Why Should You Vote National?

In the run-up to the 2026 election, Salient is interviewing all the major parties to understand their responses to the issues students face. Here, former Vic student and National’s youngest MP Tom Rutherford pitches National.

What is the biggest challenge facing students in New Zealand in 2026?

Without a doubt it's cost of living and the state of the economy. I think students are under pressure and we shouldn't pretend otherwise. Over the last three years rents have started stabilizing—and in some parts of the country, coming down—which is a really positive outcome that our government has achieved. Aside from the cost of living, mental health is also one of the biggest issues facing young New Zealanders today. 

So what is National proposing to support students?

National will let Kiwis with student loans in New Zealand keep more on payday by reducing the compulsory student loan repayment rate from 12% to 10%. This means an accountant starting out on $75,000 a year will keep an extra $39 a fortnight ($1,000 a year), or a junior doctor earning about $100,000 will keep $58 a fortnight ($1,500 a year).

We’re going to do this by getting tougher on overseas-based borrowers who make no attempt to repay their loan. They certainly know they've got a loan, but they're making no attempt to repay it, so we’ll be introducing new financial penalties, restricted KiwiSaver withdrawals and tighter arrest settings. This will reward graduates who choose to stay in New Zealand and while also pursuing those who leave and default.

Does this policy help students currently studying now?

Yes. The policy will come into effect from April 1 next year, so if you’re a student who is in your final year, this will have a positive impact on you from next year. We know for many young professionals, student loan repayments are one of the biggest regular deductions and so we’re focused on helping them keep what they earn. 

And it’s not necessarily just for when you graduate. Student loan repayments start when you earn over $24,128 per year. So when I was studying, and I had a full-time summer job, some years I was reaching the threshold, some years I wasn’t.

Students are currently the only beneficiary group not eligible for the winter energy payment. Is this something National would change?

We haven’t said we will broaden the winter energy payment’s scope, but our policy has been to retain it both in 2023 and now. This is useful feedback though which I can absolutely take on board back to the party however and I’m absolutely open to considering broadening the scope as part of future considerations.  

Why hasn’t it been a consideration?

We’ve got lots of things in front us to consider at the moment. Obviously times are tough for a lot of people, including students, and we’ve got quite a strong fiscal envelope we have to work in. So we need to ensure our spending is targeted in the best possible way, and with students our focus is on the repayments policy right now. 

In 2023, a two-zone trip on Metlink cost a tertiary student $1.13 at peak time. Currently it costs $2.63, an increase of 132 percent. 50 percent of students get to Vic by public transport; how will NZ First reduce this financial burden?

When I was at Victoria, I, like most students, either took a car or walked. So I, and we as a government, know how important having strong public transport in Wellington is. But ultimately, the cost of taking the bus is set by council rather than government. Still, we in our previous three budgets have put significant investment into public transport. So we are acutely aware of the increases but we don’t have a commitment of unwinding said costs—those are set by Metlink. 

You said you've done significant investment in public transport, but you also removed half price fares and I told regional councils to increase the private share, to increase the amount the user pays on for public transport trips [to reduce the percentage central government covers]. How do those two things gel? 

We as a government have always been big supporters of user pay models because, rather than burdening the entire rate payer with a cost or a service which they may or may not use, it puts the onus on the person utilizing it. But I come back to the point on how we have invested significantly into public transport, alternative modes of travel for people to utilize, and I’m really proud of what we've delivered in that space.

What have you delivered?

Significant investment into things like public transport, not just into public transport, but also our roads of national significance across the country as well. Transport and infrastructure has been a real priority for us as a government and I’m really proud of what we've achieved.

Okay, but when you say you've delivered significant investment in public transport, what have the results of that investment been?

Well, it's been more money to the front line so we can have greater investment into public transport, not just here in Wellington, but across New Zealand. We've done a really great amount of work there.

Okay, so what is the result of that investment? Are we seeing more services?

How do you mean? 

What has that investment resulted in on the ground?

