Every question, every answer, every source

If your main concern is whether your child can get the right help at school—and whether you can keep working rather than having to fill gaps yourself—the parties differ quite noticeably in emphasis.

The 2026 election is on 7 November 2026, with advance voting from 26 October. Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026 - Policy.nz

At a glance

Party	Learning support / specialist staff	Support for families/carers
National	Major expansion already funded: more than 2 million additional teacher-aide hours a year by 2028, Learning Support Coordinators in all Year 1–8 schools, more speech-language therapists and psychologists, expanded early intervention, and changes to ORS funding. Learning support - Ministry of Education	Has introduced more nationally consistent disability-support assessment, says families/carers can be considered in assessments, and launched a carers' action plan. Disability support improvements begin | National Party
Labour	Its current 2026 policy programme is relatively light on new, specific learning-support staffing commitments. It is promising greater stability in curriculum/assessment and says maths/English support already underway would continue. Labour's 2026 Election Policies	Would repeal the Government's Disability Support Services law and replace it with rights-based legislation developed with disabled people and carers. Release: Labour will scrap harmful disability Bill
Green	Proposes to expand eligibility for learning support, create a single agency to coordinate and resource specialist supports for learners with health/disability needs, implement the Framework for Action: A quality education for all, and improve diagnosis/support. It also calls for adequate staffing levels. Education - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand	Proposes more accessible disability support and income support covering disability-related living/medical costs, with an emphasis on autonomy and the Enabling Good Lives approach. Disability - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
NZ First	Its published education policy calls for extra support for learning difficulties, completing the rollout of Learning Support Coordinators, better screening for dyslexia/dyspraxia/autism, and increased ORS funding. It also favours moving early intervention away from “refer out and wait” towards bringing specialists in. 2023 Election Policies - NZ First	Its 2026 Accessibility Standards Bill would establish practical accessibility standards, including around education and public services. Establishing an Accessible New Zealand for everyone - New Zealand First
ACT	ACT's emphasis is more on school autonomy and flexible funding, including charter schools' ability to use resources according to local needs. Its 2026 education policy also focuses on giving teachers stronger authority over serious classroom disruption. I found fewer specific 2026 commitments from ACT on additional specialist staff/ORS than from National, Greens or NZ First. ACT New Zealand
Te Pāti Māori	Its current policy framework supports Māori-led education and disability services and says disability support should be easier to access and fit whānau realities rather than bureaucratic categories. Its education messaging puts strong emphasis on whānau needs, identity and wraparound support. Policy - Te Pāti Māori	Strong emphasis on Māori-led disability services and decision-making, with support designed around whānau rather than standardised categories. Policy - Te Pāti Māori

What National's package means in practice

This is the most concrete school-based staffing programme among the policies I found.

National's 2025 Budget allocated $645.8m operating plus $100.9m capital to learning support. The package includes:

• more than 2 million additional teacher-aide hours annually from 2028;
• around 650 additional Learning Support Coordinator FTTE, ultimately giving all Year 1–8 schools access to an LSC;
• 560+ additional specialist FTE for expanded early intervention;
• an extra 78.5 speech-language therapists and 6.2 psychologists;
• additional educational-psychologist internships;
• additional Intensive Wraparound Service places;
• changes to the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) so funding is forecast-driven rather than dependent on an annual funding bid;
• about 25 new learning-support satellite classrooms and accessibility modifications. Learning support - Ministry of Education

The Government has subsequently said the expanded Early Intervention Specialist Service will provide up to 1,000 placements nationally at any one time from September 2026. Government delivers more support for children with complex educational needs | National Party

That matters because ORS isn't simply a teacher-aide programme: it can include specialist therapists/psychologists, additional specialist teacher time, teacher-aide assistance and resources tailored to an individual student. Overview of the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme - Ministry of Education

There is also a useful distinction here: teacher-aide hours and specialist expertise aren't interchangeable. More aide hours may give a school more capacity to support a child day-to-day, while speech-language therapists, psychologists, specialist teachers, RTLB and other professionals provide different forms of expertise.

