Labour promises to set up AI regulator, copyright rules if elected | RNZ

New Zealand's Labour Party has promised to set up an AI regulator and an Office of AI within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet if it wins the next election, according to an RNZ report. The proposed office would be responsible for coordinating AI policy across government. The party also says it would introduce copyright rules. The report is published under the outlet's politics election-2026 section. The policy is framed as a commitment rather than as legislation currently in progress.

Under the plan, the Office of AI would develop standards and a long-term workforce plan. The regulator is not described in the excerpt with specific enforcement powers or a detailed structure. The copyright rules are likewise mentioned as part of the announcement without a draft text. The workforce plan links the policy to employment-related effects of AI. The excerpt contains no financial figures for the proposed bodies.

The report is part of RNZ's coverage of the 2026 election campaign. Within that context, AI governance — including copyright and workforce impacts — has become a stated electoral policy area for Labour. The proposal would take effect only after a Labour election victory. As described, the announcement is high-level: it commits to bodies and a plan, without specifying how the Office of AI would sit alongside existing government departments or what legal powers the AI regulator would hold.