Who will win the 2026 NZ/Aotearoa Election? And what should the attitude of socialists be to those in the running? That is, behind all the posturing and promises, which party / coalition of parties is truly going to deliver something for working-class Kiwis?

At this stage the result is too tight to call, but here’s what the polls say:

Latest polls put Labour and National level on 28% and Greens surging to 16% ACT 11% NZ First 9% TOP 6% and TPM 1%. Making a Labour led government entirely possible and making TOP potential kingmaker. 

NZ society is primarily shaped by international capitalism, a crisis ridden system that creates cycles of boom and bust. The stagnation and decline of NZ capitalism has seen successive governments since the 1980s implement policies to save it. From deregulation and privatisation to the opening of markets to international predatory finance capital. This has led to increasing unemployment and continuing mass layoffs in manufacturing, forestry and food industries. Since 2024 the list of closures includes Kinleith pulp and Paper Mill, Saw Mills in Nelson, Timaru and Kaitaia, Food processors, Mc Cains and Watties in Hastings and Ohakune. 

Spending cuts to Health, Education, Housing and Welfare have impoverished many. A key tactic is to destroy workers rights and ability to organise, by attacking Unions such as teachers, health workers and those in the state sector organised in NZEI, PPTA, the Nurses Organisation and the PSA. Workers wages are going backwards while the bosses profits have increased. Workers must utilise all their democratic rights to launch a fight back. Now with the 2026 Election looming, what should be the attitude of socialists in Aotearoa/NZ?

Vote Labour/Greens/Te Pāti Māori to Defeat National/NZ First/ACT!

We are for maximum unity by all parties that claim to represent workers, Māori, youth and the oppressed to defeat this right wing coalition government.  It has presided over a continuing wealth transfer from the poor to the rich, with regressive tax cuts, massive job layoffs in the public sector, slash-and-burn in public health and handouts to employers and landlords. The OECD reports real wages reduced by 6.4% since 2021. This includes dismissing pay equity accords for thousands of women workers. On top of this, junior coalition partners NZ First/ACT have been at the forefront of attacks on Māori rights, the Waitangi Tribunal, beneficiaries, the Resource Management Act, migrants, and the gay, lesbian, trans and queer community.

Vote Green but fight Climate Catastrophe with Workers Action!

The recent March for Nature showed the possibility of mass action to defeat the Coalition plans to mine Conservation land and give concessions to big business polluters, even changing the law to avoid legal action. Workers’ action is the key. DOC and Council workers need to unite with Māori, the original guardians of the land, and with green activists and youth to coordinate action that advances both the Green and Union agenda. We cannot rely on progressive politicians and endless talkfests. The climate crisis threatens the very existence of humanity. The stark choice of the 21st Century is system change or extinction.

Vote Labour but link the Strikes and Organise to fight Now!

We cannot wait for the elections or the next government in the Beehive, we must join the disparate struggles and forge a united front to defeat the right and their destructive agenda. The recent strike action by Fire Fighters, Nurses and Public Sector workers needs to be co-ordinated and synchronised to ensure maximum pressure on employers and the government. Within the unions we are for rank and file workers organising together to fight for wages, conditions and rights the union bureaucracy all too often wants to bargain away. We are organizing into joint action committees of the unemployed, migrants, disabled, youth and LGBTQ to fight alongside rank and file workers within the union movement. We are not responsible for the crisis of capitalism or the balancing of government books. We must make the rich and the bosses pay for their system.

End the Genocide in Palestine! No War on Iran/Yemen! For Independent Foreign Policy!

Imperialism and the post-WW2 world order is in crisis and the end of empire is near. We must hasten its decline by turning imperialist war into class war in its heartlands and by supporting the colonial and semi-colonial struggles resisting domination. 

Entering a fourth year of genocide perpetrated by Israel, the USA and junior Nato partners UK, France and Germany, the heroic Palestinians of Gaza, West Bank and now Lebanon have endured suffering beyond imagination. The naked death cult of IDF murderers, funded and supported by the US must be halted by strike action, mass mobilisations and direct action. Supported by relentless solidarity and the BDS movement we can bring an end to this madness through workers’ action and soldier rebellion. 

Sanction Israel immediately, recognise Palestine, close the consulate and expel the Israeli Ambassador. No to any US alliance or military spending. Close the Five Eyes spy bases and end Rocket Lab’s contracts with the Pentagon. For a genocide free and independent foreign policy for Aotearoa.

Cost of Living Crisis. Who Pays?

Tax wealth, the rich, bosses and landlords! We will not pay for the crisis of their system. We say openly that the wealthy, who have had it so good for so long, should be taxed progressively on wealth not income. Fully fund Health, Education, Housing, Welfare, Arts and Culture! Reduce hours with no loss of pay for full employment and UBI for artists, musicians and the cultural sector. Reforms but not reformism! We believe the heart of any democratic or transitional demand is linked to workers’ control and the formation of independent fighting organisations. Socialists also use important tactics in the class struggle: the United Front, the General Strike and the Workers Government. These are subordinate to the revolutionary strategy of workers’ control and a workers state.

Vote Te Pāti Māori candidates and fight for Māori Rights

Māori are an oppressed minority and still suffer the effects of colonialism. Together with Pasifika they are often at the wrong end of social welfare statistics including policing and prison. Traditional supporters of Labour, many Māori have also supported the split that created The Māori Party now known as Te Pati Māori (TPM). Several further splits (MANA) and internal candidate problems have seen a decline in TPM support and while still in flux, there seems to be a move back to Labour in the Māori seats. However the issues for Māori remain around racism, land, fishing and language rights, as settlements continue through the Waitangi Tribunal. Socialist support full rights for Māori under Te Tiriti framework and restitution and compensation for the colonialism of the NZ state. 

Fight Racism for Migrants & LGBTQ rights

The rise of ACT/NZ First ‘culture wars’ is deliberate and targeted at non-white migrants and the LGBTQ community. This has emboldened the likes of Destiny Church and Hobson’s Pledge to take racism mainstream. Destiny Church and Man Up have been at the forefront of anti gay, anti drag queen and anti migrant activities ( including at the Pride March and a Sikh community Day) looking to confront and provoke with intimidation, hiding behind Maori haka to legitimize their bigotry. 

We stand against bigotry and the revival of the far right’s anti-immigration agenda. From Reform UK to AFD in Germany to One Nation in Australia the far right is seeking electoral success through racism. Socialists fight for the rights of all the oppressed, including Maori and seek to draw them into the workers movement as natural allies. We are for workers’ self-defence on the front line to protect marginalised communities from attack. We oppose all state racism and anti-immigration measures, indeed we loudly champion the unity of the working class across all national boundaries and borders.

Reform vs Revolution

To address the crisis of capitalism we need fundamental structural and social change, not just a change of ‘leaders’ in the Beehive. But some of those we seek to win have illusions in Labour, The Greens and Te Pāti Māori. We utilise this time of heightened political discourse around elections to call for critical support (a vote) for those parties claiming to represent the working class. We do so to align ourselves with the most conscious elements and fight alongside them to elect the leaders of these parties to parliament. We know full well that in office their attempts to manage the economy and balance the books will bring them into conflict with the base who support them. 

While we are for reforms, we understand the limits of reformism. We seek to win those who are the most conscious and active to a program and revolutionary party that can lay the basis for a socialist government and the expropriation of capital in Aotearoa as part of a Socialist South Pacific.

By Tito