1991 is being replaced. Their protection was previously required under the Resource Management Act 1991.^[103] On 15 March he released a statement saying his 14 March comment had been misunderstood and that there had been no changes to statutory and regulatory obligations for local council. University of Otago law Professor Andrew Geddis said the statement was "misleading at best, and borderline unlawful at worst. No minister can by mere announcement remove an existing legal obligation imposed by a parliamentary enactment."^[104]

Between 10 and 16 March 2024, Peters undertook a tour of India, Indonesia and Singapore where he met with several foreign political and business leaders. Peters stated that the coalition government regarded South and Southeast Asia as a priority in "maintaining and building New Zealand's security and prosperity."^[105] On 14 March, Peters attracted media attention after making remarks during an interview with the Indian media outlet The Indian Express that appeared to cast doubt on Canadian assertions that the Indian Government was responsible for assassinating Canadian Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. MFAT and Peters clarified that New Zealand's position on the matter remained unchanged during the course of the investigation.^[106] On 18 March, Peters hosted Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his state visit to Wellington. The two leaders discussed a range of issues important to China-New Zealand relations including economic relations, people-to-people relations links, bilateral cooperation as well as differences on human rights issues and China's territorial claims to the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.^[107][108]

On 18 March, Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Finance Minister Nicola Willis ordered state housing provider Kāinga Ora to end the previous Government's "Sustainable Tenancies Framework" and take disciplinary action against unruly tenants and those with overdue rent including evictions and relocations.^[109]

On 19 March Disabilities Minister Penny Simmonds announced the Government would eliminate respite care funding for families with disabled children due to budgetary reasons.^[110] On 20 March, Simmonds said Ministry for Disabled People had done an inadequate job in conveying changes to disabled people's funding and suggested some families were wasting their funding on "massages, overseas travel and pedicures". The changes have caused widespread anguish within the disabled community with a petition opposing the changes attracting more than 10,000 signatures in 24 hours.^[111] In response to criticism, Finance Minister Willis called officials and Simmonds for an urgent briefing, after families were blindsided by news of cuts to respite care.^[112]

On 19 March, Transport Minister Simeon Brown confirmed that the Government would reduce the proposed road user charge on hybrid vehicles from NZ$53 per 1,000 km to NZ$38. Earlier, the Parliamentary transport select committee had adopted a Labour and Green proposal to reduce the road user charge for hybrid vehicles to NZ$38 against the wishes of committee chair and NZ First MP Andy Foster.^[113] In mid January 2024, the Government had announced that it would implement road user charges on both electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids from 1 April 2024.^[114]

On 20 March, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced that the Government would introduce legislation to ban disposable vapes, and increase the maximum fine from selling to under-18s from $10,000 to $100,000.^[115]

On 27 March, the Government passed major tax legislation restoring interest deductibility for residential investment property, reducing the bright-line test for residential property to two years, and eliminating depreciation deductions for commercial and industrial buildings that were reinstated by the previous Labour government as part of its economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[116] On 28 March, the Government passed legislation requiring electric cars and plug-in hybrids to pay road user charges.^[117] That same day, Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced the Government had halted work on legislation to create a 620,000sqkm ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands.^[118]

On 2 April, Luxon announced a 36-point full second quarter action plan for the next three months, focusing on the economy and cost of living, law and order, and public services. Notable policies and priorities have included reducing wasteful spending while investing in "frontline" services, legislating on income tax relief, childcare tax credit, improving the rental marketing, and reintroducing charter schools, keeping agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme, reversing the ban on offshore gas and oil exploration, restoring three strikes legislation, reviewing the firearms registry, establishing a Youth Serious Offender Category, improving teacher training and school attendance, and taking steps to replace mega polytechnic Te Pūkenga.^[119]

On 3 April, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced the creation of an establishment board to introduce a new charter school model, that would be expected to launch by the start of the 2025 school year.^[120] On 4 April, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown announced that local and regional councils that introduced Māori wards and constituencies without polling residents would have to hold referendums or dissolve the wards they had established.^[121] On 7 April, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford announced that the Government would be revising the Accredited Employer Worker Visa program to address migrant exploitation and "unsustainable" net migration.^[122][123] A new immigration rule requiring low-skilled immigrants to leave the country and apply for a new visa was criticised by Jagjeet Singh Sidhu, who said it would impact not only businesses but workers and their families. He organised a petition opposing the change.^[124]

On 12 April, the Government passed the Misuse of Drugs (Pseudoephedrine) Amendment Act 2024 which allows 11 pseudoephedrine cold and flu medicines to be sold without prescriptions from June 2024; reversing a 2011 law change meant to combat their use in the production of methamphetamine.^[125]

