Labour will build the homes, improve the schools and repair the hospitals our communities need - creating good jobs, supporting local businesses, and getting Kiwis back on the tools.
- More than 2,000 schools will receive funding to improve buildings and grounds
- Health New Zealand's hospital repair backlog will be cleared - only 18 of 152 projects were finished as of 31 March 2026
- Kāinga Ora will get building again plus reliable funding for community housing providers
- Nearly 30,000 apprentices will receive $1,000 towards tools and gear to get started
- Fully funded and ready to start within a year of taking office
This election is about the cost of living. The cost of living is not only about what you pay at the checkout or when you fill up the car. It is also about whether you have a good job and enough money coming in to cover the bills.
That is why good jobs are at the heart of Labour's plan to address the cost of living.
National promised to fix the cost of living. It hasn't. Everything costs more, unemployment has gone up, and well-paid, secure work has become harder to find. Another three years of National means more cuts, fewer jobs and higher prices.
New Zealanders deserve a fair shot: secure work, decent public services and the chance to build a good life close to family.
But right now, 171,000 New Zealanders are out of work. Since National took office, 20,000 people have lost their jobs in construction. Unemployment is now at an 11-year high. Building firms are struggling and skilled Kiwis are leaving the country.
At the same time, homes need building, schools need improving and hospitals need fixing.
Labour will bring those things together. We will get people back on the tools by getting on with the work New Zealand needs. We will also expand Apprenticeship Boost and introduce Māori Trades Training to train more people for skilled jobs in the trades.
We'll create jobs by starting work that has been put off for too long. This is practical work that communities need: building homes, improving classrooms and repairing hospitals.
National has put work on hold while unemployment has gone up. Labour will start the work now.
What Labour will deliver
Better schools
Improvements at more than 2,000 state and integrated schools, with work for local firms in towns and cities across New Zealand.
Better hospitals
Long-overdue repairs so hospital buildings are safe, reliable and fit for patients and staff.
More social housing
More secure homes for families and more work for builders, electricians, plumbers, engineers and apprentices.
More work for local businesses
Useful projects that help local businesses and tradies and create jobs.
Back more people to learn a trade
Support more tradies into work and to gain a qualification, so they can earn more.
How we'll do it
A Labour Government will get essential building and repair work under way quickly. We will focus on the work that needs doing now, not make big promises that take years to start.
Homes
- Build more social housing. We'll get Kāinga Ora building again.
- Back community housing providers. We'll provide reliable funding so community providers can plan ahead, alongside a government guarantee that reduces borrowing costs and helps funding go further.
Schools
Improve schools across New Zealand. We will provide nearly every school with funding to improve its buildings and grounds, creating work for local builders, electricians, plumbers and other tradespeople.
Schools will be able to improve classrooms, heating, plumbing, drainage, playgrounds and sports facilities. The work will begin in 12 to 24 months, getting people into work quickly.
Hospitals
- Clear the hospital repair backlog. We will direct Health New Zealand to finish the remediation projects already on its books.
- Keep hospitals safe and reliable. Once that work is completed, Labour will invest to fix more hospital buildings and essential systems.
Apprenticeships
Train the next generation. Apprenticeship Boost and Māori Trades Training will back local businesses to take people on and train them.
Labour will support nearly 30,000 apprentices and provide $1,000 towards the tools and equipment they need to get started.
National isn't working
Unemployment is at an 11-year high. Under National, 20,000 construction workers have lost their jobs.
National has cancelled, paused and delayed work. Good firms have lost contracts. Tradespeople have lost hours. Young New Zealanders are wondering whether they have a better future in Australia.
But the work that needs doing has not gone away. Delaying it only makes the problems worse and the eventual bill bigger.
We need to stop delaying the work and get on with it.
Why the work cannot wait
This work is also part of Labour's plan to address the cost of living. It will create good jobs and reliable incomes now, while fixing problems before they become more expensive.
New Zealand needs more homes. Building them gives families security and puts people to work in every part of the country.
A third of school buildings are more than 50 years old. Schools have classrooms, heating, plumbing, playgrounds and other facilities that need attention now.
Health New Zealand looks after about 1,200 buildings with an average age of 47 years. But it spends only around half as much on upkeep as comparable organisations.
At 31 March 2026, only 18 of 152 hospital repair projects had been finished. Another 55 had not moved beyond the early planning stage.
Delaying this work can hit New Zealanders twice. It means fewer jobs and less money coming into households now, followed by a bigger repair bill later.
Putting the work off does not save money. It costs more later and leaves communities with buildings that are not good enough.
Good work builds strong communities
When a local building firm wins a contract, the benefit spreads.
Tradies get hours. Suppliers receive orders. Apprentices learn a trade. People can cover their bills with a little left over to spend in local shops and businesses.
That is what a good government should do: invest public money carefully, support decent work and leave communities stronger.
Labour will back local firms, give apprentices a start and create good jobs in the communities that need them.
Fully funded, ready to start in a year
Labour has funded this plan and will use proven ways of getting the work under way. This plan will be funded from future operating and capital allowances.
Education package
We will allocate around $450 million to improve the physical environment of New Zealand schools, made up of around $400 million in capital funding for state schools and around $50 million in operating funding for the proprietors of integrated schools, allocated on a similar basis.
Health package
We will allocate $200 million in capital for the National Remediation Programme and the Small-Scale Remediation projects.
Housing package
We will allocate $2.9 billion of capital for Kāinga Ora to build more state houses. It also allocates $745 million in operating funding to cover the additional Income-Related Rent Subsidy and operating costs for Kāinga Ora and Community Housing Providers.
Labour will invest and get on with the job.
What will Labour build under this policy?
Labour will build more social housing through Kāinga Ora, improve more than 2,000 state and integrated schools, clear the hospital repair backlog, and support nearly 30,000 apprentices into the trades.
How many jobs and apprentices will this create?
Labour will support nearly 30,000 apprentices and provide $1,000 towards the tools and gear they need to get started, alongside creating construction and trades work for local builders, electricians, plumbers, engineers and other tradespeople across housing, schools and hospitals.
What will happen to schools under this policy?
Nearly every school will receive funding to improve its buildings and grounds, including classrooms, heating, plumbing, drainage, playgrounds and sports facilities. Work will begin within 12 to 24 months, and more than 2,000 state and integrated schools will benefit.
What will happen to hospitals under this policy?
Labour will direct Health New Zealand to finish the remediation projects already on its books, clearing the existing repair backlog. Once that work is completed, Labour will invest to fix more hospital buildings and essential systems.
What will happen to housing under this policy?
Labour will get Kāinga Ora building social housing again, and provide reliable, guaranteed funding for community housing providers so they can plan ahead and reduce their borrowing costs.
How much will this cost and how is it funded?
The plan is funded from future operating and capital allowances.
For the education package, we will allocate $450 million to improve the physical environment of New Zealand schools, made up of $400 million in capital funding for state schools and around $50 million in operating funding for the proprietors of integrated schools, allocated on a similar basis.
When will the work start?
Within one year of taking office.
Why does Labour say this work can't wait?
A third of school buildings are more than 50 years old.
Health New Zealand looks after around 1,200 buildings with an average age of 47 years but spends only around half as much on upkeep as comparable organisations. At 31 March 2026, only 18 of 152 hospital repair projects had been finished, and 55 had not moved beyond early planning.
Delaying this work costs more later and leaves communities with buildings that aren't good enough, while also meaning fewer jobs now.
Build homes. Fix schools. Repair hospitals. Get Kiwis back on the tools.
Better starts now.
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