Labour has unveiled its 2026 election slogan, "Better Starts Now", pitching itself to voters as the alternative to what leader Chris Hipkins called "three more years of cuts, more division, more pain and higher costs".
Hipkins framed November's election as a choice about the country's direction, while speaking on the front lawn of a Summerfield home in Christchurch.
"Better is possible, and better starts now," he said, alongside several local candidates.
"We need change if we want better as a country."
He said Labour's campaign centred on the cost of living, jobs, healthcare and housing.
"New Zealanders want to see a government that's focused on the things that matter most to them: more affordable household bills, making sure your own hard work pays off, making sure that every New Zealander can access healthcare when they need it, and making sure that everybody has a place to call home," Hipkins said.
Hipkins said Labour had already set out policies across those areas, with more to come, and issued a direct appeal to voters.
"If you want a country that's better, a country that's your kids are going to want to stay in and make their future in, you need to vote for change at this election, because three more years of this government means three more years of cuts, three more years of pain, three more years of high costs."
Leader Chris Hipkins framed November's election as a choice about the country's direction. (Source: 1News)
He also took aim at National's rival catch-cry announced on Sunday, "no new taxes", which he said the party could not stand behind.
"The National Party can't be trusted on anything. Some of the taxes that they're now saying they don't want to do, they've already done in this year's Budget," he said.
Hipkins cited the bank levy in this year's Budget, a cap on charitable donation tax rebates that ACT's David Seymour has said he will scrap, and commitments from NZ First leader Winston Peters to reverse foreign affairs cuts and renationalise BNZ.
He also questioned where ACT's $2 billion for new cancer hospitals would come from.
"It's about time they started to explain how they're going to make their own numbers add up," Hipkins said.
The slogan follows Labour's 2023 tagline In It For You, Let's Keep Moving in 2020, and Let's Do This in 2017. National has been campaigning on Fix The Basics, Build The Future, after running on Get New Zealand Back On Track at the 2023 election.
National campaign chairperson Simeon Brown released a statement shortly after Labour's set-piece announcement this morning.
"Better Starts Now is the closest thing to a confession we will ever get from Chris Hipkins, because with ten weeks until the election, he had better start now," he said.
"Christopher Luxon has spent months on the Building the Future Tour, listening to thousands of New Zealanders at public meetings in halls and community centres from one end of the country to the other.
"Meanwhile, Chris Hipkins has been nowhere to be seen. The choice is clear this election.
"National is promising no new taxes so Kiwis can keep more of what they earn. Labour is promising more taxes to fund its spending addiction.
"National has spent three years listening to New Zealanders and delivering a long-term plan to fix the basics and build the future. Labour has spent three years dreaming up taxes, and now a slogan.
"New Zealanders do not need to imagine Labour's version of better, because they have already lived it. Six years, $120 billion more debt, new taxes, a cost-of-living crisis, and mortgage rates through the roof."
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