On 14 April, a plethora of "sensible, pro-tenant" changes were announced to help increase the supply of rental properties. The changes include re-introducing 90-day "no-cause" terminations for periodic tenancies, meaning landlords can end a periodic tenancy without giving any reason. For fixed-term tenancies, the ability for landlords to end a tenancy, without giving a specific reason will also be re-introduced. For periodic tenancies, landlords will now only need to give 42 days' notice for ending a tenancy.^[126] Back in May 2023, Chris Bishop said a charity group working with homeless people told him to bring back "no-cause" evictions. Bishop didn't respond to a request for a hint as to the identity of the charities he talked to.^[127]

As part of budgetary cutting measures, the Government has asked the public service to find savings of NZ$1.5 billion through job cuts. Affected departments and agencies have included the Department of Conservation, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and Crown Law Office.^{[128][129][130][131]} By 10 April, 1 News reported that 1,275 public sector jobs had been lost, including 366 actual redundancies and 909 proposed redundancies.^[128] RNZ reported 1,959 redundancies and vacancies, citing ministerial and Public Service Association (PSA) statements.^[129] On 11 April, the PSA national secretary Kerry Davies expressed concern that women were disproportionately represented in the 28 redundancies at the TEC.^[131] By 19 April, Public Sector Job cuts had reached 3,042.^[132] Minister for Regulation David Seymour previously indicated the number of layoffs could eventually hit 7,500.^[133] By 2 May the total number of public sector job cuts had reached 3,745, and all Stats NZ staff had been offered voluntary redundancy, according to the Public Service Association.^[134] By 23 May, the total number of public sector job cuts had reached 4,975.^[135]

On 15 April, the Government released its pet bond policy for tenants. The pet bond would be worth two weeks' rent and could be added to existing bonds. Tenants would be responsible for any damage caused by their pets and would have to seek their landlords' consent.^[136] That same day, Luxon and Peters condemned Iranian airstrikes against Israel.^[137]

Between 14 and 21 April, Luxon undertook a tour of Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines as part of a "very deliberate" foreign policy reset meant to shore up Southeast Asia's strategic and commercial importance to New Zealand.^[138] He met with foreign leaders including Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to strengthen bilateral relations in the areas of trade, tourism, defence and climate change.^{[139][140][141]}

On 16 April, Associate Education Minister Seymour announced several changes to the early childhood sector including easing qualification requirements for teachers, allowing the government to decide the location of early childhood centres, and introducing mandatory reporting of child abuse.^[142] On 21 April, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced that the Government would ease lending policies to make it easier for people to obtain housing loans, revoke the previous Government's affordability regulations and revise dispute resolution rules.^[143]

On 22 April, Luxon and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee confirmed that the Government would proceed with plans to reintroduce three strikes legislation, which had been repealed by the previous Labour Government.^[144] On 23 April, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced that the Government would scrap or amend farming, mining and other industrial regulations as part of its planned overhaul of the Resource Management Act 1991.^[145]

On 24 April, Luxon stripped Melissa Lee of her Media and Communications ministerial portfolio and Penny Simmonds of her Disability Issues portfolio during a cabinet reshuffle. Lee had faced criticism for her response to Warner Bros. Discovery New Zealand's closure of Newshub while Simmonds had faced criticism over her handling of changes to disability funding and services. Lee was also relieved of her Cabinet position. Paul Goldsmith assumed Lee's Media and Communications portfolio while Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts assumed her place in Luxon's cabinet. Social Development Minister Louise Upston assumed Simmonds' Disability Issues portfolio.^[146]

On 29 April, Education Minister Erica Stanford announced the Government's top six educational priorities to mark the start of the second term. These included a clearer curriculum, a focus on literacy and numeracy, more consistent assessment and achievement reporting, better teacher training, targeted support for students with special needs and an evidence-based approach to improvement.^[147] That same day, the Government's school cellphone ban came into force.^[148] On 30 April, Energy Minister Simeon Brown confirmed that the Government would invest in 25 new high speed electric vehicle charging facilities along key routes between major urban centres.^[149]

On 1 May, Seymour confirmed that the Government would continue to fund the free school lunches programme for a few years until the completion of a review into the programme.^[150] In April 2024, Health Coalition Aotearoa organised a petition calling for the continuation of the free school lunch programme, which was received by Labour MP Jan Tinetti.^[151] On 2 May, Education Minister Stanford confirmed that the Government would be instituted a structured literacy reading approach in all state schools from the first term of the 2025 school year.^[152] Due to the planned shift towards a structured literacy approach, the Government also announced the termination of the existing reading recovery programme, which uses a "whole language" approach based on using pictures to help children guess words.^[153]

