GOVERNMENT RECORD TRACKER
A balanced, centrist analysis of four recent New Zealand governments. For every policy, we show who benefited, who didn't, how parties voted, and where democracy, human rights, or Treaty concerns were raised. No spin — just the record.
LFG is non-partisan. The same analytical framework is applied to every government. Ratings reflect the balance of credible evidence and expert opinion, not political preference.
Four terms at a glance
Each bar shows the proportion of policies rated positive (green), mixed (amber), or negative (red) for that term.
5th National Govt
2008–2017 · Key / English
Nine years in government. GFC response, partial asset sales, marriage equality, housing crisis. Longest-serving National government under MMP.
5th Labour Govt
2017–2020 · Ardern / Hipkins
Coalition with NZ First and Greens. Zero Carbon Act, child poverty legislation, KiwiBuild failure. Ardern became globally recognised for Christchurch and COVID response.
6th Labour Govt
2020–2023 · Ardern / Hipkins
First outright majority since MMP. COVID response, health restructure, smokefree legislation. Housing affordability worsened. Ardern resigned Jan 2023.
6th National Coalition
2023–present · Luxon · Nat/ACT/NZ First
First three-party cabinet in NZ history. Victims of Sexual Violence Act (unanimous), Sentencing Reform Act, tax cuts, smokefree repeal, Maori Health Authority dissolved, Treaty Principles Bill. Heading into November 2026 election.
How we rate policies — what do these labels mean?
Credible evidence shows this policy had a net benefit for most New Zealanders. Experts broadly agree it worked as intended.
The policy had real benefits for some people AND real harms for others. Experts disagree on whether the overall outcome was good or bad.
Credible evidence shows this policy caused net harm, failed to deliver on its goals, or had serious unintended consequences.
Administrative or procedural change with no clear positive or negative impact. Neither helped nor harmed most people.
LFG is non-partisan. The same framework is applied to every government. Ratings reflect the balance of credible evidence and expert opinion — not political preference.
How we decide ratings: Each policy is assessed against three questions: (1) Did credible evidence show a net benefit or net harm to most New Zealanders? (2) Do independent experts broadly agree on the outcome? (3) Were there significant groups who were disadvantaged even if the overall outcome was positive? Where experts disagree or outcomes were genuinely mixed, we rate Mixed. We do not rate based on political ideology. Where a policy is rated Negative, we include the Government's stated justification in the context. Source links are provided where available so you can verify the evidence yourself.
Sixth National-led Coalition (2023–present)
National formed a three-party coalition with ACT and NZ First — the first three-party cabinet in NZ history. The coalition agreement required significant policy concessions to both partners, including the Treaty Principles Bill (ACT) and various NZ First commitments. PM Christopher Luxon leads the government heading into the November 2026 election.
9 policies in this term have been flagged for democracy, human rights, or Treaty concerns.
Flags do not imply wrongdoing - they indicate areas where significant public debate, legal challenges, or rights concerns were raised. LFG presents these in a balanced, centrist context.
Justice & Victim Protection
(2)Victims of Sexual Violence (Strengthening Legal Protections) Act 2025
Passed unanimously by Parliament. Courts can no longer grant permanent name suppression to convicted adult sex offenders unless the victim consents. Also removed the ability to question children under 12 about 'consent' to sexual activity.
- Survivors of sexual violence
- Children (explicit consent protection)
- Victims seeking public accountability
- Public (access to information about convicted offenders)
- Convicted sex offenders seeking anonymity
Sentencing Reform Act 2025
Introduced a 40% cap on total sentence discounts, capped guilty plea discounts at 25% (reducing to 5% at trial), and reinstated the Three Strikes regime for serious violent and sexual offending.
- Victims of serious crime
- Those seeking proportionate sentencing
- Survivors who felt discounts minimised harm
- Defendants who previously received large discounts
- Defence lawyers
- Those who argue mandatory minimums reduce judicial discretion
Economy & Fiscal Policy
(2)Tax Relief Package (2024 Budget)
Introduced income tax threshold adjustments, FamilyBoost childcare rebate, and restored interest deductibility for landlords. Funded partly by cutting public services.
