New Zealand 2026 election: Supporting older relatives living with family

For a multigenerational Pacific household, the question is not simply whether a party supports older people. It is whether its policies would make it more affordable and practical for your family to care for older relatives at home, while also meeting the needs of children and working-age adults.

For the 2026 New Zealand general election, there are five connected areas worth examining:

• Household costs: Superannuation, benefits, tax policy, power bills, food costs and other essential expenses.
• Space and housing: Affordable homes with enough bedrooms, accessible bathrooms and room for several generations to live together.
• Healthcare: Affordable GP visits, prescription costs, hospital access, home-based nursing and support for older people with long-term conditions.
• Family caregiving: Financial assistance, respite care, paid leave, home support and help for relatives who provide unpaid care.
• Pacific communities: Whether policies recognise extended-family responsibilities, collective caregiving and the needs of Pacific older people and their families.

One important distinction is that supporting older people to remain in their own homes is not the same as supporting older people who live in a relative's home. A policy might fund home-care services without providing financial assistance to the family member doing the caring. For your household, that difference matters.

1. What the main parties are proposing

The comparison below draws on parties' published 2026 policies and a September 2026 survey by Grey Power, which asked parties about issues affecting older New Zealanders. It focuses on policies relevant to families providing care at home, rather than assuming that general promises about seniors automatically benefit family caregivers. Source: Grey Power's 2026 party comparison.

National Party

Main emphasis: Cost-of-living relief, housing supply and healthcare.

National highlights:

• Increases to New Zealand Superannuation and continued universal eligibility, without means-testing based on income or assets.
• Expanded rates rebates and increased Accommodation Supplement payments.
• Housing reforms intended to increase the supply of homes.
• Additional investment in healthcare, medicines and hospital services.

National had not confirmed whether it would retain the Superannuation eligibility age of 65 in its response to Grey Power, saying its full policy would be announced closer to the election. Its complete health policy was also still to be released at the time of the survey. Sources: National's cost-of-living policy and Grey Power's comparison.

What this could mean for your household: Superannuation and eligible housing assistance can help with the costs of supporting older relatives. Housing supply reforms may matter if you need a larger home. However, these measures are not the same as a dedicated payment to compensate a relative who provides daily care.

A key question to ask National is whether it would expand financial support for unpaid family caregivers and help households adapt their homes for older relatives.

Labour Party

Main emphasis: Making healthcare and everyday living more affordable.

Labour's published 2026 policies include:

• Three free GP visits a year for every New Zealander, through a proposed Medicard.
• Removing the $5 prescription charge, with free prescriptions planned from 1 July 2027.
• A public transport fare cap of $20 per week.
• Measures to reduce household energy costs.
• A commitment to retain the Superannuation eligibility age at 65.

Labour says its healthcare policies would be funded through a targeted 28% capital gains tax on profits from selling investment properties, excluding the family home and several other asset categories. Source: Labour's 2026 election policies.

What this could mean for your household: If several generations need regular medical appointments or prescriptions, the proposed healthcare changes could reduce some direct expenses. The transport policy could also help relatives who rely on public transport.

However, these policies do not, by themselves, provide a dedicated caregiver allowance or guarantee respite care for family members who look after older relatives. Labour had not yet announced specific senior housing policies in Grey Power's September comparison.

A useful question for Labour is whether it would provide more support for families who care for older people at home, particularly when caregiving affects their ability to work.

Green Party

Main emphasis: Affordable housing, accessible healthcare and community-based support.

The Greens' 2026 manifesto sets out proposals including:

• Moving towards a fully free public primary healthcare system, including free dental care and removing prescription charges.
• Fully implementing the national Dementia Mate Wareware Action Plan over five years.
• Providing more accessible public housing.
• Establishing a state-owned, not-for-profit retirement village scheme.
• Expanding home insulation and solar support.
• Limiting annual rent increases to 2%.

The Greens also emphasise intergenerational communities, affordable living and better access to healthcare. Sources: Green Party's 2026 manifesto and Grey Power's party comparison.

What this could mean for your household: Accessible housing and improved community-based health services could help older relatives remain close to family. Better dementia support could be particularly relevant if an older family member needs increasing supervision or assistance.

