NZ First
New Zealand First
GoverningCoalition partner Founded 1993
Leader / Deputy Prime Minister
Winston Peters
Populist, nationalist party and coalition partner in the current government
8
Seats
6.5% of 123
Overview
New Zealand First is a populist party with a strong nationalist and sovereigntist orientation, led by veteran politician Winston Peters. Founded in 1993, NZ First is known for its focus on regional New Zealand, senior citizens, and controlling foreign ownership of New Zealand assets. The party returned to parliament in 2023 and joined the National-led coalition government.
History
Winston Peters founded NZ First in 1993 after being dismissed from the National cabinet. The party has been a significant coalition-maker in New Zealand politics, having supported both National (1996–1999, 2017 negotiations) and Labour (2017–2020) governments. After failing to return to parliament in 2020, NZ First made a comeback in 2023 with 8 seats.
Founded in 1993 by Winston Peters following his departure from the National Party
Core values
New Zealand sovereignty — NZ owned and NZ controlled
Regional development and investment outside the main centres
Supporting New Zealand's senior citizens
Controlling foreign ownership of New Zealand land and assets
A strong New Zealand Defence Force
Controlled and managed immigration settings
Where they stand
Tap an issue to read NZ First’s position on it, in our words with their source. 7 of 11 topics have a recorded position.
NZ First on Economy
Break up concentrated markets, and expand state and citizen ownership.
NZ First’s current campaign is built on breaking up markets it says are too concentrated — power and supermarkets — and putting more assets back in New Zealand hands, including buying back the Bank of New Zealand and enrolling every citizen in KiwiSaver from birth.
What they say they'll do
- Break up power companies into separate generators and retailers to increase competition and lower electricity prices
- Introduce legislation to split Foodstuffs into two competing cooperatives and strengthen Commerce Commission enforcement powers over supermarkets
- Buy back the Bank of New Zealand from National Australia Bank and merge it with Kiwibank to form a Crown-owned 'National Bank of New Zealand'
- Establish a New Zealand Future Fund of up to $100 billion to invest in long-term infrastructure
- Invest $1 billion in a National Subsurface Development Survey to identify offshore oil, gas and geothermal resources
- Return 50% of mining royalties directly to the region from which they came, and reopen the School of Mines
Who this affects
Households paying power bills
The policy to split power companies into generators and retailers aims to increase competition, which NZ First says would reduce electricity prices for homes and businesses.
Grocery shoppers and food producers
Breaking up Foodstuffs and strengthening the Grocery Commissioner's powers is intended to increase competition at the supermarket level and improve conditions for suppliers along the supply chain.
Bank customers and small businesses
A merged Crown-owned bank combining BNZ and Kiwibank would be positioned to compete with the four major Australian-owned banks, with a stated focus on lending to agriculture, infrastructure, and small to medium enterprises.
Regional communities where mining occurs
Half of any royalties from mining in a region would be returned to that region to fund local infrastructure, water services, transport, and housing development.
Newborns and their families
Compulsory KiwiSaver enrolment at birth with an automatic $1,000 Crown contribution for New Zealand citizens would give every child a savings account from day one.
Older migrants and superannuitants
From 2029, only New Zealand citizens would be eligible for NZ Superannuation, affecting permanent residents who are not citizens.
In their own words
“Four Australian owned banks control around 85 percent of the system. They lend our deposits back to us at margins that are materially higher than those earned by their parent groups in Australia.”
“We will establish a "New Zealand Future Fund" of up to $100 Billion to invest solely in a multi-decade infrastructure build, to ensure our future infrastructure security and to enable future economic growth and social enablement.”
“New Zealand First has announced its campaign policy that will see 50% of any royalties gained from mining to be directly returned to the region from which it came – not Wellington.”
Summarised neutrally from NZ First’s own official policy (as at 2026-09-07) and checked by an editor. Nothing is paraphrased without the source linked. Read the original ↗ Arapono is non-partisan. Compare all parties on Economy →
Legislative record this term
54th Parliament · as at 16 September 2026
9
Government bills passed into law
10
Government bills led (incl. in progress)
0
Members’ bills passed
As a governing party, NZ First’s ministers lead government legislation. Government bills are the coalition’s collective programme, counted here by the party of the minister in charge rather than as one party’s alone. NZ First also has 4 members’ bills in the ballot.
At a glance
0 electorate 8 list
Total seats8
Electorate seats0
List seats8
Share of House6.5%
Founded1993
Latest coverage
News and video mentioning NZ First, from the sources on our coverage page.
In the news
Luxon praises Erica Stanford after Winston Peters demands immigration portfolioStuff · 13 SepACT and NZ First pitch tighter immigration controls, others warn against anti-immigration policiesRNZ · 11 SepCabinet approval wasn’t sought before Winston Peters offered for New Zealand to host Pacific Islands ForumNZ Herald · 11 SepElection 2026: Major parties speak about issues affecting seniors at Grey Power election meetingNZ Herald · 11 SepWatch: Winston Peters sings Johnny Cash, complains about ‘woke’ station names at CRL openingStuff · 10 Sep
All news On video
Can’t afford KiwiSaver right now? Labour says your boss should still…NZ Herald — Herald NOW / Ryan Bridge · 14 SepWe have to run the economy for all New Zealanders.NZ First · 14 SepWinston Peters On NZ First’s New Immigration PolicyThe Platform · 13 SepWinston Peters speaks in TakapunaNZ First · 13 Sep
Sources
Seat counts from the 2023 General Election (Electoral Commission). Party background from parliament.nz and official party records. Leadership verified against the parliament.nz member roster.