Super & KiwiSaver
Net cost in this area
Four-year net. Bars share one scale. Solid adds to the deficit, light reduces it.
KiwiSaver: compulsory for all workers from 1 Jul 2028 (Government contribution cost)+$385mPartyhigh
National policy doc table: $124.5m 2028/29, $128.4m 2029/30, $132.3m 2030/31 (none in 2027/28). This is the extra Government contribution paid to newly compulsory members. Contributions rise to 6% employee + 6% employer by 2032. Paid from future Budget operating allowances. Annual = 2030/31. 4-yr column covers 2027/28-2030/31; costs start in 2028/29.
SourceKiwiSaver: $1500 Baby Boost and auto-enrolment at birth (from 1 Jul 2027)+$360mPartyhigh
About 60,000 births/yr x $1,500 = $90m/yr, per National. Paid from operating allowances. NZ First has a similar $1,000 policy.
SourceKiwiSaver: compulsion cost to the Crown as employer+$283mPartymedium
National doc: $84.3m 2028/29, $94.2m 2029/30, $104.3m 2030/31. PSA (2 Jul 2026) says the real figure is $4.5b of unfunded extra employer costs for public agencies and funded providers, because the provision only covers workers not already in KiwiSaver. Per National, most agencies would absorb the rest within baselines (as in Budget 2026). Over-65 employer contributions (from 1 Jul 2027) also absorbed in baselines, no cost shown. Annual = 2030/31. The PSA claim is shown in its own independent row (the gap above this figure).
SourceKiwiSaver: Government contribution during paid parental leave (from 1 Jul 2027)+$109mPartyhigh
National doc: $20.1m, $24.6m, $29.6m, $35.0m for 2027/28-2030/31. Modelled as the full employer contribution on PPL payments, less ESCT and the cost of the current matching policy. Annual = 2030/31. The four KiwiSaver rows add to $1,137m over 4 years (RNZ: 'over $1 billion').
SourceRemove tax on KiwiSaver investment earnings+$4.08bPartymedium
ACT year-by-year: 873 (27/28), 965 (28/29), 1067 (29/30), 1177 (30/31); annual = 4-yr average. Announced 4 Oct 2026 at campaign launch. Seymour: reduces revenue by ~$1b/yr. Safeguards against sheltering large portfolios are undefined. No independent costing yet.
SourceEnd KiwiSaver Government Contribution for members receiving employer contributions−$2.59bPartymedium
Herald reports ~$2.6b over 4 yrs. Set to -2586 so the package nets to ACT's stated $2.396b over 4 yrs. Annual = 4-yr average.
SourceRemove tax on earnings in other (non-KiwiSaver) superannuation funds+$900mPartymedium
ACT: $193m in 2027/28; ~$0.9b over 4 yrs (NZ Herald). Annual = 4-yr average.
SourceNZ Super for citizens only from 2029 (3-yr grace period)−$2.14bPartylow
NZF saving estimate as reported by TU. Not on NZF's own release (6 Sep 2026), which gives no figure. Starts 2029, so ~2 of the 4 yrs; annual = 2140/2. Implies most of the >$1b/yr paid to people who became resident at 50+ is saved. Unlikely: most can naturalise during the grace period (Susan St John: 'hard to see any saving'). Note NZF's '$2m a week to 42,000' line implies ~$0.1b, not $1b. NZF's policy to double the citizenship qualifying period to 10 yrs would raise the saving for recent arrivals. Our cross-check: if 10-25% fail to naturalise, -$0.2b to -$0.5b over the window.
SourceKiwiSaver: compulsory for all workers from 1 Jul 2028 (Government contribution cost)+$385mPartyhigh
National policy doc table: $124.5m 2028/29, $128.4m 2029/30, $132.3m 2030/31 (none in 2027/28). This is the extra Government contribution paid to newly compulsory members. Contributions rise to 6% employee + 6% employer by 2032. Paid from future Budget operating allowances. Annual = 2030/31. 4-yr column covers 2027/28-2030/31; costs start in 2028/29.
SourceKiwiSaver: $1500 Baby Boost and auto-enrolment at birth (from 1 Jul 2027)+$360mPartyhigh
About 60,000 births/yr x $1,500 = $90m/yr, per National. Paid from operating allowances. NZ First has a similar $1,000 policy.
SourceKiwiSaver: compulsion cost to the Crown as employer+$283mPartymedium
National doc: $84.3m 2028/29, $94.2m 2029/30, $104.3m 2030/31. PSA (2 Jul 2026) says the real figure is $4.5b of unfunded extra employer costs for public agencies and funded providers, because the provision only covers workers not already in KiwiSaver. Per National, most agencies would absorb the rest within baselines (as in Budget 2026). Over-65 employer contributions (from 1 Jul 2027) also absorbed in baselines, no cost shown. Annual = 2030/31. The PSA claim is shown in its own independent row (the gap above this figure).
SourceKiwiSaver: Government contribution during paid parental leave (from 1 Jul 2027)+$109mPartyhigh
National doc: $20.1m, $24.6m, $29.6m, $35.0m for 2027/28-2030/31. Modelled as the full employer contribution on PPL payments, less ESCT and the cost of the current matching policy. Annual = 2030/31. The four KiwiSaver rows add to $1,137m over 4 years (RNZ: 'over $1 billion').
SourceNothing announced in this area.
Nothing announced in this area.
Remove tax on KiwiSaver investment earnings+$4.08bPartymedium
ACT year-by-year: 873 (27/28), 965 (28/29), 1067 (29/30), 1177 (30/31); annual = 4-yr average. Announced 4 Oct 2026 at campaign launch. Seymour: reduces revenue by ~$1b/yr. Safeguards against sheltering large portfolios are undefined. No independent costing yet.
SourceEnd KiwiSaver Government Contribution for members receiving employer contributions−$2.59bPartymedium
Herald reports ~$2.6b over 4 yrs. Set to -2586 so the package nets to ACT's stated $2.396b over 4 yrs. Annual = 4-yr average.
SourceRemove tax on earnings in other (non-KiwiSaver) superannuation funds+$900mPartymedium
ACT: $193m in 2027/28; ~$0.9b over 4 yrs (NZ Herald). Annual = 4-yr average.
SourceNZ Super for citizens only from 2029 (3-yr grace period)−$2.14bPartylow
NZF saving estimate as reported by TU. Not on NZF's own release (6 Sep 2026), which gives no figure. Starts 2029, so ~2 of the 4 yrs; annual = 2140/2. Implies most of the >$1b/yr paid to people who became resident at 50+ is saved. Unlikely: most can naturalise during the grace period (Susan St John: 'hard to see any saving'). Note NZF's '$2m a week to 42,000' line implies ~$0.1b, not $1b. NZF's policy to double the citizenship qualifying period to 10 yrs would raise the saving for recent arrivals. Our cross-check: if 10-25% fail to naturalise, -$0.2b to -$0.5b over the window.
SourceNothing announced in this area.
Nothing announced in this area.
Tags: Capital one-off spending that adds to debt rather than the annual deficit; Aspirational stated as a goal without a firm commitment; In current plans partly funded in Treasury's PREFU 2026 forecasts already. Change the filters above to include or exclude these.