New Zealand election coalition negotiations

In late June 2026 Labour’s campaign chair Kieran McAnulty told the party’s conference that Labour would not form a government with ACT and deemed a partnership with NZ First “highly unlikely”. He left open the possibility of governing with only one other party, mentioning the Greens as a potential partner and signaling a focus on reclaiming the six Māori electorates held by Te Pāti Māori.

A month later, in late July 2026, National leader Christopher Luxon announced that his party would not work with the Opportunity Party, citing its universal basic income proposal and land‑tax policies as incompatible with National’s stance. While Luxon did not rule out any governing arrangement entirely, he underscored National’s firm position against collaborating with a party promoting those specific reforms. Both statements illustrate the major parties delineating the limits of possible coalition partners as the 2026 general election approaches.