Jamessumnergoodwin

2026 New Zealand general election
← 54rd New Zealand Parliament 56th New Zealand Parliament →
Prime Minister before election; Christopher Luxon; New Zealand National Party; ACT New Zealand; New Zealand First	Subsequent Prime Minister ; Nicola Willis; New Zealand National Party; New Zealand First; ACT-New Zealand

New Zealand First

New Zealand First made a significant shift toward being "pro-regions" and made this the defining feature of its campaign. It was announced at the party's annual conference in June that this would be leader and founder Winston Peters last election and that he'd retire at the next election. Much of the controversy found in the 2023 election campaign was replaced with the ethos "Countrymindedness" and what it meant for a self-sustaining future. The slogan "We're just getting started" had a more optimistic tone than the previous election and almost all the policies were new or at least heavily revised. NZ First began work on their clear campaign about a year before in June 2025. Some traditional staple positions were carried over such as strict immigration rules requiring new migrants to settle in regional towns and a ban on settling in Auckland or Wellington unless a critical skills job was confirmed, foreign investment regulations would mimick the this and incentives such as tax increases on investment in Auckland unless for the building of medium to high density housing and high-tech industry such as information technology and scientific research, Auckland Council would also be encouraged to raise rates on heavy industrial and manufacturing plants to further free up land and channel economic opportunities to deprived areas in need of employment.

Deputy leader and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones embarked on several tours to every regional centre in New Zealand over the last term and had helped draw rural support and attention to the Regional Infrastructure Fund. Jones began in August 2024 visiting small towns often going into local pubs, workingmen's clubs, visiting farms and remote mining operators in West Coast as the launch of his "Local Priorities" initiative where individuals and communities could submit their ideas for areas of investment. Mark Patterson and James Goodwin visited newly opened local initiatives such as Opotiki Muscle Farms, Several central North Island timber and paper mills, aquaculture ventures showing promising starts in Southland and the recommissioned Taranki Natural Gas Power Plant and Reserves Facilities. The need to revitalise innovation in the production industry was part of the wider employment and economic policy that went back to more protectionist positions on keeping and increasing jobs in particular for working class people living outside Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Some criticism came from supporters from these three cities however many saw it from the perspective of preventing further spread of housing crisis, centralising economic activity and attempting to reduce cost of living.

Unlike coalition partners National and ACT, New Zealand First took active measures to ensure social welfare remained accessible for those in need and rejected sanctions on Jobseeker in favour of using them only as a punitive measure for misleading MSD about declarations of money, assets or failing to accept support offered such as Workready Programmes, Courses in upskilling, apprenticeships with registered tradesman, consulting with Careers Advisory which would help with formatting a CV, cover letter writing and tips for appropriate interview conduct. NZ First was praised by multiple NGOs and beneficiaries themselves for taking a thorough and considerate approach.

Electoral history

National Assembly elections

Election	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Result
1999	Marthinus van Schalkwyk	1,098,215	6.87%	28 / 400	54	4th	Opposition
2004	Marthinus van Schalkwyk	257,824	1.65%	7 / 400	21	6th	Opposition
2009	Danie Schutte	1,311,027	7.42%	31 / 400	24	3rd
2014	Danie Schutte	1,034,732	6.43%	23 / 400	8	4th
2019	Gene Louw	1,094,782	6.83%	27 / 400	4	4th
2024	James Sinclair	2.323,098	14.3%	58 / 400	31	3rd

Political views

Goodwin has typically sat at the liberal end of the National Party supporting marriage equality, euthanasia, cannabis and abortion reform. He has frequently worked collaboratively with opposition parties to pass legislation and is well respected for his practical, diplomatic approach. At times Goodwin has been at odds with his party and was at risk of being fired as Minister of Conservation in 2010 when he refused to sign off on mining exploration in conservation areas. Goodwin felt that he would not be doing right by his portfolio if he signed off on mining exploration for fear it might permanently damage vulnerable ecosystems. Of the situation he stated "I'm not an environmentalist nor a hippie and I respect our miners on the West Coast hugely but I cannot in all good consciousness allow mining to threaten areas we deem vulnerable, it just doesn't feel right" Goodwin was temporarily suspended from parliament while National's board decided if he'd be removed as a minister. Prime Minister John Key and Finance Minister Bill English were among his defenders with Key's support allegedly saving Goodwin from reprimand. For his refusal to allow mining activity Goodwin gained support from many environmentally conscious voters and had multiple talks with Green Party co-leader Russell Norman over working together more closely. At the same time, he gained a reputation as a strong-willed but stubborn politician who wasn't afraid to tread the party line.

Unlike many of his colleagues, Goodwin isn't opposed to intervention in economic settings if required. In response to an on-going energy generation crisis he order the freeze on power prices and took executive control of Meridian, Contact and Mercury for 12 months while natural gas pipelines in Taranaki were reopened. Goodwin sought to shift attention from China to South American emerging economies, Brazil, Argentina and Chile all signed free trade agreements with New Zealand, the move has been largely motivated by values. Goodwin has frequently criticised China for "overstaying its welcome in Pacific nations" and denounced the Chinese government's offering to build roads, railways, and oublic buildings as bribery. He is a vocal supporter of pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and called for UN action over the Ugher massacre. He cites his allegiance to liberal democracy and civil rights as the primary reason for his position.

As Prime Minister Goodwin has acknowledged the need to maintain a stable relationship with China and has said his personal opinions are distanced from his prime ministerial obligation to serve in the country's best interests. "The art of compromise is a necessity in politics, you can't allow emotions to overwhelm your judgement"