Government Services and Administration

• The only Government services policy update this week is the inclusion of National's MMP referendum, which we have costed at $16.6 million.

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This page details the election promises related to government services and administration, including:

• defence;
• law, order and justice;
• legislative and regulatory reform;
• other central government administration; and
• regional and local bodies.

Defence

No party has announced a costed defence policy this election.

Law, order and justice

ACT is promising 100,000 hours of extra rural police patrols, which we cost at $25.5 million over four years, alongside a three-strikes law for burglary priced at $191.8 million over four years based on ACT's own estimate of up to 952 additional offenders caught. Combined, ACT's law and order commitments come to $217.3 million.

The Opportunities Party has costed a new Anti-Corruption Body at $160 million over four years, taken at their word.

The National Party has costed 50 new police recruits as part of establishing a dedicated Auckland Transport Police Team at a cost of $28 million over four years.

Labour and the Greens and NZ First have not announced costed policies in this area.

Legislative and regulatory reform

Labour's pledge to reinstate the Pay Equity regime is the single largest line item on this page. Using Treasury's own projected cost, we put this at $10.97 billion over four years, or $5,295 per household, dwarfing every other party's government services promises combined.

NZ First would hold a referendum on the Māori seats. Based on the $12.9 million cost of the 2020 cannabis and euthanasia referendums, adjusted for inflation, we cost this at $16.6 million over four years.

The Opportunities Party's democracy reform package, a Parliamentary Citizen Assembly ($8 million) and a Parliamentary Commissioner for Citizen Vote ($1.6 million), comes to $9.6 million over four years. Their proposed Lobbyist Register carries no public costing.

ACT's climate change reforms, taken as a whole, total an estimated $413 million. This includes $407 million from returning ETS auction receipts to households, $65 million for restoring higher industrial allocations, and a $59.2 million saving from scrapping the Zero Carbon Act, which includes the abolition of the Climate Change Commission.

National's MMP referendum would cost $16.6 million.

Other central government administration

The Greens' policy to lift core public service pay is the next largest item on this page. Assuming a ten percent pay hike, applying this across the $38.8 billion public sector wage bill, we cost this at $15.5 billion over four years, or $7,490 per household.

Labour would reverse National's planned public service savings, which we cost at $2.8 billion over four years, using National's own figure for the savings being reversed. They have also announced plans to raise all public sector wages to the 'living wage', which Living Wage Aotearoa estimate to cost $100 million over four years. Labour would establish a dedicated Office of AI and a AI online safety regulator. Together, we have costed these policies at $29 million over four years.

NZ First has promised to increase KiwiSaver contributions to 8%. We have estimated the Crown's costs as employer would cost $6.3 billion over four years. NZ First has also costed a COVID-19 vaccine inquiry at $15.4 million, assuming the cost is an average of the phases 1 and 2 of the Royal Commission.

ACT's ban on spiritual practices in the public service is expected to save $14 million over four years, assuming 10 percent of staff at each agency are affected.

The Opportunities Party would spend $40 million boosting the Electoral Commission and $8 million establishing an Independent Policy Costing Unit.

National's sole announcement in this category, completing the new police station in Greymouth, is already funded under Budget 2026 and carries no additional cost.

Regional and local bodies

No party has announced costed policies in this category this election.

Note: Te Pāti Māori has not announced any costed policies for government services and administration.

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