The Green approach also addresses the wider costs that affect multigenerational households, including rent, energy and healthcare.

The detail worth checking is how its proposals would help families who already own or rent a home but need additional space, accessibility modifications or practical assistance with caregiving.

New Zealand First

Main emphasis: Superannuation, aged-care reform and options for older people to remain at home.

In its response to Grey Power, New Zealand First:

• Committed to retaining the Superannuation eligibility age at 65.
• Committed to maintaining Superannuation at 66% of the net average wage.
• Identified aged-care reform as a priority.
• Supported better coordination between primary healthcare, community services and aged care.
• Proposed a Seniors Housing Plan and more options to support ageing in place.

New Zealand First also supports pay equity for aged-care workers. Source: Grey Power's 2026 comparison.

What this could mean for your household: Better coordination between healthcare and community services could be valuable when relatives need ongoing assistance but want to remain with family rather than enter residential care.

The important question is what its aged-care reforms would mean in practice: more home visits, more paid family caregivers, respite services, financial assistance or something else. The published summary does not establish a specific new payment for family members who provide care.

ACT New Zealand

Main emphasis: Individual choice and flexibility in how older people receive care.

ACT has previously proposed allowing older people greater control over how their in-home care funding is spent. Its published seniors policy has advocated individualised funding so older people and their families can organise care around their needs and choose suitable providers. Source: ACT's seniors policy announcement.

ACT did not complete Grey Power's 2026 questionnaire, so this earlier policy should not be treated as a confirmed, comprehensive 2026 election commitment.

What this could mean for your household: Individualised funding could be relevant if your family wants to organise care around household routines, cultural preferences and the availability of relatives.

The key questions are whether ACT will carry this proposal into its 2026 programme, how much funding would be available, and whether family members could be paid directly or through a care provider.

Green Party and The Opportunities Party (TOP): A closer look at family care

TOP is also worth examining because it has explicitly discussed helping older people remain at home.

Its proposals include:

• A 10-year, cross-party Health Plan intended to provide stable funding.
• Greater investment in primary and preventive healthcare.
• Stronger community-based services to help older people age at home.
• A proposed universal housing payment to replace the Accommodation Supplement.
• More social housing and interest-free rates deferral for older homeowners.

TOP has committed to retaining the Superannuation eligibility age at 65. Source: Grey Power's 2026 party comparison.

For a family caring for an older relative, TOP's focus on community services is relevant. But its published proposals should not be confused with a confirmed entitlement to a caregiver payment or respite care.

Its proposed Citizens' Income model is another policy area to examine, particularly if someone in your household might reduce their working hours to provide care. You would need to check the final policy details to establish whether, and how, it would support unpaid caregivers.

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori did not respond to Grey Power's September 2026 questionnaire, so I could not verify its position through that comparison.

I would not interpret that as opposition to supporting older people. Instead, check its current policy announcements on Māori and Pacific health, housing affordability and whānau support before drawing conclusions.

You can start with the party's official website: Te Pāti Māori.

2. What support is available for families caring for older relatives now?

This is an important part of your decision: your family may already qualify for support under existing rules, regardless of which party you vote for.

Health New Zealand currently provides several forms of home support for eligible older people.

Type of support	How it could help your household
Home help	Assistance with cleaning, meal preparation and other household tasks.
Personal care	Help with showering, dressing, getting out of bed and taking medicines.
Paid family caregiving	An eligible family member may be employed through a home-support provider to deliver approved care.
Carer Support Subsidy	Help with the cost of alternative care so a full-time caregiver can take a break.
Home modifications and equipment	Certain assessed needs may qualify for equipment or adaptations that make the home safer.

Eligibility and the amount of support depend on the person's circumstances and assessment.

Health New Zealand explains that eligible older people can choose a family member as their paid carer, provided the relevant criteria are met. The family member can receive employment support, including arrangements for leave and alternative care when they are sick or away. Being paid may affect other payments they receive, so it is worth checking with Work and Income. Sources: Health New Zealand's home-support services and Carer Support Subsidy.

