Issues: Something for everyone as the parties chase our votes

Promises, promises... In a two-part review, Andrew Laxon sums up the election policies on offer. Part two tomorrow will cover the minor parties, including the Greens, who may prove crucial in the election outcome.

Still wondering who to vote for if you want lower taxes? Free health care? Tougher sentencing? Lower student fees?

Today's table offers a general guide to the policy promises from the Alliance, Labour, New Zealand First, National and Act.

Tax: The Alliance and Labour will increase taxes; National and Act will cut them. Both parties on the left say no one earning less than $60,000 a year will pay more. National offers a small tax cut (as little as $2 a week at $20,000) next year, and promises more to come. Act claims it can slash the top rate to 20c in five years without touching social spending.

Economy: Will the new government continue the focus on keeping inflation down? National and Act say yes, through the Reserve Bank Act. But Labour wants adjustments to avoid a high dollar, while NZ First and the Alliance would add extra economic goals. The Alliance wants more tariffs but could be thwarted by Labour. National and Act want to sell more state assets, especially TVNZ, the former ECNZ generating companies and NZ Post.

Law and order: Act would make violent criminals serve at least 80 per cent of their sentences (costing $838 million extra over three years). National would force burglary suspects to give blood samples; NZ First promises 200 more police; Labour has been pushing tougher bail laws. The Alliance, standing alone in the liberal corner, would rather get tough on guns by banning semi-automatic rifles.

Health: The Alliance promises free health care for everyone, but Labour is not promising much extra money. Both parties would go back to elected health boards. National promises a steady-as-she-goes programme with no more restructuring, but Act would push it to scrap the free doctors' visits and prescriptions for under-6s.

Education: National wants to give schools more independence to run themselves and plans to start national tests to lift learning standards. Labour and the Alliance, which would end bulk-funding, say schools are being set up for privatisation. They claim nationwide tests will not show what children are learning.

Tertiary education: Dominated by the student loans issue. Labour has made the running here with its promise to reduce the interest burden, although many students may prefer the Alliance's more generous offer. National's "me-too" version was widely interpreted as last-minute desperation.

Welfare-employment: National would keep work-for-the-dole, and NZ First and Act want to expand it. Labour and the Alliance say they would scrap it, but Labour seems committed to some form of compulsory make-work scheme. NZ First is giving compulsory military training another run.

ACC: Labour and the Alliance have warned they will rip up contracts with private insurers and go back to full state control of ACC. National has upped the ante by saying road accident cover is next for privatisation. Act favours full privatisation of ACC, including cover for out-of-work accidents such as sports injuries.

Industrial relations: Labour and the Alliance would both scrap the Employment Contracts Act, but are split on how far they should go. Labour agrees with National that the Alliance's policy is back-door compulsory unionism. In contrast, Act wants a probationary period, giving employers the right to sack new workers within the first six months. It also wants to let workers sell their holidays and would abolish the Employment Court, which it regards as pro-worker. National agrees, but avoids spelling out the details in public.

Treaty claims: Act's blockbuster. It promises to stop new claims after next year and to end the whole claims process by 2010. Leader Richard Prebble says this policy is non-negotiable if Act becomes part of the next government. National now says all claims will probably be wrapped up by 2010 anyway. NZ First's position is confusing - Tutekawa Wyllie refuses to work with Act in protest, but leader Winston Peters promises an even earlier deadline of 2005.

Super: National's unpopular decision to stop wage-indexing pensions would be reversed in various ways by NZ First, Labour and the Alliance. Officially, Act and National are waiting to hear from the Superannuation 2000 Taskforce, but both believe some form of rationing is inevitable.