On 2 May, in an interview on RNZ's Morning Report programme, Winston Peters criticised the former Australian senator Bob Carr's views on the security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, leading to the Carr-Peters scandal. RNZ has removed the comments from the interview online after Carr, who was Australia's foreign minister from 2012 to 2013, told RNZ he considered the remarks to be "entirely defamatory" and would commence legal action.^[154][155] Lawyers for Bob Carr have confirmed they are looking to commence defamation proceedings against Foreign Minister Winston Peters. In a letter, Carr's lawyers said Peters' statements in an interview on RNZ this morning are "indefensibly defamatory" and have "no basis in fact". In the interview Peters criticised the former Australian senator's views on the AUKUS security partnership. He also made allegations concerning Carr's relationship with China.^{[156][157][158]}

On 5 May Luxon, Brown and Mayor of Auckland Wayne Brown jointly announced that Auckland would avoid a 25.8 percent rates increase as part of the Government's Local Water Done Well plan.^[159] On 6 May Luxon and Police and Corrections Minister Mitchell announced that the Government would allocate NZ$1.9 billion from the upcoming 2024 New Zealand budget to training 470 new corrections officers and adding 810 beds to Waikeria Prison.^[160]

On 8 May, Seymour announced the Government's modified school lunch programme. Under the revised scheme, 10,000 pre-schoolers in low-equity, non-profit early childhood centres would be eligible for free morning tea and lunch five days a week at a cost of NZ$4 million. While the school lunch programme would remained unchanged for primary school students in 2025, the school lunch programme for intermediate and high school students would be bulk-purchased by the Government and delivered to schools. During the press announcement, Seymour also said that the bulk-purchased food would consist of sandwiches and fruit rather than sushi, quinoa, couscous, and hummus.^[161]

On 14 May, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster and Police Minister Mitchell confirmed that the Police would establish a national gang unit, with district units nationwide.^[162] That same day, Seymour announced that the Government would allocate NZ$153 million from the 2024 Budget to convert 35 state schools into charter schools and create 15 new charter schools between 2025 and 2026.^[163]

Following a critical review by Sir Bill English into housing provider Kāinga Ora's borrowing and spending practices, Luxon and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced on 20 May a multi-year revamp of the agency including replacing the leadership board, realigning contractual arrangements across Kāinga Ora and community housing providers, simplifying the agency's directive and requiring the new leadership board to develop a plan to improve financial performance and reduce losses.^[164] On 21 May, Newshub reported that the Government would scrap Kāinga Ora's NZ$60 million first-home grant programme and redirect the money towards social housing as part of the 2024 Budget.^[165] On 22 May, the Government confirmed that it would invest NZ$24 million into Mike King's I Am Hope's Gumboot Friday programme providing counselling to young people.^[166]

On 26 May, Education Minister Stanford announced that the Government would invest NZ$53 million in education including in-school training for new teachers and recruiting, retaining and training 1,500 new teachers over the next four years.^[167] On 30 May, Finance Minister Willis released the 2024 New Zealand budget, which delivered NZ$14 billion worth of tax cuts ranging from NZ$4 and NZ$40 a fortnight for all workers earning more than NZ$14,000.^[168] While the incumbent National, ACT and New Zealand First parties supported the budget as "fiscally responsible," the opposition Labour, Green parties and Te Pāti Māori criticised the budget's tax cuts for hurting the poor and public service.^[169][170] Te Pāti Māori and Toitū Te Tiriti (Honour the Treaty) movement also staged nationwide protests against the Government's policies towards Māori to coincide with the budget's release.^[170]

In early June 2024, Luxon visited Niuean Premier Dalton Tagelagi. On 5 June, Luxon announced an agreement to enhance the free association relationship between the two countries and that New Zealand would invest NZ$20.5 million into a new large-scale renewable energy project on Niue.^[171]

Election results

The following table shows the total party votes and seats in Parliament won by National, plus any parties in coalition with the National-led government.

