Labour will grow the economy from the ground up - backing tradies, small businesses, graduate nurses and Māori into secure, well-paid work.
- Start Work Now - building homes, fixing schools and repairing hospitals, backing nearly 30,000 apprentices
- Expanding Apprenticeship Boost - a $1,000 toolbox grant and five new trades from 1 July 2027
- Graduate Nurse Job Guarantee - every eligible graduate nurse offered a job from 2027
- Pay Equity - a $4 an hour pay rise for care and support workers from 2027
- Small Business Action Plan - a 15-day payment rule and a $10,000 instant write-off
- Small Business First - a 15% target for government contracts to go to small business
- Backing Māori into Skilled Work - $21 million a year in Māori-led training
Why it matters
Christopher Luxon promised to fix the economy. For many New Zealanders, it's gotten worse.
You can't cut your way to growth. Labour will back the people who do the work - tradies, small business owners, graduate nurses and Māori communities - to build secure, well-paid careers here in New Zealand.
Labour's plan in detail
Start Work Now
Labour will get Kiwis back on the tools by building more social housing, improving more than 2,000 schools, and clearing the hospital repair backlog - creating construction and trades work in every part of the country, alongside nearly 30,000 apprentices supported into work.
Full policy details →Expanding Apprenticeship Boost
Labour will extend employer payments to two years at $500 a month, add a $1,000 toolbox grant for new apprentices, and expand coverage to five new trades from 1 July 2027, including road construction and water engineering.
Full policy details →Graduate Nurse Job Guarantee
Every eligible New Zealand-trained graduate nurse will be offered a job in the health system from 2027 - around 2,400 nurses a year - so trained nurses aren't forced to look overseas for work.
Full policy details →Pay Equity
Labour will restore pay equity legislation in its first 100 days and give care and support workers an immediate $4 an hour pay rise - worth around $8,320 a year to a full-time worker.
Full policy details →Small Business Action Plan
Big businesses will have to pay small suppliers within 15 days, the instant asset write-off rises from $1,000 to $10,000, and the GST registration threshold lifts from $60,000 to $80,000 - so small business owners spend less time on paperwork and more time growing.
Full policy details →Small Business First
A target for 15% of government contracts to go to New Zealand small businesses and start-ups, with large contracts broken into smaller, more winnable jobs, and a "tell government once" approach to cut paperwork.
Full policy details →Backing Māori into Skilled Work
$21 million a year in Māori-led training delivered by marae, iwi trusts and Māori providers, connecting people with real jobs and mentoring to help them get into work, stay in work, and gain qualifications.
Full policy details →What is Labour doing to create jobs?
Labour's plan for good jobs will:
- Build homes, improve schools and repair hospitals through Start Work Now
- Expand Apprenticeship Boost to support more tradies and young people
- Guarantee a job for every eligible graduate nurse
- Back small businesses with faster payments and easier investment
- Put small businesses first in government contracts
- Invest in Māori-led training that leads to secure work
How will Labour help small businesses?
Labour's Small Business Action Plan will:
- Require big businesses to pay small suppliers within 15 days for smaller invoices
- Lift the instant asset write-off from $1,000 to $10,000
- Raise the GST registration threshold from $60,000 to $80,000
- 15% target for government contracts to go to small businesses and start-ups
What support is there for apprentices and trainees?
Labour's plan will:
- Extend Apprenticeship Boost employer payments to two years
- Add a $1,000 toolbox grant for new apprentices
- Expand coverage to five new trades from 1 July 2027
- $21 million a year in Māori-led training delivered by marae, iwi trusts and Māori providers
How is Labour funding these job creation policies?
All Labour's policies are fully funded:
- Apprenticeship Boost is costed at $56.5 million a year on average
- The Graduate Nurse Job Guarantee is costed at $525 million, funded from Vote Health cost-pressure funding
- The Small Business Action Plan is costed at $1.56 billion over four years, funded by refocusing Investment Boost
- Backing Māori into Skilled Work is costed at $21 million a year
Why does Labour say the economy needs a different approach?
Under National:
- around 40,000 more people unemployed
- estimated 2,000 people leaving New Zealand every week
- just 54 nurses added to the public health system in two years despite thousands of graduate nurses struggling to find work
Labour will grow the economy from the ground up, backing the people who back themselves.
Better starts now.
See Labour's full policy plan →
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