Since coming into Government in 2017, we’ve worked hard to tackle the long term challenges facing New Zealand, and we’re proud of the progress we’ve made on the big issues like child poverty, housing and climate change.
However, we know there’s more to do. That’s why we’re committed to building on our progress so together, we grow a strong economy that gives security to all. Read more about our priorities.
Under Jacinda Ardern’s leadership, here are some of the things we’ve achieved so far.
Updated 31 October 2022.
Made targeted trades training and all apprenticeships free, supporting more than 215,000 people to upskill
Helping one million New Zealanders stay warm over colder months through the Winter Energy Payment
Rolled out healthy, free school lunches to more than 220,000 students across the country, with 63 million lunches already served
Made Matariki a public holiday
Cut fuel tax and introduced half-price public transport fares, as the war in Ukraine drives up fuel prices globally
Increased the minimum wage to $21.20 per hour
Boosted funding for more ambulances and paramedics
Banned single-use plastic bags to protect our environment
Delivered more than 14,000 public and transitional homes, as part of our plan to deliver more than 18,000 extra places by 2024
Taking action to ensure New Zealanders get a fair deal at the supermarket
Boosted Pharmac’s funding so that more Kiwis can access the medicines, treatments, and medical devices they need
Delivered the largest ever Police workforce to keep communities safer
Secured a historic free trade agreement with the EU, which will increase New Zealand’s GDP by up to $1.4 billion per year by 2035
Introduced the Families Package, the biggest boost in household income in a decade for thousands of families
Supported people into work, with the lowest Māori unemployment rate on record
Upgraded roads, schools and hospitals through the New Zealand Upgrade Programme
Extended paid parental leave from 18 to 26 weeks
More than 500,000 free mental health sessions have already been delivered through our new Access and Choice programme
Invested in vital infrastructure like pipes and roads needed to jump start housing developments, to get more homes built faster
Passed the landmark Zero Carbon Act, with a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050
Made visiting the doctor cheaper or free for nearly 600,000 New Zealanders
Fast-tracking key development and infrastructure projects to help get New Zealand moving
Extended free doctors’ visits for children to include 13-year-olds
Delivered the strongest ever protections to clean up our rivers and lakes
Introduced tough new measures to tackle gangs and organised crime networks
Recorded improvements across all nine child poverty measures
Fixing mental health infrastructure, with a plan to build new acute mental health and addiction facilities around the country
With the primary sector, launched Fit for a Better World – a roadmap to boost export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade
Made sure New Zealand history will be taught in all schools and kura by 2023
Removed fees from NCEA and NZ Scholarship to save families money
Invested in public transport to fully decarbonise the public transport bus fleet by 2035
Doubled minimum sick leave, bringing benefits to both businesses and employees
Launched the new health system to reduce complexity and ensure better outcomes
Delivered the biggest benefit boost in a generation, to help families with the cost of living
Upgraded almost every state school in the country through the School Investment Package
Took more than 60,000 newly prohibited firearms out of circulation through gun buy-backs and police seizures
Permanently halved the price of public transport for Community Service Cardholders
Established a new Māori Health Authority to improve health outcomes for Māori
Delivered an economy that’s larger now than pre-COVID, following a 1-in-100 year economic shock
Supported more Kiwis into their first homes by increasing income caps on First Home Grants and Loans
Announced greater powers for Police to seize gang assets and make sure that crime doesn’t pay
Put more mental health and wellbeing support online, on the phone and through smart apps
Established Te Arawhiti, the Office for Māori Crown Relations, to help make the Crown a better Treaty partner
Invested significantly in rail, public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure
Made record investments to rebuild our rundown hospitals and health facilities
Launched the Best Start payment, supporting parents with the costs of a newborn
Implementing Fair Pay Agreements, to improve wages and conditions
Delivering better crisis services, through boosts for community crisis teams and co-response teams
Introduced our Healthy Homes Standards, to ensure all rentals are safe, warm and dry
Fixing the Resource Management Act to better protect our environment
Supported 50,000 New Zealanders into the trades through Apprenticeship Boost
Upgrading New Zealand’s water infrastructure, to keep our drinking water safe and beaches clean
Rolled out the National Bowel Screening Programme to the whole country
Introduced new regulations to ensure Kiwis get a fairer deal at the petrol pump
Working towards our goal of having one million New Zealanders speaking te reo Māori by 2040
Introduced a Clean Car Import Standard to reduce emissions and Kiwis’ fuel costs
Expanded the Flexi-wage initiative to support more people into work
Delivered low debt through strong economic management
More than 900 additional full time professionals are now working to support mental wellbeing in the community
Delivered more than 90,000 insulation and heating retrofits in low-income homes through Warmer Kiwi Homes, making homes healthier and reducing power bills
