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For the 7 November 2026 New Zealand general election, the clearest differences on your particular concerns—security of a rental, rent affordability, and how much help low-income families receive with housing costs—are around how much protection parties want to give renters versus how much they want to rely on housing subsidies and increasing supply.

I’ve focused below on the main parties with significant parliamentary representation, and on policies that are relevant to a low-income working parent renting privately or potentially seeking social housing. Parliament was dissolved on 1 October, so these are the parties’ current election positions rather than hypothetical future policies. New Zealand Parliament dissolved ahead of tight November vote

At a glance

Party	Rental security	Help with housing costs
National	More emphasis on supply and landlord incentives; social housing more tightly targeted	Higher maximum Accommodation Supplement, but higher minimum social-housing rent contribution
Labour	Supports stronger renter protections; says it would reverse the 2026 social-housing rent increase	Would reverse the social-housing rent increase; current 2026 manifesto has relatively little new direct rent assistance
Greens	Strongest proposed rent controls and tenancy protections	More public housing and broader/greater assistance for low-income renters
ACT	Emphasis on landlord incentives, supply and fewer rental restrictions	Supports shifting housing assistance toward Accommodation Supplement payments
NZ First	Emphasis on increasing supply and restricting immigration as a housing-pressure measure	Less prominent proposal for expanding direct rental assistance
Te Pāti Māori	Strong emphasis on affordable, secure housing and Māori-led/public housing	Emphasis on whānau housing and reducing housing hardship

The differences are particularly significant because the Government has already changed the housing-support system in 2026. Changes to housing support | Work and Income

National

National's approach is to target social housing more tightly at people with severe and persistent barriers to private housing, rather than treating affordability alone as sufficient reason for a state house. It is also moving toward defined tenancy durations in some circumstances and more frequent reviews. Delivering fairer social housing | National Party

For private renters, the 2026 Budget increased the maximum Accommodation Supplement by $10–$30 a week, with the Government saying the money comes partly from changes to social-housing rents. At the same time, the minimum contribution from social-housing tenants is being raised from 25% to 30% of income from April 2027. The Government says the rent change will affect about 84,000 households, averaging roughly $31 a week. Delivering fairer social housing | National Party

For someone in your position, that means National's model is broadly:

• help more low-income people in private rentals through the Accommodation Supplement;
• reserve public housing more heavily for people with the greatest barriers;
• encourage movement into private renting where possible;
• increase housing supply rather than imposing rent controls. Delivering fairer social housing | National Party

That distinction matters if a family's problem is “I can work more hours, but the extra income interacts badly with my housing and other support”: the Government explicitly says its new settings are intended to create stronger incentives around work and increasing hours. Delivering fairer social housing | National Party

Labour

Labour has criticised the 2026 social-housing changes and says it would reverse the increase in the minimum income-related rent contribution. Labour describes the change as making low-income families poorer; its criticism specifically notes that households with children are among those potentially affected. Release: Nothing fair about cruel social housing cuts

Labour also retains a more traditional renter-protection approach. Its previous reforms included:

• banning no-cause tenancy terminations;
• limiting rent increases to once a year;
• removing letting fees;
• increasing public-housing supply. Making housing more affordable for all New Zealanders - NZ Labour Party

One important caveat: Labour's published 2026 election-policy list doesn't currently contain a large new standalone package of rental subsidies or rent controls. Its 2026 platform is much more focused on the wider cost of living, jobs, healthcare, construction and a capital-gains tax on investment-property profits. Labour's 2026 Election Policies

So compared with National, the practical distinction is less “Labour will dramatically increase your rent subsidy” and more Labour says social housing should remain a secure long-term safety net and would undo the 2026 rent increase.

Green Party

The Greens have the most explicit proposals for rental security and rent regulation.

Their 2026 manifesto describes housing as a basic right and proposes expanding public housing, ending homelessness and strengthening renters' rights. Manifesto 2026 - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

Their housing proposals include:

• capping rent increases at 2% a year;
• ending no-cause evictions;
• improving rental quality;
• strengthening renters' rights;
• substantially increasing public housing;
• extending the Income Related Rent Subsidy to council housing. Leave our homes alone! - action.greens.org.nz

The Greens have also specifically discussed the Accommodation Supplement. They note that it currently provides up to $305 a week for families with children, depending on circumstances, and argue that increasing the subsidy or expanding eligibility could help low-income renters—but caution that simply giving tenants more money could allow rents to rise. Option 7: change the Accommodation Supplement instead - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

So the Green approach combines direct housing-cost assistance + much stronger regulation of rents + substantially more public housing.

ACT

ACT supports the Government's 2026 shift toward higher Accommodation Supplement payments and higher social-housing tenant contributions.

ACT argues that private renters can be disadvantaged compared with people in social housing and supports moving assistance toward low-income people in the private rental market. ACT New Zealand

Its broader rental philosophy is strongly supply- and landlord-incentive-based. ACT argues that reducing costs on landlords and increasing rental supply will put downward pressure on rents, rather than imposing rent controls. It has specifically defended restoring mortgage-interest deductibility for residential landlords. ACT New Zealand

For you, the important distinction is therefore:

ACT/National: help households afford existing rents + increase supply
Greens: control rent increases + increase assistance + increase public housing
Labour: stronger tenant protections + protect the social-housing safety net

NZ First

NZ First's housing approach is less centred on a major new rental-subsidy programme. It has put considerable emphasis on population pressure, immigration and housing supply, arguing that population growth should not outpace the country's ability to build infrastructure and homes. NZ First Announces Immigration Reform Policies - New Zealand First

It is also part of the current coalition that supported the 2026 social-housing reforms, alongside National and ACT. The parliamentary record shows National, ACT and NZ First voting together on relevant Government legislation. Hansard - New Zealand Parliament

So if your central question is “will I get substantially more direct help with my rent?”, NZ First's published emphasis is less focused on that than the Greens' proposals.

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori places considerable emphasis on secure, affordable housing for whānau, including Māori-led approaches and public/community housing. Its candidates' 2026 priorities include affordable, secure and healthy housing and eliminating homelessness. Kerrin Leoni - Candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau electorate - NZ Election 2026 - Policy.nz

Its housing approach is therefore closer to the public/community-housing and income-support end of the spectrum than to the National/ACT emphasis on market supply and incentives.

The part especially worth looking at in your situation

Because you're weighing part-time work against childcare and housing support, I wouldn't look only at headline rent policies.

There are really three separate questions to compare in each party's programme:

1. Security: Could you remain in the same home, and how difficult would it be for a landlord to end the tenancy?
2. Rent: If your rent rises, how much of that increase would government assistance cover?
3. Work incentives: If you increase your hours and earnings, how quickly do Accommodation Supplement, benefit and other supports reduce? And how do childcare costs interact with the extra income?

That third question could make a surprisingly large difference to your household budget. The 2026 Government's housing reforms explicitly discuss reducing differences between private and social housing support and encouraging people to increase hours of work. Delivering fairer social housing | National Party

For a sole parent with a preschooler, I would therefore compare parties using a hypothetical household budget rather than simply asking which party says “more affordable housing.”

If you want, I can next make you a side-by-side 2026 comparison specifically for a sole parent working, say, 15–30 hours a week—covering Accommodation Supplement, Sole Parent Support, childcare/Early Childhood Education costs, Working for Families, and what happens as your hours increase—so you can see which policy differences would actually affect your take-home household income.