About

Background

While the Government has a real-world impact on our daily lives, many young people are still missing out on the opportunity to have a say in who represents us in Parliament. At the 2023 General Election, around one in four 18–24 year olds were not enrolled to vote, and only 57% of eligible 18–24 year olds cast a vote. By comparison, 92% of people aged 65 and over voted.

Research tells us there are a number of reasons young people don’t participate in the General Elections. These include:

·      a lack of information about political parties and what they stand for
·      a lack of understanding of the Government’s importance and relevance.

On the Fence is a gameful questionnaire created to lower these barriers. It guides participants through a series of political questions, which are then compared with responses provided by the political parties. Based on this comparison, the tool ranks the user’s level of compatibility with each party.

Through this process, On the Fence helps young New Zealanders understand what governments do and explore which political parties share their values. We hope it sparks conversations about politics with friends and family, encourages users to find out more about the parties and their policies, and helps them feel more confident making their own decision about who to vote for.

Why should I care?

The Government has a real impact on your everyday life. It shapes your country’s present and future. Voting in the General Election is a powerful way for you to influence who is responsible for making decisions about the services and issues that matter most to you. It’s an opportunity to have your say!

Which parties are included?

Our criteria for party inclusion in On the Fence 2026 is:

Parties must be registered with the Electoral Commission and be currently in Parliament or polling at 1% at the beginning of August 2026. A full list of parties seeking your vote is available at elections.nz.

How does it work?

All political parties that met our inclusion criteria were asked to respond to the same questions as users. These responses form the algorithm that underpins the questionnaire and enable On the Fence to calculate the level of compatibility between users’ responses and those of each party. Using the same questions and process for every participating party minimises potential bias.

The party responses are fully transparent under your results, so you can see where each party positioned itself on every question. To find out more about specific party policies, use the links provided to visit the party websites.

How were the questions formed?

The core issues and questions for On the Fence 2026 draw off those used in earlier versions, which were co-designed with the assistance of youth-focused organisations and apolitical issues-based NGOs. The questions were moderated and peer-reviewed by Professor Richard Shaw, a Professor of Politics at Massey University.

Who's behind On the Fence?

On the Fence 2026 is brought to you by Toi Āria: Design for Public Good, a research cluster within Massey University’s College of Creative Arts, and developed in collaboration with Effect.

On the Fence 2026 builds on the work and contribution of the many students, researchers, alumni and collaborators who have helped shape the project over the years. Originally created as a Massey student project, On the Fence was further developed and refined by the Design+Democracy Project for the 2014, 2017 and 2020 elections, with the aim of making political participation more accessible and engaging for young New Zealanders.

Special thanks to the McGuinness Institute, Te Hononga Waka, whose support through its CivicsNZ project helped make On the Fence 2026 possible. McGuinness Institute partially funded the project but had no input into the project or impact on the project’s results.

McGuinness Institute is an independent, non-partisan think tank applying hindsight, insight and foresight to explore major research and policy analysis to support New Zealand’s long-term future. The Institute is committed to positively influencing public policy by empowering New Zealanders to have the uncomfortable, but necessary, conversations that are required to enable New Zealand to realise its potential. 

CivicsNZ project is a McGuinness Institute research project focused on strengthening civics education and civic participation in New Zealand. The project aims to improve public understanding of how government and democratic institutions work, foster informed citizenship, and encourage active engagement in public life through research, workshops and educational resources. 

And a final thanks to all the participating political parties for taking the time to respond to our questions and for supporting our goal of making politics more accessible and engaging for young New Zealanders.

Will we share your information?

Unless you volunteer personally identifiable information, the information you provide to On the Fence remains entirely anonymous.

While On the Fence provides analyses of aggregate data collected via the application, it will under no circumstances disclose to any identifiable third party individual-level user data nor will user data be shared with any candidates.

Contact

Have a question about On the Fence, the project or how it works? For more information, please contact us at onthefence@massey.ac.nz.

You can find out more about Toi Āria and our work by visiting toiaria.org.