Primer #4 for 2026: Another cost-of-living election?

National won in 2023 by promising to grow GDP, lower inflation & cut mortgage rates. Instead, real incomes stagnated & its policies hiked fees, charges & rates by 20%. Will voters remember in 2026?

National’s pre-election promises to lower inflation and costs appealed to its traditional voter base - and swayed other voters too - but voter concerns about the cost-of-living escalated after the election to the point where Labour was seen as more able to manage living costs than National. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā

Here’s the fourth of six primer…