To start, you can request an assessment through a Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) service. You or a family member can contact the service directly, or ask the older person's GP for a referral. The assessment considers the person's daily care needs and the support available from family. Source: New Zealand Government's needs-assessment guide.

One important qualification: the arrangements for older people receiving Health New Zealand-funded services differ from those for disabled people receiving disability-support funding. The eligibility rules need to be checked against the particular person's circumstances.

3. What should a Pacific multigenerational household look for?

For your family, I would examine party policies against four practical questions.

A. Will a family caregiver receive financial support?

Look beyond promises to improve aged care generally.

Ask whether a party proposes:

• A dedicated payment for unpaid family caregivers.
• Better access to paid family-care arrangements.
• Financial support for people who reduce their working hours to care for relatives.
• More affordable respite care when the usual caregiver needs time off.

These measures could affect your household income directly.

B. Will your family be able to afford a suitable home?

If your older relatives live with you, an affordable home may need more than a low rent or mortgage payment.

Consider whether policies address:

• Larger homes suitable for several generations.
• Accessible bathrooms, entrances and bedrooms.
• Funding for home modifications.
• Affordable rent, power and other household expenses.
• Housing assistance for eligible older people who contribute to the household budget.

Compare specific eligibility rules and funding commitments, rather than relying only on broad promises to make housing more affordable.

C. Can your older relatives access healthcare without adding pressure to the family budget?

Compare proposals for:

• GP visits and prescription charges.
• Home-based nursing and personal care.
• Dementia services and long-term condition management.
• Transport to appointments.
• Community healthcare and respite services.

For a household supporting both children and older relatives, even modest reductions in medical expenses can make a difference. However, a promise to reduce consultation fees is not the same as guaranteeing access to a GP or providing home-based care.

D. Does the policy recognise Pacific family caregiving?

Pacific families may organise care through extended family, shared responsibilities and collective decision-making.

It is worth asking parties whether their proposals would improve access to culturally appropriate services, including Pacific health providers, interpreters where needed, and support that works with family caregiving arrangements.

Also check whether proposed benefits are available to the people in your household under their particular residency, income and eligibility circumstances.

4. Questions to ask parties before voting

The following questions could help you compare candidates' answers consistently:

1. Family caregivers: Will you introduce or expand financial support for relatives who provide regular unpaid care to an older family member?
2. Paid care: Can an eligible family member be paid to provide care at home, and will you make that process easier?
3. Respite: What will you do to ensure family caregivers can take a break without facing unaffordable costs?
4. Housing: Will you provide assistance for multigenerational households that need more space or accessibility modifications?
5. Healthcare: What additional help will older people receive to access affordable primary care, prescriptions and home-based nursing?
6. Pacific communities: What specific commitments will you make to ensure Pacific older people and their families can access culturally appropriate care?

Ask for the proposed funding, eligibility criteria and implementation dates. These details will help you distinguish between an established policy, a campaign promise and a general aspiration.

5. Where the main differences lie

Based on the published material reviewed:

• National emphasises cost-of-living relief, housing supply and healthcare provision.
• Labour has specific proposals for reducing GP and prescription costs.
• The Greens combine primary healthcare reform with accessible housing, dementia support and community-based care.
• New Zealand First identifies aged-care reform and ageing in place as priorities.
• ACT has previously advocated greater individual control over in-home care funding, but its full 2026 position needs confirmation.
• TOP emphasises long-term healthcare planning, community services and helping older people remain at home.
• Te Pāti Māori needs to be assessed through its own current policy announcements because it did not respond to the Grey Power questionnaire.

These are differences in emphasis, not a ranking of which party would be best for your household. The extent to which a proposal helps you will depend on its final design, funding, eligibility rules and implementation.

My suggested next step

For your situation, I would focus first on paid family caregiving, respite care, affordable multigenerational housing and access to primary healthcare. These are the issues most directly connected to the practical challenges you have described.

One distinction is particularly important when comparing policies: whether a party intends to fund professional services that visit your home, or also provide financial assistance and flexibility to the relatives who deliver care themselves.

That is a concrete question worth putting to every candidate you are considering.

You can also read the full Grey Power 2026 party comparison and check each party's official policy pages for announcements made later in the campaign.