Brown declines to explain National's coalition costs, demands Labour's

National's campaign chair, Simeon Brown, addressed the media on 28 October 2026. RNZ reported that he declined to explain what National's coalition arrangements would cost, while demanding that Labour's costs be set out.

The general election is on 7 November. A coalition is an agreement between parties to form a government, and in an election campaign those deals are a common line of questioning. The New Zealand Herald reported that National wants Labour to front up on its coalition deal with the Greens. National has not said what it would give ACT and NZ First, the parties it would also need to work with, the Herald reported.

National has put a series of figures against Labour's policies. On 3 October, National said Labour had pledged to raise New Zealand's foreign aid to 0.7% of gross national income, the country's total income. National put the cost of that pledge at about $6.5 billion.

On 5 October, National said Labour's fiscal plan, the government's plan for spending and revenue, contained $10.5 billion of unallocated funding over the next four years. Unallocated means money not yet assigned to a specific purpose. The same day, National described Labour's transport plan as having a $3.2 billion hole.

On 6 October, National reported a $2.2 billion gap between official Budget costings and the savings Labour claimed it would make by cancelling Investment Boost.

National has also set out its own fiscal plan. On 12 October, it said the plan puts lowering debt first, aims for a surplus in 2028/29, and protects frontline services.

Labour's candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau, the Auckland Māori electorate, is Kerrin Leoni. A video has emerged showing Ms Leoni campaigning alongside members of the Mongrel Mob, a gang, according to RNZ and the New Zealand Herald. Oriini Kaipara said Ms Leoni had also visited a Mongrel Mob pad. Labour denied that claim.