The Green Party has released its economic development plan, which it says would drive “higher wages, sustained research and innovation, better education, resilient infrastructure, healthy nature and a country we can be proud of”.
Get the latest from the election trail at our live updates.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the party’s investment in transport, clean energy and “genuinely fixing the basics and building the future” will create an additional 64,000 jobs, on top of Treasury’s 220,000 forecast in PREFU 2026 over the next four years.
The economic development plan included:
- Innovation Boost: Rescope Investment Boost to focus on incentivising productive investment that aligns with industry policy objectives, decarbonisation, and decent work principles.
- Mission Fellowships: Support stable public science and workforce capability by establishing industry policy objectives-linked fellowships for early- and mid-career researchers and technical specialists.
- Idea to Export Pathway: Create a coordinated funding and commercialisation pathway that helps New Zealand innovators move from business experimentation and research through to validation, commercialisation, and scaling.
- Science Rebuild: Restore core science operating funding lost through the Coalition Government’s Budget cuts to work towards the goal of aligning our R&D spend to 3% of GDP.
- Back Kiwi-Made: Use public purchasing power to support good New Zealand solutions.
- Tertiary Innovation Boost: Boost funding for tertiary research, innovation, and capacity (including restoring funding for initiatives like the centres of vocational excellence).
“We will rescope the directionless Investment Boost, which even BusinessNZ’s survey showed has overwhelmingly not ‘positively influenced’ investment in productivity-enhancing assets, to instead drive research and development towards 3% of GDP. 2% is considered the international benchmark for a competitive economy. We’re currently languishing at 1.5%,” Swarbrick said.
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said there was “no shortage of talent, creativity and hard work in this beautiful country”.
“Whether it’s in a South Auckland garage or a lab in Otago. What’s missing is the masterplan to turn it into good jobs, higher wages, and a fairer economy.
“We will back New Zealanders who want to solve real problems by funding public science and workforce capability through our new Mission Fellowships. Using industry objectives linked to fellowships for early and mid-career researchers and technical specialists, we will reignite our innovation system,” Davidson said.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including why Auckland Transport might owe you money, and how a cyber attack shut down hundreds of supermarket fridges. (Source: Breakfast)
SHARE ME