Election 2026: What’s on Offer for Small Business?
Small businesses consistently tell us they want to spend less time on compliance and administration, and more time looking after customers, supporting their teams and growing their businesses.
The election debate is giving the sector plenty of attention, with several parties putting forward substantial proposals. That is a positive development. The test is whether those ideas will reduce costs, improve certainty, lift productivity and make a genuine difference to the people running businesses every day.
While the approaches vary, there is growing agreement across the political spectrum that small businesses face real pressures and need greater attention from policymakers. Announcements so far cover tax, compliance, employment settings, cashflow, procurement and regulatory reform.
Below, we’ve set out the small business policies announced by each party has announced so far and what they could mean for small businesses.
National: Reducing Compliance and Regulatory Costs
National’s 47-point plan focuses on reducing compliance and regulatory costs. Proposals include “Tell Government Once”, a review of the GST threshold, clearer plain-English health and safety guidance, practical support for businesses adopting AI, and a “Next 200” programme to help high-potential firms expand into export markets.
Labour: Improving Cashflow and Supporting Investment
Labour’s Small Business Action Plan aims to improve cashflow and support investment through 15-day payment terms for large businesses, greater payment transparency, a $10,000 instant asset write-off, an $80,000 GST threshold and wider access to government contracts.
ACT: Labour Market and Regulatory Reform
ACT focuses on employment flexibility and regulatory reform, including a three-year minimum wage freeze, a lower training wage for workers under 20, streamlined consenting in selected sectors and wider measures to reduce business costs.
New Zealand First: Lower Tax for SMEs
New Zealand First proposes cutting the company tax rate from 28 per cent to 20 per cent for businesses with turnover below $30 million, aiming to support investment, productivity, expansion and job creation.
Green Party: Supporting Local Business Districts
The Green Party focuses on the operating environment in town and city centres, proposing market-rent reviews, council-run rental auctions for long-vacant commercial properties and competition reforms intended to lower costs.
Te Pāti Māori: Supporting Māori Enterprise
We haven’t seen a dedicated small business policy from Te Pāti Māori. However, several of its wider policies could affect small businesses, including its proposals on tax, Māori enterprise, procurement, trade and innovation.
The Opportunity Party: Innovation and Small Business Support
The Opportunity Party’s Breakthrough Economy policy proposes greater support for innovation and small business, including faster access to research and development tax credits, more funding for budgeting services, fairer ACC and retail payment systems, and a new legal structure for businesses delivering social or environmental benefits.
What This Means for Business
It is encouraging to see small business firmly on the election agenda.
The proposals differ significantly, but many aim to respond to concerns Business Central members regularly raise, including compliance costs, regulatory complexity, cashflow pressures, workforce challenges and the need to improve productivity.
For us, the test will always be whether a policy helps businesses spend less time navigating systems and more time serving customers, investing, employing people and growing.
