Former New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says Labour was too slow to respond to cost-of-living pressures after COVID-19, as he seeks to regain urban, middle-income voters before the November 7 election. Labour has proposed weekly public-transport caps of NZ$20 in large cities and NZ$10 in small centres, three free doctors’ visits annually and a solar-power program. Hipkins is also presenting technology, renewable energy, research and development as drivers of skilled employment and urban economic recovery, backed by a proposed New Zealand Future Fund for high-growth businesses, innovation and infrastructure. Labour’s fiscal plan targets an operating surplus by 2029/30, with spending and revenue kept near 33% of gross domestic product after introducing a capital gains tax. Polls indicate that neither Labour nor the National Party will govern alone, pointing to negotiations involving New Zealand First and ACT, as in the current three-party coalition.