Rolled out free period products for all student across New Zealand, with 2085 schools already involved
Upgraded our free trade agreement with China to build on the significant benefits of the existing deal
Invested in iwi projects through the Provincial Growth Fund, to revitalise our regions
Banned harmful conversion practices to protect the rights of our Rainbow communities
Improved access to healthy, affordable homes through investing in papakāinga and housing repair programmes
Started planting one billion trees, with more than 472 million already in the ground
Launched Te Aorerekura, New Zealand’s first national strategy and action plan to eliminate family violence and sexual violence
Expanded mental health support in schools across the country through the roll-out of Mana Ake
Made it easier for Kiwis to buy their first home by stopping foreign speculators from buying houses here and driving up prices
Boosted student loans and allowances by more than $100 a week
Invested in new radiation machines so more people can get lifesaving cancer treatment close to home
Delivered the largest ever funding boost to primary maternity services, so kids can have the best start in life
Established Aotearoa ki te Ao, a programme of work designed to support Māori trade opportunities
Made it cheaper for families to switch to low emissions vehicles with the Clean Car Discount
Extended the bright-line test to 10 years, to crackdown on speculators and tilt the balance towards first home buyers
Invested in climate and agriculture research and science
Indexed main benefits to average wage growth for the first time in New Zealand’s history, to give those most in need a fair go
Invested significantly in infrastructure to secure our economic recovery
Made the biggest ever investment in family violence and sexual violence support services
Concluded five free trade agreements in the past five years, unlocking new opportunities for Kiwi exporters
Strengthened counterterrorism laws, ensuring tools are available to intervene early and prevent harm
Started work to transform recycling and improve rubbish collection
Phasing out interest deductibility on residential property investments to level the playing field for first home buyers
Overhauled the Emissions Trading Scheme, to more effectively reduce climate-polluting emissions
Banned military-style semi-automatic weapons, magazines and parts
Building new schools and classrooms for 100,000 students
Launched Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People to improve outcomes for Kiwis with disabilities
Ramped up pest control and eradication to help make Aotearoa predator-free by 2050
Cutting costs for businesses by reducing the fees banks charge when customers pay with a credit or debit card
Making it easier for transgender, non-binary and intersex people to change their registered sex on birth certificates
Established Aotearoa ki te Ao, a programme of work designed to support Māori trade opportunities
Reinstated the Training Incentive Allowance for higher-skill courses, supporting around 16,000 people to retrain
Improved rural broadband connectivity, with more than 350 new mobile towers complete and improved access for 80,000 rural homes and businesses
Delivered low unemployment and rising wages
Supported businesses to pilot new low emission transport technology – with more to come
Launched the Better Pathways package to drive down youth crime
Launched and expanded Mana in Mahi, supporting employers to take on more than 5,000 apprentices
Led the Christchurch Call, working internationally to eliminate extremist content online
Funded more public EV chargers around New Zealand
Created more than 9,200 environmental jobs in our regions through our Jobs for Nature programme
Made it easier for people to start careers in mental health and addiction, by funding extra places for registered nurses to specialise in mental health
Supported 30,000 small businesses with digital tools and training to help them grow
Made sure New Zealand history will be taught in all schools and kura by 2023
Boosted funding to help Kiwi growers seize new opportunities and stay ahead of international competitors
Strengthened our health workforce by adding more doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health workers
Increased family support, meaning 346,000 families are better off each week
Taken action to protect endangered Māui and Hector’s dolphins
Changed resource consent rules to cut red tape and boost housing supply
Introduced new regulations to strengthen our animal welfare system
Increased funding for community law centres
Rolling out more than 3,300 kilometres of road safety upgrades through the Safe Network Programme to help save lives
Invested in Te Huia commuter rail service, connecting Waikato and Auckland
Introduced measures to stop predatory lending that often impact low income families
Made changes to how councils set up local wards to ensure Māori communities have a voice at the table
Made the biggest ever investment in family violence and sexual violence support services
Scrapped National Standards, giving teachers more time with students
Invested in regional New Zealand through our Provincial Growth Fund and Regional Strategic Partnership Fund
Declared a climate emergency to accelerate efforts to reduce our emissions
Restored meal and rest breaks for Kiwi workers and strengthened collective bargaining
Phasing out hard-to-recycle plastic items like food and drink packaging
Funded the removal of school donations to ease the pressure on Kiwi families
Extended mental health and wellbeing tools to small businesses across New Zealand
Lifted abatement thresholds so people on a benefit who are working can keep more of what they earn
