Rival parties are throwing their policies on tax cuts, childcare subsidies, KiwiSaver and student allowances to the public but whom will they benefit? Jacqueline Smith asks three families on different income levels for their take on National's and Labour's policies, and how their households could be affected.
Less than $40,000: The Edwards
KEY POINTS:
Tinga Edwards - who owns a home in Glen Innes, works in administration at a local school and is raising three children under six - could do with a little more help from her Government.
Any tax cuts would help - "for sure", she says.
She is getting Working for Families childcare and family assistance at the moment but it's not enough - she would rather have the money in her pocket to spend herself.
"Cut those taxes," she says. "The money I get from family assistance is just a cheap smile on my face, it's gone in two minutes."
Kane, 5, Tinga's eldest child is at primary school, Devan, 3, is at daycare and Mackenzie spends the day with her grandmother because she is on the day-care waiting list.
Tinga works 40 hours per week and says if Working for Families continues, it will be nice to have more than 20 hours' free childcare.
Even one hour per day would help the family budget, she says.
Tinga is aware National called the scheme "communism by stealth", but she needs Government assistance or tax cuts.
Tinga would consider moving to a slightly bigger home if housing is made more affordable for low-income families such as hers.
At the moment she will be paying off her two-bedroom house for the next 12 years, when she needs something bigger.
"There's just nothing available with my income."
She's not yet joined KiwiSaver but is planning to soon as she is relying on it for her savings. Capping employer contributions at 2 per cent will have a significant impact on her.
She has a student loan and is pleased to see that will remain interest-free.
About $90,000: The Barters
Hillsborough residents Richard and Susan Barter - who earn average incomes, have a mortgage, use public transport and cycleways, and have two young adult children with student loans - consider themselves "middle New Zealanders". As such, they are not greatly swayed by the policies offered by National and Labour.
"Those in the middle are missing out because the Right will support those who are above the median and the Left will support those below the median," Richard says.
Sitting bang on the median, Richard is more likely to vote based on a party's philosophical values.
The Barters may be better off financially if a National-led government rolls out tax cuts, but the fact the rest of the country may not benefit is of more significance to Richard.
The family has benefitted from Labour's public health funding - it enabled one family member to have a major operation last year.
They also rely on public transport and Richard uses Auckland's cycleways _ he thinks a left-of-centre government is more likely to put money into getting people out of their cars, which would benefit him.
A left-of-centre government is more likely to put resources into civil sector organisations, such as the neighbourhood support group the Barters are involved with, and also to overseas development assistance and, because Richard works for relief organisation Tear Fund, that would make a big difference to his job.
He's also a trustee of an organisation that works with refugees and migrants, and expects the office will be busier under a right-wing government because services to a lot of those who have migrated will be under pressure.
"I see less likelihood of help to those people under a right-wing government."
As for energy policies, the family has already insulated its home, "so we are unlikely to benefit from proposed subsidies and support I see coming out from the Left," Richard says.
Both Barter children have student loans and Richard is also studying at the university.
Labour's student allowance policy may encourage son Ben, who is pursuing a music career, to go back to university, and Richard is more likely to find support for his studies under a Labour-led government.
National's business policies will benefit the family's small businesses Susan and Richard run theirs from home. However their son, who has benefitted from Music on Air grants, will probably find that a left-of-centre government is more supportive of his ambitions to become a professional musician.
"In the middle we are less impacted by a change of government, we are pretty healthy, we are independent at this age, our children are largely independent, our parents are not requiring a lot of support," Richard says.
"We are actually in a place where a change of government is not going to make a huge amount of difference to us. Philosophically there are some parties whose position will benefit the less-well off and I think personally that has ramifications for the overall prosperity of the country if you tackle at-risk groups in the country."
More than $120,000: The Woodfields
Craig and Sally Woodfield - who rent in Remuera, have two young boys and both own their own business - are gunning for tax cuts.
They've never qualified for family assistance schemes such as Working for Families, and feel they are pouring money into government coffers.
"Working for Families schemes have never really been targeted at people like us," says Sally. "It seems they think you earn enough, you're on your own, but it's that feeling that everything comes out of your pocket to support everyone and everything."
Their eldest son Jack, 6, goes to a local public school and the family saves money on doctors' bills by being a public health organisation member.
But that's about as much as the Government assists the Woodfields.
Tax cuts will allow the family to put money into their savings everything seems to be going out at the moment.
"The thing for people like us is that we work very hard for the money we do have and when you see so much of it going out in tax it just doesn't seem right," says Sally.
"You see a lot of people benefiting when there's very little that we qualify for if anything at all."
Because they are small business owners, any reduction in compliance costs will have a significant impact on the family.
National's proposed changes to the 90-day trial period for new employees will be great for Craig, who owns industrial engraving and printing business Kentergraph.
Because it is quite a unique business he needs to make sure that all of his employees have the right skills and drive to succeed.
To have an employee who is only there for the money would affect the productivity of the business.
"It's more being able to say look, you know as well as I do that it's not working," Sally says.
A reduction in employer KiwiSaver contributions will also be good news for the Woodfields.
"It's actually really hard for people like us because we are not some enormous corporation," says Sally.
"So little things, like not having to pay as much to people's KiwiSaver schemes, have a real effect on us."
"And tax cuts are a policy that's tangible, - we actually will get that money in our pockets."
