Election 2026: The Parties respond to Hnry’s Sole Trader Agenda

We asked New Zealand’s political parties where they stand on five measures supporting sole traders.

Jump to the scorecard ↓

What is the Sole Trader Agenda?

Around 400,000 New Zealand sole traders contribute roughly $78 billion to the economy every year. Yet they’re often left to navigate systems built for employees or larger businesses.


In September, we published Decision ’26: Sole Trader Agenda, with five practical policy asks informed by our sole trader community:

1. Give sole traders a fairer KiwiSaver deal
Review KiwiSaver incentives for self-employed New Zealanders, including:

  • Increasing government contributions
  • Introducing tax incentives for voluntary contributions
  • Making it easier for sole traders to save flexibly when their income fluctuates

2. Modernise the tax system for sole traders
Raise the GST threshold to a minimum of $80,000, simplify tax administration for sole traders, and regularly review GST and other tax thresholds so they keep pace with changing economic conditions.

3a. Consider the cumulative cost of working for yourself
Require a sole-trader impact assessment before introducing or increasing taxes, levies, or fees. Consider targeted tax or fee relief where these costs compound the disadvantages of self-employment.

3b. Minimum earnings for platform workers (part of ask 3)
Where a third-party platform effectively controls what a sole trader can charge, consider a minimum earnings standard that ensures they can earn a reasonable living after unavoidable work-related costs.

4. Back sole traders to upskill
Make government-supported training, upskilling and professional development accessible to sole traders, with eligibility and delivery that recognise how they work.

5. Help sole traders build stronger businesses
Make existing business growth support, capability programmes, and targeted assistance accessible and relevant to sole traders.

What we did

We asked all parties currently in Parliament, and those polling over 5%, to respond to the agenda. Seven parties responded in total. Some proposed policies designed for sole traders, while others pointed to broader small-business policies.


We’ve rated each party’s response against each ask. Where a party didn’t address an ask in its response, we’ve referred to its published policy, current as at 7 October 2026.

The scorecard

These are summaries of the responses provided to Hnry and are not an endorsement or assessment of any political party.

Key

  • Committed

    A firm commitment that meets the ask.

  • Partial or supports

    A policy that partly meets the ask, or vocal support without a firm commitment.

  • Opposes

    Rejects the ask.

  • Did not address

    Did not respond to this ask, or gave a non-committal answer, such as only offering to consider it.

  • Labour

    • KiwiSaver: Partial or supports
    • GST and tax: Committed
    • Cumulative costs: Partial or supports
    • Platform workers: Did not address
    • Upskilling: Partial or supports
    • Business support: Partial or supports

  • Green Party

    • KiwiSaver: Partial or supports
    • GST and tax: Partial or supports
    • Cumulative costs: Partial or supports
    • Platform workers: Partial or supports
    • Upskilling: Partial or supports
    • Business support: Partial or supports

  • Te Pāti Māori

    • KiwiSaver: Partial or supports
    • GST and tax: Partial or supports
    • Cumulative costs: Partial or supports
    • Platform workers: Did not address
    • Upskilling: Partial or supports
    • Business support: Partial or supports

  • ACT

    • KiwiSaver: Partial or supports
    • GST and tax: Partial or supports
    • Cumulative costs: Partial or supports
    • Platform workers: Did not address
    • Upskilling: Opposes
    • Business support: Opposes

  • The Opportunity Party

    • KiwiSaver: Partial or supports
    • GST and tax: Did not address
    • Cumulative costs: Partial or supports
    • Platform workers: Partial or supports
    • Upskilling: Partial or supports
    • Business support: Partial or supports

  • New Zealand First

    • KiwiSaver: Did not address
    • GST and tax: Did not address
    • Cumulative costs: Did not address
    • Platform workers: Did not address
    • Upskilling: Partial or supports
    • Business support: Did not address

  • National

    • KiwiSaver: Did not address
    • GST and tax: Partial or supports
    • Cumulative costs: Partial or supports
    • Platform workers: Did not address
    • Upskilling: Partial or supports
    • Business support: Partial or supports

Parties are listed in a randomised order.

Read the five priorities in Hnry’s Sole Trader Agenda

Read the Sole Trader Agenda

More of our advocacy work

Go on, do it!

Let Hnry sort your taxes, so you can focus on what you do best

Join Now