Significant policies and initiatives

Agriculture

• Easing restrictions on gas and methane emissions from pastoral farming.^[33]
• Reverse the ban on live animal exports.^[33]
• Introduce legislation easing restrictions on genetic engineering.^[33]
• Reforming the membership, mandate and function of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee.^[33]
• Halting the review of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.^[33]
• Incentivising emissions reduction mitigations such as low methane genetics and animal feed.^[33]
• Encouraging government agencies to use woollen fibres at government buildings.^[33]

Democracy

• Introducing legislation to extend the Parliamentary term from three years to four years.^[33]

Education

• Shifting the "Fees Free Scheme" from the first year to final year of tertiary study.^[34][35][33]
• Eliminating all references to gender, sexuality and "relationship-based education guidelines" in educational curriculums.^[35]
• Requiring schools to institute one hour of reading, writing, and mathematics each day.^[35]
• Reintroducing charter schools and allowing state schools to convert to charter schools.^[35][33]
• Restore balance to the school history curriculum.^[33]
• Combating truancy through enforcement action, data collection, and publishing school attendance data.^[33]
• Improve the cost-effectiveness of school lunch programmes.^[33]

Economy

• Increase spending on wealth creation and infrastructure development.^[33]
• Reducing Core Crown expenditure as a proportion of the overall economy.^[33]
• Strengthening the powers of the Grocery Commissioner and promoting competition in the supermarket sector.^[33]
• Expanding the Inland Revenue Department's tax audit capacity.^[33]
• Prioritising fair trade agreements with export markets including India.^[33]

Employment and social services

• Repeal the Fair Pay Agreements regime by Christmas 2023.^[33]
• Expand 90-day trials to include all businesses.^[33]
• Commit to moderate increases in the minimum wage each year.^[33]
• Implementing sanctions against beneficiaries who can work but refuse to find work including electronic money management.^[33]
• Strengthening obligations on Jobseeker beneficiaries to find work including sanctions.^[33]
• Restricting the number of doctors who can issue medical certificates for health and disability limits.^[33]

Environment

• Repealing the previous Government's ban on offshore gas and oil exploration.^[35]
• Introducing new resource management legislation to emphasise property rights.^[35]

Firearms

• Rewriting the Arms Act 1983.^[36][33]
• Transferring the firearms regulator to a different agency.^[36]
• Reviewing the national Firearms Registry.^[36][33]

Fiscal

• Public sector organisations will be given "expenditure reduction targets" including reducing "non-essential" back office functions.^[35][33]
• Assessing government expenditure against the criteria of public goods, social insurance, regulating market failure and policy choice.^[33]

Foreign

• Ensure a "National Interest Test" is undertaken before New Zealand accepts any agreements from the UN and WHO that limit national decision-making and reconfirm that New Zealand's domestic law holds primacy over any international agreements, and by 1 December 2023 reserve against proposed amendments to WHO health regulations.^[172]
• Recognising Israel's right to self-defence in the Israel–Hamas war.^[47][48]
• Supporting a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.^[47][48]
• Condemning Hamas for initiating the Israel–Hamas war and rejecting Hamas' role in any future governance of the Gaza Strip.^[173]
• Designating the whole of Hamas as a terrorist entity, after its military was described this way in 2010.^[174]

Health

• Disestablish the Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority).^[38]
• Repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022.^[172]
• Repeal the Therapeutic Products Act 2023.^[33]
• Review the University of Auckland's Māori and Pacific Admission Scheme and University of Otago equivalent.^{[38][172][175]}
• Allowing the sale of cold medication containing pseudoephedrine.^[172][176]
• End all remaining COVID-19 vaccine mandates.^[40]
• Establish an independent public inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.^[40]

Housing and tenancy

• Restoring interest deductibility for rental properties.^[34]
• Allowing local governments to opt out of the previous government's medium density residential standards.^[36]
• Restoring no-cause evictions with a 90-day notice.^[33]
• Returning tenant's notice period to move back to 21 days.^[33]
• Returning landlord's notice period to sell property back to 42 days.^[33]
• Introduce pet bonds for tenants.^[33]

Immigration

• Raise the cap on the number of workers allowed under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme.^[33]
• Introduce a five-year, renewable parental category visa, conditional on covering health costs.^[33]
• Remove median wage requirements from Skilled Migrant Category visas.^[33]
• Make it easier for the family members of visa holders to immigrate to New Zealand.^[33]
• Improve the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme to ensure that NZ is attracting migrants and skills needed.^[33]
• Toughening Immigration New Zealand's risk management and verification process.^[33]

Infrastructure, energy and natural resources

• Establishing a National Infrastructure Agency to coordinate government funding and private investment to boost infrastructural development.^[33]
• Establishing a NZ$1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund.^[34][35][36]
• Prioritise infrastructure needed to support New Zealand's heavy industry.^[33]
• Progressing a business case to establish a dry dock at Marsden Point.^[36]
• Repealing the Natural and Built Environment Act 2023 and Spatial Planning Act 2023 by Christmas 2023.^[35][33]
• Scrap the Kāinga Ora "Sustaining Tenancies Framework" and taking action against state housing tenants engaging in "anti-social behaviour."^[33]
• Reverse speed limit reductions where it is safe to do so.^[33]
• Amending the Resource Management Act 1991 to boost farming, housing, and other economic activities.^[33]
• Ensure that climate change policies do not affect energy security.^[33]

