Election 2026
Election 2026
The 2026 New Zealand general election on Nov 7th is fast approaching, with only a few months to hear what your local politicians’ and candidates’ commitments are to issues most important to you, to your whānau, and to your communities.
The ICBC have selected 7 election issues that are about ethics, about living well and about the vision for our shared future together. And we have provided some questions you might like to ask local candidates, with a background information page on each issue. Candidates’ answers and party policies on these broader questions should help us the voters make more informed decisions for the 2026 elections.
The ICBC believes there is a need for electoral parties and their candidates to be transparent in outlining what ethical principles are central to their policies, for example is a policy aiming mainly for economics/producing revenue or for protection of a vulnerable group of people, or to protect the environment, or for some other goal? What are the risks and benefits of a policy and who are affected? Will public consultation and input be invited and used to influence all the policy decisions? And importantly, what cross-party consensus and future commitment is planned for these policies?
Click on the links in each of the following Election Issues for information sheets with questions.
And click here for the whole package of Election Issue images for your use in churches and community discussions.
Election Issue – ENERGY
Global geopolitical conflicts have made fossil fuel supply volatile, expensive and unreliable; energy and fuel prices are increasing, disproportionately affecting low-income households; coal and gas exploration has resumed in a time of climate breakdown.
Election Issue – FOOD
New Zealand is an agricultural country, and at first glance, food security should not be an issue. But the cost of food is continuing to rise substantially, making it difficult for many families, elderly and those with small incomes to buy enough good quality food to keep healthy. On top of this, transport and food production costs have also risen hugely due to increased fuel prices following the US/Iran war.
Election Issue – HEALTHCARE
Medicines, medical treatments and surgeries in NZ are increasingly expensive with uneven access in the time needed for best outcomes, often falling behind what is offered in other countries. Medical facilities are often underfunded and understaffed.
Election Issue – END OF LIFE CARE
Every person hopes they will age well and die well. In order to live with a life-limiting disease and die well, many will require special care as their lives come to an end. Almost a third of those who die in New Zealand have input from a Hospice in the last months and weeks of their lives, much of this being in-home care and support. When a person is not supported to die well, this can have significant on-going effects for surviving loved ones.
Election Issue – CLIMATE ADAPTATION
Weather patterns are getting more extreme and more volatile; extreme weather events cost New Zealanders and the economy a huge amount; fires, floods, and droughts pose a significant risk to homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods; in severe cases, people die.
Election Issue – FRESH WATER
New Zealand’s fresh water leads the world – but not in a good way. New Zealanders from every political persuasion are dependent on the drinking water that comes from rivers, lakes or groundwater. We also enjoy our rivers and lakes for recreation and the collection of kai. However, New Zealand’s fresh water is under mounting pressure from threats including agriculture, climate change and housing sprawl. Key issues include high contamination by pathogens, excessive nutrients (nitrogen/phosphorus), shrinking glaciers, encroaching seawater and declining biodiversity.
Election Issue – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
We know that AI is just a Large Language Model. It doesn’t think, and it has no consciousness. But it has passed the Turing test (a measure of a machine’s ability to show intelligent behaviour indistinguishable from that of a human). It has unnerved even AI leaders and developers. When we interact with it, it sometimes feels as though it has thought deeply and given a considered response, not forgetting to affirm first as a helpful therapist might. There are also reports of versions of AI persuading vulnerable young people to commit suicide. Increasingly, AI is being used to make decisions using algorithms around benefits, as to who qualifies and who doesn’t. AI is developing very quickly, and it is increasingly powerful. Its benefits are becoming quickly apparent; the dangers and drawbacks lie in the shadows, and in the nefarious or just casual purposes for which it will be used.