Labour: a different emphasis

Labour's published 2026 election policies don't currently set out a comparably detailed new learning-support staffing package. Its education policy emphasis is on stability, evidence and expert-led curriculum/assessment, including pausing some curriculum changes for a year while an Independent Council for Curriculum and Assessment is established. Labour says existing maths and English work would continue with appropriate school support. Release: Labour to give parents confidence in their children’s education

For a family dealing with disability, Labour's more explicit commitment is in disability support: it says it would repeal the Disability Support Services legislation passed under the current Government and replace it with legislation developed alongside disabled people, protecting choice, independence and rights. Release: Labour will scrap harmful disability Bill

So, on your particular question, Labour's published position is less specific about the number of specialist staff in schools, but more explicit about changing the broader disability-support framework.

Greens: widening access is central

The Greens are particularly explicit that the current definition/access arrangements for learning support should change. Their 2026 manifesto proposes:

• expanding the criteria for access to learning support;
• establishing one agency to coordinate and resource specialist supports for learners with health and disability support needs;
• implementing the recommendations of Framework for Action: A quality education for all;
• improving access to diagnosis and support for children with disabilities or learning-support needs;
• a long-term workforce plan and staffing levels sufficient for quality teaching. Education - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

Their disability policy also proposes moving towards a high-trust, Enabling Good Lives-based system and removing barriers to accessing inclusive education and disability support. Disability - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

One important difference from National is therefore system design: National is substantially expanding the existing structures and funding them; the Greens propose changing who qualifies and creating a more integrated specialist-support system.

NZ First

NZ First's published education policy is older in some respects, but it remains relevant where the party has not replaced a commitment with a newer one. It specifically calls for:

• the full rollout of Learning Support Coordinators;
• better identification of learning needs;
• development of screening, funding and resourcing models for dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and Asperger's;
• increased ORS funding;
• and an early-intervention model where specialists come into settings rather than children simply being referred and waiting. 2023 Election Policies - NZ First

It has also introduced an Accessibility Standards Bill aimed at removing avoidable barriers to participation, including in education. Establishing an Accessible New Zealand for everyone - New Zealand First

One issue especially relevant to your situation: having to reduce paid work

There are actually two separate policy questions here:

1. Does the school receive enough specialist/teacher-aide help that you don't have to provide it yourself?
2. If you still have substantial caring responsibilities, does the disability-support system recognise the cost of that care?

National has made the most explicit recent movement on the second issue: its 2026 Mahi Aroha Carers' Strategy Action Plan identifies carers' health/wellbeing, financial security and recognition as priorities. It has also said it intends to develop a further carers' package. New roadmap for supporting unpaid carers | National Party

The Greens' proposal is broader, including disability-related income and living-cost support regardless of relationship status, alongside accessible disability services. Disability - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

Labour's principal 2026 commitment here is to replace the current Disability Support Services legislation with rights-based legislation developed with disabled people and carers. Release: Labour will scrap harmful disability Bill

The most useful questions to put to candidates

Given what you've described, I would look beyond the headline promise of "more learning support" and ask each local candidate:

• Will my child's school have access to a specialist when they need one, or simply more teacher-aide hours?
• What happens to children who don't qualify for ORS but still need substantial support?
• Will specialist shortages—speech-language therapists, psychologists, specialist teachers, RTLB etc.—be addressed with actual funded positions?
• Will support follow the child when they change schools?
• What will you do about waiting lists for assessment and intervention?
• If a parent has to reduce employment because school support isn't sufficient, what financial or respite support will be available?
• How will you measure whether the extra funding actually reduces the amount of unpaid care families have to provide?

Those questions get much closer to the lived issue you're describing than simply asking which party supports "inclusive education."

One final piece of context: the current system already distinguishes between different levels of need. ORS is for students with the most severe ongoing needs and covers fewer than 2% of enrolled students, while other mechanisms such as In-Class Support cover some students with significant needs who aren't ORS-funded. Overview of the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme - Ministry of Education That makes each party's position on eligibility below the ORS threshold particularly important if your child isn't currently ORS-funded.

If you tell me roughly what kind of learning support your child needs (for example dyslexia, ADHD, autism, speech/language, behavioural, physical or multiple needs) and whether they're currently ORS-funded, I can turn this into a much more targeted 2026 party-by-party comparison of what would actually change for your family, without telling you how to vote.