Justice and Law

• Abolishing concurrent sentencing when an offence is committed on parole, on bail or while in custody.^[35][177]
• Requiring prisoners to work.^[35]
• Equipping Corrections officers with body cameras.^[35]
• Introducing legislation dealing with "coward punching".^[35]
• Reintroducing three strikes.^[172]
• Removing prisoner reduction targets.^[172]
• Training 500 new police officers within two years.^[36]
• Increase the number of Youth Aid officers.^[33]
• Boosting funding for community policing including Māori and Pasifika Wardens, Community Patrol New Zealand, and Neighbourhood Watch.^[33]
• Protect freedom of speech by ruling out the introduction of hate speech legislation and stop the Law Commission's work on hate speech legislation.^[172]
• Boosting funding to the Department of Correction to raise staffing levels.^[33]
• Amending the Sentencing Act 2002 and other legislation to ensure tougher consequences for criminals and to emphasise victims' rights.^[33]
• Introducing legislation to make it a specific offence to assault Police and other first responders.^[33]
• Boosting rehabilitation programmes for prisoners including driving licenses.^[33]
• Combating youth crime including consideration of a Youth Justice Demerit Point system.^[33]
• Toughen legislation against fleeing drivers.^[33]

Māori issues and the Treaty of Waitangi

• Introducing the Treaty Principles Bill and support it to a Select Committee as soon as practicable.^[37][38][39]
• Enshrining Treaty Principles legislation into law.^[35][37][39]
• Amending Treaty of Waitangi legislation to "refocus the scope, purpose, and nature of its inquiries back to the original intent of that legislation."^{[35][37][38][39]}
• Removing all mentions of Treaty principles with "specific words relating to the relevance and application of the Treaty, or repealing the references."^[35][38][39]
• Halting all work related to the He Puapua report.^[35][39]
• Confirming that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has no binding legal effect on New Zealand law.^[35][38][39]
• Restore the right to local referendum on the establishment or ongoing use of Māori wards.^{[38][39][33][36]}
• Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.^[39]
• Repeal the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation) Act 2022.^[33]

Monetary policyedit

• Narrow the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's mandate to managing price stability and inflation.^[33]

Natural resourcesedit

• Repeal the ban on offshore gas and oil drilling.^[33]
• Replacing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020.^[33]

Public sectoredit

• Removing co-governance from the delivery of public services.^{[34][35][38][39]}
• Legislating the English language as an official language.^[35][39][36]
• Requiring all government departments to have their primary name in English and to communicate in English "except for those specifically related to Māori."^[35][38][39]
• Ensuring that government contracts are awarded based on value rather than race.^[38]
• De-establishing the Water Services Reform Programme and returning assets to local councils.^[39]
• Creating a new independent monitoring agency for Oranga Tamariki (the Ministry for Children).^[33]
• Halting several workstreams including Auckland light rail, Let's Get Wellington Moving, and the Lake Onslow pumped hydro programme.^[33]

Regulationedit

• Creating a new regulatory agency (the Ministry for Regulation) to assess the quality of all new and existing legislation.^[36][33]
• Amend the Overseas Investment Act 2005 to limit ministerial decision making to national security concerns.^[172]
• Reducing regulatory barriers to promote competition.^[172]

Seniorsedit

• Retaining the superannuation age at 65 years.^[36][33]
• Upgrade Super Gold Card and Veterans cards.^[33]
• Boost funding for dementia patients.^[33]
• Amending legislation and the resource consent process to make it easier to build "grannie flats."^[33]

Taxationedit

• Tax cuts will be funded by the reprioritisation of government expenditure and revenue gathering rather than a tax on foreign housing buyers.^[34][35]
• Repeal the Clean Car Discount.^[33]
• Repeal mortgage interest deductibility for rental properties in various stages between 2023 and 2026.^[33]

List of executive membersedit

The Cabinet was announced on 24 November 2023 and consists of 20 members, 14 from the National Party, 3 from ACT and 3 from New Zealand First. Notable for being the first ever New Zealand government to have three parties in cabinet. A further five National MPs would sit outside of Cabinet, along with two ACT MPs and one NZ First MP.^[178][179]

In a first for New Zealand, the Deputy Prime Minister role will be split for the term, with Winston Peters holding the office until 31 May 2025. David Seymour will then take on the office until the conclusion of the term.^[180][34]

Ministersedit