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If your main issue is “I need enough money to study without having to work so much, while not digging myself deeper into student debt”, the parties are offering quite different approaches.

The 2026 election is on 7 November 2026. Policies are still being released, so I’ve treated a party as having a position only where I could find a current 2026 commitment, rather than assuming an older policy is still operative. Which Party Should I Vote For? Your Guide to the 2026 Election

First: where you stand under the current system

As of 1 April 2026:

• The Student Allowance is non-repayable, but eligibility depends on things such as study status, age, parental income and your own income. Student Allowance - StudyLink
• For a single student living away from home, the maximum gross allowance is currently $378.64/week if under 24 or $435.67/week if 24+, before applicable income/parental-income reductions. Student Allowances Regulations 1998 | New Zealand Legislation
• Your own income matters: the allowance is reduced by $1 for each $1 of personal income over $284.70 a week. Student Allowances Regulations 1998 | New Zealand Legislation
• If you don't qualify for enough allowance, Student Loan living costs are available up to $333.48/week, but this is debt and has to be repaid. Change living costs - StudyLink
• Fees Free was changed so that, from 2026, eligible students can receive it for the final year of their first qualification rather than the first year. Redesign of Vocational Education and Training System - Ministry of Education

That means your situation has an important tension: working more can reduce a non-repayable allowance, while borrowing more preserves your study time but increases your eventual debt.

How the parties compare

Party	Help while you're studying	Student-loan position	What it means for someone in your situation
Green	Proposes a universal $385/week student payment, including postgraduate students; also wants paid work placements to pay at least the living wage.	Increase the repayment threshold and reduce the repayment rate, while working toward student-debt write-off.	The most substantial proposed change to the weekly income side of student life.
Labour	I haven't found a comparable 2026 proposal to replace the existing Student Allowance/loan-living-cost system. Its student-focused cost-of-living policies are more concentrated elsewhere.	10% of eligible student-loan balances written off for qualifying NZ-based borrowers; current/future students qualify after three years in NZ after study.	The major benefit comes after study, rather than giving you substantially more cash while you're studying.
National	No major 2026 promise found to substantially increase the Student Allowance or loan living-cost payment.	From 1 Apr 2027, reduce compulsory repayment from 12% to 10% of income above $24,128 for domestic borrowers; tougher enforcement for overseas borrowers.	Doesn't directly solve the problem of needing more money now, but would leave more take-home pay once your earnings are above the repayment threshold.
ACT	No major increase to student income support found. Wants Student Services Fees to become voluntary, potentially reducing the amount added to your loan.	No student-debt write-off; ACT has opposed Fees Free and emphasises limiting government spending.	Could reduce your costs/borrowing during study, particularly if you opt out of services, but doesn't provide a new living-cost income.
NZ First	Its published policy includes investigating a universal student allowance; it has also proposed removing mandatory repayments for some lower-paid students.	Proposed 10% mandatory repayment rate, and debt write-offs for people in designated critical occupations who work in NZ.	Potentially significant if the older policy is carried into 2026, but its current election platform is less fully specified than the Greens'.
Te Pāti Māori	Supports removing barriers to tertiary education; current 2026 material is less specific on the ordinary Student Allowance.	Its current platform is less explicit on general student-loan settings; it has advocated stronger tertiary support and Māori-led education.	Worth looking at particularly if your priorities include Māori-led education and broader redistribution, but there isn't the same clear weekly-payment promise as the Greens'.
TOP	Current proposals are less focused on a conventional student allowance.	Proposes forgiving student-loan interest for New Zealanders who return from overseas, rather than simply cancelling the underlying loan.	More relevant to someone who expects to work overseas than to your immediate part-time-work problem.

Green Party

The Greens have the most direct proposal aimed at the problem you're describing. Their tertiary policy proposes a universal $385/week payment for students, including postgraduate students, rather than making support dependent on parental income or the existing allowance rules. They also propose increasing the student-loan repayment threshold, reducing the repayment rate and working towards writing off student debt. Green Party Manifesto 2023: Climate Action | PDF | Self-Improvement | Wellness

They also want fees-free tertiary education expanded and better regulation of student accommodation. Manifesto 2026 - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

For a renter who is currently working because study costs are too high, the important distinction is that this proposal is intended to give you income while you're studying, not merely reduce debt years later.

Labour

Labour's major new student policy is a 10% write-off of eligible student-loan balances. Someone who has already completed study and is still repaying would receive the write-off on 1 April 2027; current and future students would qualify after completing study and remaining based in New Zealand for three years. Balances of $2,000 or less after that period would be cleared. It excludes people who benefited from Fees Free. Cutting Student Debt - NZ Labour

So if you're currently struggling to make rent while studying, the important limitation is timing: the headline loan benefit doesn't put an extra $X into your weekly budget now.

