Welcome to the 2026 election

The 2026 general election has finally begun, writes Henry Oliver in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin.

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Yesterday had it all – policy announcements, enraged responses to those policy announcements, MPs in swandris, accusations of improper conduct of just-announced candidates, accusations of improper accusations against just-announced candidates. As The Spinoff’s editor-at-large Toby Manhire wrote in our office #politics Slack channel, it “finally feels like a proper election year today”.

So welcome to the 2026 election. I hope you enjoy the next five months.

Labour talks to city commuters

It’s a cliche, but true – most voters don’t start paying attention to the ins-and-outs of an election cycle until surprisingly close to election day. But many of the minority that are already paying attention have been waiting for one thing – for Labour to finally release some policy. Well, yesterday, leader Chris Hipkins, deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni and transport spokesman Tangi Utikere went to Waitematā Station in Auckland to announce its public transport policy: a $20 weekly fare cap on public transport in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington and a $10 cap everywhere else.

Hayden Donnell was there, and  on The Spinoff this morning , recounts a should-have-been-straightforward announcement beset by screeching trains, and a press pool wanting to talk about more scandalous matters – the  ongoing saga  of another should-have-been-straightforward announcement: the introduction of Labour’s highest-ranked new candidate, police superintendent Rakesh Naidoo. “Ever since Labour started making announcements,” Donnell writes, “it’s become easier to understand why it doesn’t like making announcements.”

National talks to farmers

Meanwhile, Christopher Luxon and a selection of National MPs were in Fieldays at Mystery Creek, Hamilton. Having swapped the suits and pantsuits for windbreakers and blue-and-black checked swandris, they were there to talk to the agricultural sector (and, of course, voters) about his party’s plans to revitalise the country’s stalling economy.

In a  report by Stuff’s Emma Ricketts , Luxon was asked about a group of six commercial projects and partnerships  announced by the government yesterday  aimed at increasing productivity, value, and maybe even sustainability, in agriculture and horticulture in part by allowing more flexibility in how farm land is used.

When asked why it was important to create technology that improves environmental outcomes, Luxon said his Government believes farmers can be more productive and more sustainable at the same time, but that’s up to farmers to make that call. “Our primary end game here is not just reducing emissions for the sake of reducing emissions,” he said, “it’s about actually growing our economy, and we think we can do both through adopting technology.”

Act  proposes  leaving the Paris climate agreement

Speaking of farmers and emissions, The Post’s  Henry Cooke reports  that Act Party’s agricultural spokesperson Andrew Hoggard (previously the president of Federated Farmers), said that if we can’t substantially weaken our pledge under the Paris Agreement, we should just leave the international pact altogether.

According to Cooke, on current projections, it is almost impossible for New Zealand to reach its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2030 ( 50% reduction of net emissions  below our gross 2005 level by 2030) without buying carbon credits offshore, which the government has rejected.

“New Zealand’s farmers are the most emissions-efficient in the world, yet they are treated like carbon villains and punished by climate targets that ignore the difference between methane from livestock and carbon from fossil fuels,” Hoggard said at Fieldays. Act’s proposal is for a new NDC that recognises a “split gas” approach where agricultural emissions are only required to contribute “no additional warming” rather than contributing to the reduction of emissions.

An  open letter from climate scientists  to the Government last year warned that a “no additional warming” target ignored scientific evidence, including the fact that methane contributed to around 30% of current global warming.

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