The government provides more than $50 million annually in targeted public transport subsidies. This includes reduced fares for, say, community service card holders through Community Connect. Reliable public transport isn't a luxury, and it's how many students get to lectures, part-time jobs, placements, and more. And we've made a record investment in transport, including roads, rail, and public transport, because a growing country like ours needs infrastructure that can keep up.

Between 2014 and 2024, the amount course fees could rise each year was between 2 and 2.8 percent. In 2025 and 2026, course fees were allowed to rise by 6 percent. If elected, what would your policy on course fees be?

I don't think students want politicians pretending like costs don't exist, right? Our challenge is both making sure education stays accessible, and the quality of it remains high. I do understand why students are concerned about rising course costs. But the reality is universities and tertiary providers have also faced significant cost pressures in recent years, and the government increased tertiary education subsidies in priority areas. Importantly, students still continue to have access to things like interest free student loans, student allowances and those support mechanisms.

So that's not something you have interest in advocating for?

I think the view from ministers at the time was that fees had lagged behind inflation and the universities were facing significant cost pressures. The fee increase was proposed alongside increased government investment in tertiary education to help maintain the quality of teaching and learning. I accept students are feeling the pressure, but it’s also important we maintain the quality of our universities. 

These course fee rises have come with the removal of final year fees-free. Is that 

something National wants to bring back? 

The evidence showed fees-free wasn’t achieving its goals. It didn't significantly increase participation in tertiary education. It didn't help more disadvantaged young people get into university. And already taxpayers subsidize around 80% of tertiary education costs. So we’ve redirected the funding into areas where we believe it can have a stronger impact. 

Wellington’s unemployment rate is at 6.3 percent, but for those aged between 15 and 24 it is 8.4 percent. There are ten thousand fewer jobs in Wellington than there were last election, and the government is looking to remove 8700 public sector jobs, which would disproportionately affect Wellington. Right now, what incentive is there for a graduate to stay in Wellington?

I absolutely acknowledge it’s been really difficult for people, I’m not one to tell people to suck eggs, it’s been a really challenging environment. We’ve put significant investment into creating economic growth here in New Zealand and Wellington. There will be 220 thousand additional jobs with our focus. Things are difficult for people, but we are doing absolutely everything we can to create future opportunities for students once they graduate. 

How many of those 220,000 jobs would be in Wellington?

Sorry Dan, I can’t give you an exact figure there. But you did ask a question about how you retain people in Wellington. I absolutely understand why students and young people are concerned when they see the unemployment rate where it is, and then they hear about things like public sector job losses that you mentioned, right? 

I lived in Wellington for six years when I was studying and then had my first job out of university as this is a city of innovators, entrepreneurs, technology firms, creatives, and skilled workers. So our focus really has to be on creating the conditions for new jobs, higher wages and private sector growth so young people can build their future here rather than feeling like they have to leave to get ahead.

Access to mental health addiction services for young people has declined—there are 5000 fewer people receiving care than five years ago. How would ACT address the gap between demand for mental health care and the services available? 

I’m really proud of how we have had the first ever Minister of Mental Health in New Zealand as part of our government; it’s been a really big priority of ours. Our government mental health plan has three clear priorities: faster access to support, more frontline workers and a better crisis response. I’m never going to say we’ve solved everything there but we are making really positive progress about investing in the frontline so that there is more support available across the country. 

Couple of stats for you: 77.8% of people are now accessing primary mental health support within one week. We’ve improved youth access to specialist services. Since coming to government, the frontline mental health workforce has grown by 11%, while the child and adolescent workforce has grown by 19%. We’ve funded the organization Gumboot Friday, and thousands more young people now have access to free counselling thanks to this. We’ve also supported community-led organizations through the Mental Health Innovation Fund, the Sir John Kirwan Foundation, and Youth One-Stop Shop. Ultimately, we want there to be someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go when a young person needs help. 

Thank you so much, Tom.

Thanks, Dan. 

Next week: Why Should You Vote Green? 

Read all of our Why Should You Vote? articles at salient.org.nz