Economy · Party position

Alliance on Economy

Tax wealth not work; public ownership and full employment for all

The Alliance wants to make the first $20,000 of income tax-free, paid for by a new tax on wealth over $2 million. It wants a 35-hour working week with no pay cut, full employment, and stronger rights for workers and unions. It also wants to bring key services like electricity, rail, ports, and shipping back into public ownership, create a publicly owned Development Bank, give the Reserve Bank a full employment goal, and support small businesses through lower-cost finance, fairer payment terms, and stronger competition rules.

What they say they'll do

Make the first $20,000 of income completely tax-free for all earners
Introduce a wealth tax on individual net wealth above $2 million and restructure the tax base so the burden falls on concentrated, accumulated wealth rather than productive small enterprises
Reduce the standard working week to 35 hours with no loss in pay and five weeks of annual leave
Progressively buy back strategic assets and restore public ownership of electricity, rail, ports, coastal shipping, water, and telecommunications; repeal and replace the State Owned Enterprises Act; move Air New Zealand to full public ownership; and establish a State shipping line as part of a 100-percent publicly owned, integrated freight and passenger network
Give the Reserve Bank three equal objectives — price stability, full employment, and economic development — and establish a Productive Economy Funding Programme providing lower-cost finance for renewable energy, higher-value exports, housing, and Māori enterprise
Establish Work Councils in workplaces with more than 50 workers and elected Worker Directors in enterprises employing more than 250 workers
Establish a Pay Equity Bureau to monitor and enforce pay equity, and treat wage theft as theft with effective enforcement and meaningful penalties

Who this affects

wage and salary earners

The first $20,000 of income would be tax-free, meaning workers on modest incomes keep more of what they earn each year.

households paying electricity bills

The electricity system — generation, transmission, distribution, and retail — would be brought under full public ownership with the goal of more affordable power.

workers and union members

The standard working week would be reduced to 35 hours with no loss of pay, strike laws would be eased, and workers in larger firms would gain formal representation through Work Councils and elected Worker Directors.

small businesses

The party proposes low-cost finance, fairer payment terms, support for cooperatives and employee buy-outs, and stronger competition rules aimed at small businesses.

businesses seeking finance for productive investment

A Productive Economy Funding Programme would channel lower-cost finance into renewable energy, new housing, higher-value exports, and Māori enterprise through participating banks.

In their own words

“The Alliance's Putting Our Money to Work policy would give the Reserve Bank three objectives of equal standing: price stability, full employment, and economic development.”

“The Alliance today launched its Public Ownership and Economic Democracy Policy, a "reverse privatisation" programme to progressively buy back strategic assets that were sold and protect those that remain publicly owned.”

“We will treat wage theft as theft. We will advance legislation for corporate homicide and corporate manslaughter.”

Verify at Alliance — official policy page

Summarised neutrally from Alliance’s own official policy (as at 2026-10-26) and checked by an editor. Nothing is paraphrased without the source linked. Read the original ↗ Politika is non-partisan. Compare all parties on Economy →

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Alliance on Economy

What they say they'll do

Who this affects

In their own words

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