Pitched as a way to get unemployed New Zealanders back to work by starting building and repair work it says has been put off, Labour's Start Work Now plan would put more than $4 billion into state housing, school upgrades and hospital repairs.

📋 Labour: Start Work Now, September 2026 →

What it does

• $2.9 billion of capital for Kāinga Ora to build state houses, plus $760 million of operating funding for extra Income-Related Rent Subsidy and running costs for Kāinga Ora and community housing providers. Labour says this would deliver at least 6,000 additional social housing places over four years.
• About $450 million for buildings and grounds at more than 2,000 state and integrated schools (around $400 million of capital for state schools and around $50 million of operating funding for integrated school owners), with work starting within 12 to 24 months.
• $200 million of capital for hospital repairs, with Health New Zealand directed to finish the remediation projects already on its books. Labour says only 18 of 152 hospital repair projects had been finished at 31 March 2026.
• An expanded Apprenticeship Boost and Māori Trades Training, which Labour says would support nearly 30,000 apprentices with $1,000 each towards tools and gear.
• Labour says the plan is funded from future operating and capital allowances, with most of the housing operating money falling between 2028 and 2031.

The debate

Labour leader Chris Hipkins and jobs spokesperson Ginny Andersen announced the plan in Hamilton on 24 September 2026, pointing to unemployment at an 11-year high and struggling construction firms. Andersen said the investment would support local businesses and give the construction sector greater certainty. National's campaign chair Simeon Brown said Labour had given no detail about where the money would come from, and argued the party had not delivered past promises such as KiwiBuild and Auckland light rail.