- Middle-income earners
- Property investors (interest deductibility)
- Families using childcare
- Public service workers (job cuts)
- Beneficiaries (reduced services)
- Those dependent on public health and social services
Public Service Restructuring (2024)
Approximately 6,500-7,000 public service jobs cut across government agencies as part of fiscal consolidation. Multiple agencies merged or restructured.
- Taxpayers (reduced government expenditure)
- Efficiency advocates
- Public servants (job losses)
- Communities reliant on public services
- Regions outside Wellington (service reduction)
Health & Social Policy
(3)Dissolution of Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority)
Abolished the Māori Health Authority established by Labour in 2022, reintegrating its functions into Health New Zealand.
- Those favouring a single unified health system
- Cost-reduction advocates
- Māori communities (loss of dedicated health body)
- Māori health advocates
- Staff of the authority
Repeal of Smokefree Legislation (2023)
Repealed the world-leading Smokefree Environments Act amendments that would have phased out tobacco sales to those born after 2008.
- Tobacco retailers
- Tobacco companies
- Those prioritising personal freedom arguments
- Future generations (increased addiction risk)
- Māori and Pasifika communities (highest smoking rates)
- Public health system (long-term costs)
Disability Support Funding Changes (2024)
Changes to Whaikaha disability funding model caused significant distress among disabled people and their families. Minister Penny Simmonds was removed from the portfolio.
- Budget consolidation goals
- Disabled New Zealanders
- Families of disabled people
- Support workers
Environment & Climate
(2)Reversal of Oil and Gas Exploration Ban (2023)
Lifted the 2018 ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration permits, opening NZ waters to new fossil fuel exploration.
- Oil and gas industry
- Taranaki regional economy
- Energy security advocates
- Climate advocates
- Future generations
- Pacific Island nations (climate-vulnerable)
Methane Emissions Target Reduction (2025)
Lowered NZ's 2050 biogenic methane reduction target from 24–27% to 14–24%, following lobbying from agricultural sector.
- Farming sector (Federated Farmers, Beef + Lamb NZ)
- Agricultural exporters
- Climate advocates
- Pacific Island communities
- Future generations
- NZ's international reputation
Democracy & Electoral Law
(2)Electoral Amendment Act 2025
Closed voter enrolment 13 days before election day, set a 12-day advance voting period, banned all prisoners from voting, and raised donation disclosure threshold.
- Parties with established voter rolls
- Those favouring stricter enrolment
- Young voters (less likely to be enrolled)
- Māori, Pasifika, Asian voters (Attorney-General's own advice)
- Prisoners (all voting rights removed)
- Late-enrolling voters
Fast-Track Approvals Act 2024
Created a streamlined consenting process for major infrastructure and development projects, bypassing standard RMA processes and public consultation requirements.
- Infrastructure developers
- Large construction companies
- Government project delivery
- Affected communities (reduced consultation rights)
- Environmental advocates
- Landowners near projects
- Local government
Treaty & Māori Affairs
(2)Treaty Principles Bill (ACT — 2024, Defeated at Second Reading)
ACT's bill to define Treaty principles in legislation: government right to govern all NZ, Crown to honour property rights, all NZ equal under law. Defeated at second reading.
- Those seeking a single-citizenship model
- ACT Party base
- Māori communities
- Treaty advocates
- Those supporting co-governance
Māori Language in Public Sector Rollback
Directed government agencies to prioritise English names over Māori names, and reviewed financial incentives for public servants to learn te reo Māori.
- Those favouring English-only public communications
- Māori language advocates
- Māori communities
- Public servants learning te reo
About This Tracker
Centrist framing: LFG applies the same analytical lens to both governments. We do not favour any party. Impact ratings reflect the balance of credible evidence, expert opinion, and documented outcomes — not political preference.
Who benefited / who didn't: These columns reflect documented or reasonably foreseeable impacts based on policy design, implementation, and expert analysis. They are not exhaustive.
Flags: Democracy, human rights, Treaty, environment, fiscal, and social flags indicate areas where significant public debate, legal challenges, rights concerns, or expert criticism was raised. A flag does not imply illegality or wrongdoing.
Voting records: Based on parliamentary Hansard records and official vote tallies. Personal/conscience votes are noted where applicable.
Sources: Wikipedia, parliamentary Hansard, NZ Herald, RNZ, Newsroom, Waitangi Tribunal records, Attorney-General's reports, and peer-reviewed research. This tracker will be updated as the 2026 election approaches.