Sixth National Government of New Zealand

The Sixth National Government is a coalition government made up of the National Party, ACT Party, and New Zealand First. It has governed New Zealand since November 2023. The government is led by Christopher Luxon, the leader of the National Party and prime minister, with leaders from the other parties, David Seymour and Winston Peters, also playing important roles.

This government was formed after the 2023 general election on 14 October 2023. Talks between the three parties finished on 24 November, and the new ministers were officially appointed by the Governor-General on 27 November.

The government has made several plans, including changes to laws about the Treaty of Waitangi and decisions about Māori wards that may need local votes or to be removed. They also want to focus on using English more in government work instead of the Māori language. Other important plans include changes to rules about renting homes, building new homes, spending money on important projects, and making laws stricter in some areas. They also plan to change rules about health care for transgender children and update what is taught in schools about health topics.

Background

2023 general election

Main article: 2023 New Zealand general election

The 2023 general election was held on October 14. The National Party won more seats than the Labour Party, which was the ruling party at the time. The National Party leader, Christopher Luxon, became the new Prime Minister.

Coalition negotiations

After the election, the National Party began talks to form a government with two smaller parties: ACT and New Zealand First. These talks were important because the National Party did not have enough seats on its own to govern. The leaders of these three parties met several times to discuss their plans and policies. They talked about many topics, including taxes, rules for buying homes, and policies about public services.

Coalition agreements

On November 24, the leaders of the National, ACT, and New Zealand First parties signed agreements to form a new government. This meant they all agreed to work together and support each other's main ideas. The new government planned to change some laws and start new projects, like building more roads and changing rules about renting homes. They also agreed to look back at how New Zealand handled the COVID-19 pandemic to learn from it.

History

The Sixth National Government of New Zealand began in November 2023 after the general election on October 14, 2023. It is a coalition government made up of the National Party, ACT Party, and New Zealand First. The government is led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon from the National Party, along with coalition leaders David Seymour and Winston Peters.

Following the election, coalition talks ended on November 24, and ministers were officially sworn in on November 27. The government announced a 100-day plan focusing on economic policies, law and order, and public services. Key economic changes included adjusting the role of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, ending certain fuel taxes, and stopping the Lake Onslow hydro project. Law and order policies aimed to restrict gang activities, while public service changes included new educational initiatives and adjustments to healthcare services.

In foreign affairs, the government supported a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict and made several decisions regarding international relations and defense. Domestic policies also saw changes to education, transportation, and public sector management, reflecting the government’s priorities and commitments to various sectors in New Zealand.

Election results

The table below shows how many votes and seats each party got in the election for the new government in New Zealand.

Significant policies and initiatives

Agriculture

The government plans to ease rules on gas and methane from farms, allow live animal exports again, and make it easier to use genetic engineering. They will also stop reviewing a plan that affects pollution from farms and encourage ways to reduce pollution, like special animal feed. They want government buildings to use wool for things like blankets and clothing.

Constitutional

The government wants to change the law so that elections happen every four years instead of three.

Education

They will shift a free education program to the end of college instead of the beginning. They plan to remove some topics about gender and relationships from school lessons. Schools will need to spend one hour each day on reading, writing, and math. They will bring back special schools called charter schools and allow regular public schools to become charter schools. They also want to improve school history lessons and collect better attendance data to make sure students are coming to school. They will also try to save money on school lunch programs.

Economic

The government will focus on keeping prices stable and will spend more on creating wealth and building important projects. They will cut some government spending and lower taxes by finding ways to spend money more wisely. They will also strengthen rules to help keep prices fair in stores and support trade deals with other countries, like India. They will also stop a discount for new clean cars.

Employment and social services

They will change rules so that all businesses, even small ones, can try new employees for 90 days without long contracts. They will increase the minimum wage a little each year. They will also make it harder for people who can work but refuse to find a job to get government help, and they will make sure doctors limit medical notes for people who don’t want to work.

Firearms

The government will change the law about guns and move the office that oversees guns to a different department. They will also review the national list of gun owners.

Foreign affairs

They will make sure New Zealand only agrees to international deals that do not take away New Zealand’s control over its own laws. They support Israel’s right to defend itself and want a solution where Israel and Palestine each have their own country. They also will make it a crime to secretly interfere in New Zealand’s affairs from other countries.

Health

The government will change the way health services are organized for Māori people. They will stop some rules about smoking and certain medical rules from last year. They will allow the sale of cold medicine that contains a certain ingredient. They will end all remaining rules about COVID-19 vaccines and review how New Zealand handled the pandemic.

Housing and tenancy

They will change rules to make it easier for landlords to deduct interest from taxes, allow local governments to choose not to follow some housing rules, and make it easier for landlords to evict tenants. They will also change how much notice landlords and tenants need to give when moving and allow tenants to pay a bond to have a pet.

Immigration

The government will allow more seasonal workers, make it easier for family members of visa holders to come to New Zealand, and make it simpler for skilled workers to get visas. They will also make immigration rules stricter to make sure only the right people and skills come to New Zealand.

