The Coalition Government’s plans to make 9,000 public servants redundant in the next three years, after more than 4,000 have already been cut, reinforces the need for our election campaign to focus squarely on changing the Government.
This year’s election campaign is a battle to save the jobs of thousands of members and the services they deliver that New Zealanders rely on. It’s also a battle to ensure a new government:
• Ensures public and community services, science, and local government are all adequately funded – not starved of resources to pay for unaffordable tax cuts for landlords and businesses.
• Passes legislation which settles and fully funds the care and support pay equity claim within the first 100 days, restore a legal framework that ensures New Zealand women have pay equity, and commit to the settlement of the 33 cancelled pay equity claims.
• Reverses the attacks on workers’ rights and health and safety protections implemented or planned by the previous government, including cuts to sick and annual leave which cut the pay of many workers and others, and the personal grievance law that allows employers to fire workers at will.
• Funds the public health system properly so it has the health workforce to meet New Zealanders’ needs and the investment required to cover the rising costs of medical technology and abandon all moves to privatisation.
• Properly honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi and one that commits to winding back this government's shameful attacks on the reo and tikanga Māori, and the cuts to Māori capability across public services.
• Ensures AI is introduced in a way that makes public service workers more productive and is not used to simply cut roles.
MEETING THE MOMENT
New Zealanders want a government that has their best interests at the heart of every political decision. But the Coalition has shown how prioritising landlords, multinational corporations and the tobacco industry over workers can lead to a rapid drop in living standards across the country.
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
We will change the Government by leading the debate, equipping delegates and activating members.
The PSA policy team is working on a suite of reports and events for release through to November. These reports include analyses on how the Government’s reckless cuts harm workers, health and other services, the community and the economy.
Each report release will have an associated launch event either online via webinars, or through hybrid in-person and online events. These events will be an opportunity to learn more about the pressing issues we are facing as workers.
We will also host activations, events and debates across the motu. From candidate debates in South Auckland to Pay Equity conversations in Invercargill, we will reach tens of thousands of voters with our message of change.
The PSA website will be your one-stop shop for information on your rights at work, how to participate in the election following changes to the Electoral Act, and promotional materials for election campaign events.
POSTCARDS FOR CHANGE
One of the first mass activations is the distribution of Change the Government postcards to workers across the motu. These directly hold the Prime Minister to account for his leadership and destructive agenda across the past three years.
Use these to spark a conversation with friends and whānau about the importance of the November election – for example, take a walk to the letterbox where you will be voting.
CAMPAIGNING FOR CHANGE
The PSA is not affiliated to any political party – we are an independent trade union advocating for policies our members determine.
We have and will continue to work with Ministers and chief executives to seek improvements to policies, just as we have worked with opposition parties to influence the policies they will present to voters at this election. We will not be telling members which parties they should support. But we are advocating for a clear outcome: that the next Government is made up of parties that will support properly funded public services, restore pay equity and improve worker rights.
We are also mindful of the requirements on public servants to be politically neutral at work and we will not be asking members to compromise those requirements.
Our call to change the Government is not without precedent. We took a similar position before the 1999 General Election, which ended nine years of an anti-worker, National-led government.
We are clear that we have a responsibility to use our expertise as a collective of 96,000 workers to ensure New Zealanders hear our unique perspective this election and that the Government’s destructive agenda must end.
Vote this election to Change the Government to put people, planet and public services first!
CHANGES TO THE ELECTORAL ACT
Last year, the coalition Government amended the Electoral Act to make it less accessible for New Zealanders to participate in democracy. They:
- Shortened the enrolment period to 13 days before election day, to allow time for the Electoral Commission to complete enrolment processing before election day.
- Reinstated a voting disqualification for people in prison sentenced to less than three years for offences committed after the Bill takes effect, which extends the current ban for people in prison sentenced to more than three years.
- Set in law an advance voting period of 12 calendar days before election day.
- Created a new offence to prohibit the provision of free food, drink or entertainment within 100m of the entrance of a voting place while voting is taking place.
Make sure you’re across these changes as you prepare to vote this year.
KEY ELECTION DATES
• 6 August: Last day for Māori who are already enrolled to change rolls.
• 7 September: Candidate nominations open.
• 4 October: Writ Day. The Governor-General issues formal direction to the Electoral Commission to hold the election. Anyone who enrols after this date casts a special vote.
• 21 October: Overseas voting starts.
• 25 October: Last day to enrol to vote in the election.
• 26 October: Advance voting starts.
• 6 November: Regulated period ends. All election advertising must end. Signs must be taken down by midnight.
• 7 November: Election Day. Voting places open from 9:00am to 7:00pm. Preliminary election results released progressively from 7:00pm on electionresults.govt.nz.
• 27 November: Official results for the 2026 General Election declared.