National

National's major 2026 student policy goes in almost the opposite direction from Labour's debt write-off. It proposes reducing compulsory loan repayments from 12% to 10% on income above $24,128, starting 1 April 2027. National gives an example of a $75,000 earner retaining about $1,000 more per year. Back Pocket Boost for Graduates in New Zealand | National Party

It would also introduce additional penalties and collection measures for overseas-based borrowers who don't repay. Back Pocket Boost for Graduates | National Party

For you, that matters later, once you're earning enough to make compulsory repayments. It doesn't directly address the current trade-off between working hours and having enough money to live on while studying.

ACT

ACT's most directly student-financial policy is making Student Services Fees voluntary. ACT says compulsory fees can reach $1,253 a year and estimates that opting out could leave up to about $4,000 off a three-year student's loan. ACT New Zealand

ACT also supports the current move away from first-year Fees Free and has argued that the scheme should not be used as a broad tertiary subsidy. ACT New Zealand

So ACT's approach is more about reducing what you are required to pay/borrow, rather than giving you a larger weekly support payment.

NZ First

NZ First's published tertiary policy is unusually relevant to your question, although its current 2026 campaign material is less developed than some other parties'.

Its policy includes investigating a universal student allowance without parental means testing, changing mandatory loan repayments to 10%, and removing mandatory repayments for current students earning below the median wage. It has also proposed a loan-abatement scheme in which workers in identified critical occupations could have one year's debt written off for every two years of full-time work in New Zealand. 2023 Election Policies - NZ First

The caveat is important: the detailed policy I found is the party's published policy material originating from its earlier platform, rather than a clearly announced new 2026 universal-allowance package. I wouldn't treat that as equivalent to a fresh 2026 election pledge without confirmation from NZ First.

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori's 2026 education emphasis is more on removing barriers to education, Māori-led education authority and greater Māori governance than on a detailed general student-loan package. Its current material is comparatively less specific about the ordinary Student Allowance and loan-repayment settings. Te Pāti Māori on Education | Politika

There are also policies around free public transport and student support that could reduce living costs, depending on eligibility and implementation. Education: party comparison 2026 | PartyMap

What I would pay particular attention to in your situation

Rather than asking “which party is best for students?”, I think the useful questions for you are:

1. Does my part-time income reduce my non-repayable support?
   This is a big issue under the current Student Allowance rules because of the $284.70/week personal-income threshold. Student Allowances Regulations 1998 | New Zealand Legislation

2. How much of my weekly living cost would I have to borrow?
   The current maximum Student Loan living-cost payment is $333.48/week, and every dollar borrowed is debt. Student Loan living costs - StudyLink

3. Does the party's proposal help me while studying, or only after graduating?

   • Greens: primarily while studying.
   • Labour: primarily after study, through the 10% write-off.
   • National: primarily after study, through lower compulsory repayments.
   • ACT: primarily during study, by potentially reducing compulsory student fees.
   • NZ First: potentially both, but its universal-allowance proposal needs to be distinguished from its older published policy.
   • Te Pāti Māori: broader education/housing/redistribution support, with less specific general loan policy.

4. What happens if I stay in New Zealand after graduating?
   That matters particularly under Labour, National and NZ First's proposals.

5. What happens to rent?
   Because you're renting a room, don't look only at “student policy”. Housing policy can easily be worth more to your weekly budget than a change to the loan repayment rate. The Greens and Te Pāti Māori favour substantially more direct intervention and public/affordable housing, while National and ACT put more emphasis on increasing housing supply. Which Party Should I Vote For? Your Guide to the 2026 Election

One particularly important distinction

If your immediate problem is “I have to work too many hours to pay rent and eat while studying,” then a policy that writes off 10% of your loan in 3–5 years is quite different from a policy that gives you $385 a week while you're studying.

Conversely, if you can manage your current living costs but are worried about graduating with a large debt, Labour's write-off, National's lower repayment rate, and NZ First's targeted debt-abatement proposal operate much more directly on that later problem. Cutting Student Debt - NZ Labour

I haven't ranked these policies or told you which party to vote for; the practical differences depend heavily on your age, weekly earnings, whether you're eligible for Student Allowance, loan balance, and how long you expect to remain in NZ after graduating.

If you give me those four numbers — your age, approximate weekly gross pay, current student-loan balance, and whether you're currently receiving Student Allowance — I can turn this into a personalised dollar-impact comparison of the 2026 policies (without telling you how to vote).