Infrastructure, energy and natural resources

They will create a new agency to help build important projects and set aside money for regional projects. They will make sure climate change rules do not stop energy from being available. They will change rules to make it easier to farm, build houses, and do other economic activities. They will also allow oil and gas exploration again and stop some environmental rules.

Justice and Law

The government will change laws so that people who break the law while on parole or bail face tougher sentences. They will make prisoners work and give officers body cameras. They will bring back a rule that gives tougher sentences after three serious crimes. They will train more police officers and fund community policing programs. They will also protect freedom of speech and make it a crime to assault police officers. They will also create new laws to stop people from following or harming others and give victims a say in whether an offender’s name is kept secret.

Māori issues and the Treaty of Waitangi

The government will introduce a bill about the Treaty of Waitangi and make sure Treaty principles are part of the law. They will stop work on a report about Māori issues and confirm that an international declaration about indigenous rights does not change New Zealand law. They will also bring back the right to vote locally on whether to have Māori representatives on councils.

Public sector

The government will reduce spending in public services and make sure government contracts are awarded based on value, not race. They will remove shared control from public services and create a new agency to watch over the Ministry for Children. They will also stop work on some big projects like a train in Auckland and a pumped hydro project.

Regulation

They will create a new agency to check all new and existing laws and make it easier to start businesses by cutting unnecessary rules.

Seniors

The government will keep the retirement age at 65 and improve cards for seniors and veterans. They will also help people with memory problems and make it easier to build small extra homes.

List of executive members

The Cabinet was announced on 24 November 2023 and has 20 members. It includes 14 from the National Party, 3 from ACT, and 3 from New Zealand First. This is the first time New Zealand has had three parties in the Cabinet.

The role of Deputy Prime Minister will be shared. Winston Peters will serve until 31 May 2025, and then David Seymour will take over until the end of the term.

There have been several changes in the Cabinet members over time. On 24 April 2024, some ministers changed their responsibilities. Later, on 19 January 2025, more changes happened, with different ministers taking on new roles. On 21 February 2025, there was a change after a staff member made a complaint. Then, on 2 April 2026, big changes were made to prepare for the upcoming election in 2026 New Zealand general election.

Ministers

Under-Secretaries and Private Secretaries

Issues and controversies

Education curriculum changes

In 2026, a former official from the Ministry of Education, along with several school leaders and teachers, spoke out against the Government's plans to change the school curriculum. The changes included subjects like physical education, music, technology, arts, science, and social sciences. Teachers were concerned about the short time given to make these changes, the amount of new material to cover, and less focus on important topics like the Treaty of Waitangi. The Education Minister said the Government was working hard to improve education and had provided extra resources and support for teachers.

Electoral law changes

In July 2025, the Government announced new rules for elections. These included closing voter registration 13 days before election day, setting a 12-day period for advance voting, and banning free food or drinks near voting places. The Government also planned to stop prisoners from voting and raise the amount of money needed to make political donations. Some people, including Labour's justice spokesperson, worried these changes might make it harder for some people to vote. The changes were debated in Parliament and passed later that year.

Environmental and climate change policies

In 2024, the Government changed some environmental rules. This included allowing more oil and gas exploration, delaying rules on farm emissions, and supporting more mining. These changes were made to help the economy grow. However, some climate scientists and environmental groups were worried these changes would make it harder to meet New Zealand's goals to reduce carbon emissions. In 2025, New Zealand's ranking in a global climate performance list dropped, and some scientists wrote to the Prime Minister expressing their concerns. The Government also decided to leave an international group that supports moving away from fossil fuels.

Relationship with Māori

The Government's policies, such as changing how the Māori language is used in government and plans to change laws about the Treaty of Waitangi, caused concern among many Māori people. Some Māori leaders held meetings to discuss these changes and protect their culture and rights. There were legal challenges and protests about these policies, with many Māori feeling that the Government was not respecting their heritage and agreements.

Public sector job cuts

To save money, the Government asked government departments to cut jobs. By the end of 2024, thousands of jobs had been cut across different departments. Some people were worried about the impact on public services. In July 2025, a court ruled that the Ministry of Education should have talked to workers' unions before cutting jobs.

Sex education curriculum changes

The Government planned to change the guidelines for teaching about relationships and sexuality in schools. These guidelines had been created to help students understand topics like social media and online content. Some teachers and experts were worried that removing these guidelines might leave students without important information. The Government said they would create new guidelines that were more suitable for different age groups.

Speed limits changes

The Government planned to change some speed limits back to higher numbers, saying this would balance safety and economic impacts. However, some local councils and safety experts were worried that higher speed limits could lead to more accidents and deaths on the roads.

Transgender issues

The Government made changes to rules about transgender people in sports and access to certain treatments for children. These changes caused debates about fairness and the rights of transgender individuals. Some groups supported the changes, while others criticized them for being unfair or harmful.

Tenancy policies

The Government changed some rules about renting homes, making it easier for landlords to end tenancies without a reason and allowing them to charge pets bonds. Some groups supported these changes, saying they would help landlords, while others were worried they would make it harder for renters.

Use of parliamentary urgency

The Government often used a special process called "urgency" to pass laws quickly, which some groups criticized for reducing public scrutiny. The Government defended its use of this process, saying it was necessary to implement its policies efficiently.