The Growth Solution

New Zealand cannot compete on scale. We must compete on capability. Productivity is the primary driver of long-term wages and living standards, yet our output per worker lags leading advanced economies.

Education reform must move beyond funding debates and focus on economic impact. The objective is not digital familiarity. It is measurable productivity gains across every sector of the economy.

Our priorities

• Universal AI literacy access & capability
  Ensure every worker can confidently use AI tools to increase output and earnings. This includes practical training in agriculture, healthcare, engineering, trades, and business, not just software development.
  

• Compulsory AI foundations in secondary and tertiary education
  Embed AI, automation, and data fluency into standard learning pathways. These must be core competencies alongside literacy and numeracy.
  

• National AI curriculum and teacher upskilling programme
  Establish a coordinated body to develop curriculum standards and retrain educators at scale in partnership with industry leaders. Capability must be systemic, not optional.
  

• Industry-linked micro-credentials
  Develop NZQA-recognised micro-credentials tied to wage premiums and sector productivity benchmarks. Education should align directly with measurable economic outcomes.

The goal is clear: within five years, New Zealand should be the most AI-capable small nation in the OECD.

Innovation is the engine of long-term economic growth. It drives productivity, raises wages, creates high-value jobs, and enables New Zealand to compete globally.

New Zealand has a proud history of ingenuity: our ‘number 8 wire’ mentality reflects a culture of practical problem-solving and entrepreneurial grit. But modern innovation requires more than ingenuity alone. It requires policy settings that reward intelligent risk-taking, accelerate commercialisation, and retain high-value activity onshore.

Our priorities

• Director liability reform: Rebalance the risk–reward equation for company directors so capable leaders are encouraged to build, scale, and take calculated risks, without undermining accountability.

• Capital markets deepening: Increase domestic growth capital through KiwiSaver allocation reform, strengthened domestic venture capital funds, improved NZX liquidity pathways, and sovereign co-investment vehicles that crowd in global institutional investors. Expand early- and growth-stage VC depth so ambitious companies can scale from seed to IPO without relocating offshore. Innovation cannot scale without abundant risk capital, strong local fund managers, and credible exit markets.
  

• Streamlined clinical trial framework: Modernise and accelerate approval pathways to convert New Zealand’s medical research strengths into a durable, high-value clinical and med-tech export industry.

• Regulated Gene Editing & Synthetic Biology Pathways: Enable high-value medical and industrial applications under robust regulatory frameworks that protect biosecurity and New Zealand’s premium food brand.

• Regional Bioactive & Processing Infrastructure: Build shared biotech-scale processing capability in key regions so primary production can be converted into high-margin functional foods, bioactives, and ag-biotech exports.

• Global Agri-Tech Research Programme: Establish a well-funded, nationally coordinated agri-tech research and innovation programme focused on high-value agricultural science, commercialisation, and export growth.

Revenue growth does not come from raising tax rates alone. Sustained revenue growth relies on expanding taxable economic activity. More exporters increase foreign earnings. More innovation lifts margins. More value-add strengthens resilience. If we want better healthcare, education, and infrastructure, we must first expand the revenue base that sustains them.

New Zealand’s domestic market is small, so long-term prosperity depends on scaling global revenue and capturing more value from what we produce. Too much of our output remains low-margin and commodity-based. Revenue policy must prioritise export scale, margin expansion, and global competitiveness. If we want to fund better healthcare, education and infrastructure, we must first grow the revenue base that sustains them. 

• Export-First SME tax breaks
  Provide targeted tax relief for export-focused small and medium enterprises to de-risk international expansion. This encourages more firms to pursue global markets and scale beyond domestic demand.

• SAFE note legislation
  Introduce formal legislation recognising Simple Agreements for Future Equity to modernise startup capital raising. This unlocks early-stage investment without forcing premature dilution or debt.

• Employee Share Scheme improvements
  Reform the ESS framework to reduce upfront tax burdens and compliance friction. This enables startups and SMEs to attract and retain talent through meaningful equity participation.

• 150% Co-Innovation Credits
  Introduce enhanced tax credits for collaborative research and development to accelerate commercialisation. This shifts firms from incremental improvement to breakthrough innovation.

• Export rebate scheme
  Implement a streamlined export rebate mechanism to improve cashflow and international competitiveness. Removing friction at the border strengthens margins and global pricing power.

• Agri value-add incentives
  Incentivise the transition from raw commodity exports to higher-margin value-added products. Increasing revenue per unit of primary production strengthens resilience and long-term earnings.

The objective is to double export intensity as a share of GDP and significantly increase revenue per worker over the next decade.

Sustained economic growth requires competitive finance, abundant energy, and modern infrastructure. When capital is expensive, energy is constrained, or infrastructure is underbuilt, productivity slows and private investment retreats.

New Zealand faces pressure across all three areas. Household debt is high, energy demand is rising, and digital capacity must scale to support next-generation industries. Investment policy must therefore remove structural bottlenecks and direct capital into productive assets that strengthen long-term competitiveness.

• Government lending facility
  Establish a government-backed lending facility that provides funding to banks contingent on maintaining home-owner mortgage and SME margins below a prescribed threshold. This increases competition in the banking sector and lowers the cost of capital for households and businesses.

• Abundant Energy NZ renewables
  Accelerate large-scale renewable generation to ensure secure, low-cost electricity as demand rises. Energy abundance is a prerequisite for industrial competitiveness and long-term energy security.

• Flex & Store national market
  Create a national flexibility and storage market to stabilise the grid and support electrification. This ensures reliability as renewable penetration increases and demand patterns evolve.

• Hydrogen & geothermal investment stack
  Develop an integrated hydrogen and geothermal investment framework to diversify supply and future-proof the energy system. This strengthens resilience while positioning New Zealand as a clean energy leader.

• Compute NZ GPU hubs
  Establish sovereign GPU compute hubs to anchor AI capability and digital exports. Strategic digital infrastructure enables high-value industries to scale domestically rather than relocating offshore.

Capital and infrastructure must scale ahead of demand, not react to shortages.

Talent drives innovation. Innovation drives productivity. Productivity drives wages. Yet New Zealand has one of the highest diaspora rates in the developed world and struggles to attract globally competitive capability.

Immigration policy must shift from filling labour shortages to accelerating economic growth. The objective is capability density: more founders, more engineers, more scientists, more globally experienced operators building more export-led firms. 

Our priorities

• A Global Growth Talent Visa
  Create a streamlined pathway for high-skill individuals in strategically important sectors, with clear residency certainty and minimal bureaucratic friction.
  

• A Global Growth Founder Visa
  Attract experienced entrepreneurs building export-focused companies, with incentives tied to job creation and domestic value capture.
  

• Founder and growth equity reform
  Improve tax and regulatory settings for long-term founder ownership to ensure New Zealand is globally competitive for building and scaling companies.
  

• An Associate Minister for Global Kiwis
  Establish direct accountability for diaspora engagement, repatriation strategy, and global capability mapping.
  

• A living Diaspora Registry
  Understand where our talent is, why they leave, and how to reconnect them.

New Zealand has historically relied on low-skill migration to suppress costs. That approach strains infrastructure without lifting productivity.

We need a different strategy: Attract global capability. Retain domestic ambition. Make New Zealand the easiest place in the world to build high-growth companies.

Talent drives innovation. Innovation drives productivity. Productivity drives higher wages and stronger public services.