Labour Unveils AI Action Plan Promising Enhanced Protections for Creators and Indigenous Knowledge

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has announced a new AI Action Plan today, 11 September 2026, aimed at positioning Aotearoa New Zealand as a leader in responsible technology. Speaking ahead of the 2026 election, Hipkins noted that while artificial intelligence offers transformative potential for healthcare and education, the country must not allow international tech giants to dictate the terms of that evolution. A central pillar of the proposal is the establishment of a dedicated Office of AI to coordinate policy across government agencies. Labour's science, technology, and innovation spokesperson, Reuben Davidson, emphasised that human accountability must remain at the heart of the digital shift. The policy seeks to ensure that automated systems do not replace the ethical responsibility held by public agencies and businesses when making decisions that affect individual lives. For the creative sector, the policy promises a new copyright framework. This move is designed to give journalists, musicians, and artists greater control over their work, ensuring they are fairly compensated when their material is used to train generative AI models. The source reports that this is particularly significant for Māori, as the rapid expansion of AI raises vital questions regarding the protection of mātauranga Māori, te reo Māori, and whakapapa within international digital systems. Furthermore, Labour is targeting the environmental impact of technology by requiring large-scale data centres to secure their own renewable electricity generation. Under the new plan, multinational tech firms would be responsible for their own connection costs to the national grid, preventing these expenses from being passed on to New Zealand households. The plan balances economic opportunity with strict safeguards for privacy, employment, and data sovereignty.