Welcome to the Taxpayers' Union 2026 Election Bribe-O-Meter.
As political parties announce their policies leading up to the General Election, our independent economists will crunch the numbers, fisk their costings, and show you just how much all the promises add up to. The information below covers all spending policies announced up to Sunday 6 September 2026.
(OLD GRAPHIC)
| Party | Total cost of announced spending promises | Cost per New Zealand household |
|---|---|---|
| National Party | $1.94 billion | $936 |
| Labour Party | $50.47 billion | $24,358 |
| Green Party | $236.50 billion | $114,139 |
| ACT | $2.63 billion | $1,271 |
| NZ First | $45.22 billion | $21,822 |
| The Opportunity Party | $200.99 billion | $97,005 |
| Te Pāti Māori | Policy announcements too vague to credibly estimate costs. | — |
*Labour's total includes the party's separate commitment to lift Core Crown Expenditure to 33 percent of GDP. See the Labour Party cost breakdown for detail.
Bribe-O-Meter Week 1: Tracking the Cost of This Year's Election Promises
For the first Bribe-O-Meter update of this election campaign, we've put together the manifesto costings for each of the main parties, and the election campaign announcement so so, so voters can start to see what the parties are promising to spend, and what it will cost taxpayers.
Each week between now and the election on 7 November, we will update the Bribe-O-Meter. So keep checking back every Wednesday to see what new policies have been announced over the week before, and how the running totals for each party are shaping up.
Consistent with previous election Bribe-O-Meters, the figures assume each party spends what it has promised, and do not account for the tax changes some parties have also proposed. Nor does it try to guess what policies might change once governing/coalition arrangements are negotiated after the election.
Key Findings*
- National has promised $1.94 billion in new spending over the next parliamentary term. This equates to $936.29 per household.
- Labour has promised $22.3 billion in new spending over the next parliamentary term, not including its separate 33 percent of GDP commitment. This equates to $10,717 per household. But spending 33 percent of GDP would cost taxpayers $50.47 billion, or $24,368 per household.
- The Green Party has promised $236.50 billion in new spending over the next parliamentary term. This equates to $114,139 per household.
- NZ First has promised $45.22 billion in new spending over the next parliamentary term. This equates to $21,822 per household.
- ACT has promised $2.63 billion in new spending over the next parliamentary term. This equates to $1,271 per household.
- The Opportunity Party has promised $200.99 billion in new spending over the next parliamentary term. This equates to $97,005 per household.
- Te Pāti Māori has not announced any costed expenditure policies.
* As of 11:59pm 6 September 2026. Detailed workings can be found at here.
Party breakdowns
You can read detailed breakdowns of each party's policies (and the costs) here:
🔵 National Party cost breakdown 🔵
🔴 Labour Party cost breakdown 🔴
🟢 Green Party cost breakdown 🟢
⚫️ NZ First cost breakdown ⚫️
🟣 The Opportunity Party breakdown 🟣
Or for a breakdown by spending area, see here:
🏛️ Government Services and Administration 🏛️
🎨 Environment, Art, and Culture 🎨
🏥 Social Spending 🏥
Transparency Rating
As part of the Bribe-O-Meter, our economic staff have assessed political party's transparency across policy detail and cost and given each a score out of five (see below). The most transparent party has been National. For having no costed policy, the least transparent are Te Pāti Māori. These are closely followed by the Greens.
Something not quite right? Tell us!
One of the objectives of the Bribe-O-Meter is to encourage politicians and parties to be more transparent about the details of their policies and the cost implications. We strongly encourage engagement and public clarification of policy and costing assumptions that sit being their manifestos. Email us via [email protected] if you spot an error or want to chat to us about what sits behind any particular numbers. We might not always agree, but we certainly want to hear, understand, and (where possible) disclose the different assumptions.
Support us in spreading the word - and educating voters on what this year's election policies cost
Elections are expensive — that's why we've worked hard to create this year's Bribe-O-Meter.
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FAQ:
What is the methodology and how is the information displayed?
The Bribe-O-Meter compiles the political promises of each of the main political parties and places them within the major spending portfolios.
It assumes that a party elected on 7 November will last for a full three-year term and can fully enact their policy agenda. Policies announced that do not come into effect during the next Parliament will not be included in the figures.
Given that the purpose of the Bribe-o-meter is to track spending pledges announced by politicians, it does not model the effect of tax cuts or tax increases and the effect they have on households.
Tax credits and rebates have been considered as constituting new spending.
Will you work with political parties to correct or refine the numbers?
Absolutely! We want to provide the public and media with as much information as possible. If there are errors or a party disagrees with our assessment of their costings, we hope that the Bribe-o-meter will encourage the parties to provide the public with more information and transparency.