Delivered the largest ever funding boost for disability support services
Made renting fairer by reforming the Residential Tenancies Act
Set measures and targets for reducing child poverty, enshrining the former into law
Launched the successful Opportunities Grow Here campaign to attract more people to vital food and fibre sector jobs
Launched the Progressive Home Ownership scheme, supporting between 1,500 and 4,000 whānau to step into home ownership
Made the first year of study fees-free
Protected against high-cost loans that trapped families in debt
Established a $300 million venture capital fund to back Kiwi innovation
Supported more than 3,500 rangatahi into employment, education or training through He Poutama Rangatahi
Protecting New Zealand’s beef and dairy sectors by working collaboratively to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis
Quadrupled the size of our Green Investment Fund to help accelerate the use of low-emissions technologies across the economy
Boosted mental health support for around 80,000 university students
Made significant business tax changes to reduce cashflow pressure
Lifted abatement thresholds so people on a benefit who are working can keep more of what they earn
Established the Climate Change Commission to provide independent advice on climate action
Started upgrading schools and hospitals to ensure they run on clean energy
Delivered pay equity for teacher aides
Ramped up pest control programmes to protect farmers and our environment while creating jobs
Working with farmers to deliver on a world-first agreement to measure, price and reduce agricultural emissions
Responded to the March 15 attack with a raft of initiatives to promote inclusion and safety for all New Zealanders
Started work to regulate the residential property management sector, to protect both renters and landlords
Upgraded schools, roads and infrastructure in communities across New Zealand
Expanding the Pregnancy and Parenting Programme, so more women and whānau can access support for alcohol and drug issues
Taken action to protect kauri trees from dieback disease
Banned unfair letting fees and no-cause tenancy terminations
Funded new kaupapa Māori mental health and addiction services
Repealing and replacing the Resource Management Act to simplify and accelerate planning processes
Provided significant humanitarian aid to Ukraine
Strengthened our national animal tracing system to help stamp out the spread of disease and protect our primary sector
Started rolling out the Māori Pathways programme in our prisons, to reduce reoffending and improve outcomes for whānau
Supported ākonga by growing Māori-medium and kaupapa Māori education
Fast-tracked the consenting process for the much-needed rebuild of Dunedin Hospital
Scrapped the sanction cutting benefit income to women who don’t declare the name of their child’s father
Improved regional broadband connectivity, with 500 more marae connected
Restarted contributions to the Super Fund, to help keep superannuation affordable
Boosted funding to Tupu Aotearoa, helping more than 1,000 Pasifika people into employment
Removed abortion from the Crimes Act, to make sure it’s treated as a health issue
Introduced the 105 Police non-emergency number, improving service for the public while taking pressure off 111
Backing more initiatives to boost New Zealand’s food and fibre sector workforce
Boosted funding for suicide prevention and services to support those bereaved by suicide
Started replacing all remaining coal boilers in schools with renewable heating sources, which will reduce carbon emissions by around 35,400 tonnes over 10 years
Stepped up the fight against rheumatic fever, helping 142,000 Kiwis stay warmer and healthier through our Healthy Homes Initiative
Stopped issuing new offshore oil and gas permits
Protected jobs and supported businesses through COVID through the Wage Subsidy, Resurgence Support Payment and Small Business Cashflow Scheme
Continued our commitment to Māori knowledge in science and innovation through Te Pūnaha Hihiko
Introduced new legislation to put New Zealand on a path to a smokefree future
Expanded Childcare Assistance, so more Kiwi families can access this support
Boosted support for kōhanga reo, to ensure kaiako and kaimahi are paid fairly and facilities are in good condition
Boosted funding for adult cochlear implants, ensuring more people can access these life-saving devices
Supported 30,000 small businesses with digital tools and training to help them grow
Put the wellbeing of New Zealanders at the heart of our economic plan
Invested in targeted mental health support for Rainbow young people
Brought back funding for adult night classes, to give more people opportunities to upskill
Invested in technology and research to help more farmers reduce on-farm emissions
Building new rail workshops in Dunedin and Christchurch, creating hundreds of local jobs and supporting apprenticeships
Boosted funding for Whānau Ora to support more whānau in need
Launched a new initiative to boost the Māori and Pasifika midwifery workforce
Lifted the cap on gender affirming surgeries and increased funding for them
Funding a major redevelopment of Scott Base, which will create hundreds of jobs and safeguard our presence in Antarctica
Improved equal pay legislation to give employees in female-dominated occupations a clearer path to pay equity
Strengthened laws for addressing family violence by creating new offences and making victim safety the primary consideration in bail decisions
Passed legislation to stop live exports by sea, to uphold New Zealand’s reputation for high standards of animal welfare
Laid the foundations for a new firearms registry so Police get better information on who has what firearms where