Your guide to accessible voting and disability rights in New Zealand

If you rent, have a mobility impairment, and want to continue living independently, you can assess the 2026 New Zealand general election through two practical questions:

1. Can I vote independently and accessibly, without transport, mobility, or communication barriers preventing me from having my say?
2. Which parties have clear, documented policies on disability rights, accessible transport, housing security, and the support services I rely on?

You do not need to start with party slogans. You can check official voting arrangements, read published policies, and compare specific commitments with your day-to-day needs.

1. Check your accessible voting options

The 2026 general election is on Saturday 7 November 2026. Advance voting starts on Monday 26 October. The Electoral Commission has published an accessibility plan and information on voting options for disabled people. Access 2026: accessibility action plan for the 2026 General ElectionCan't get to a voting place?

Find a voting place that meets your mobility needs

Use the official accessible voting place finder. It lists full and partial accessibility ratings for voting places nationwide.

• Full accessibility: independent access into and within the building.
• Partial accessibility: there may be steps or a steep ramp.

Check the route from the street, parking, entrance, internal access and proximity to public transport. A rating alone may not tell you whether the venue suits your particular mobility aid. Accessible voting places

Vote with assistance if you need it

You can ask a friend, family member or electoral official to help you read or mark your voting paper. They can accompany you behind the voting screen and mark your paper at your direction, but they cannot choose your vote for you.

See Need help to vote?. Need help to vote?

Vote from home if you cannot mark your paper independently

Telephone dictation voting is available to eligible voters who are blind, partially blind, or have a physical disability that prevents them from marking their voting paper without assistance. You must register, even if you used the service previously.

• Register by 12 noon on 7 November.
• Registration: official telephone dictation voting instructions.
• From within New Zealand, call 0800 028 028 and select option 1 to register.

Voting by telephone opens on 21 October. Telephone dictation voting

Ask about having voting papers delivered or collected

If you cannot get to a voting place, you can authorise someone to collect voting papers for you. If you have no one who can do this, contact your electorate manager to discuss arrangements for delivery and collection.

Read Can't get to a voting place?. Can't get to a voting place?

For practical assistance, contact the Electoral Commission on 0800 36 76 56. Ask about your specific access requirements before travelling, including step-free entry, accessible toilets, seating, parking and the nearest suitable public transport.

You can also read the Commission's Access 2026 action plan, which is available in accessible formats including Easy Read, large print, audio, braille and New Zealand Sign Language. Access 2026: accessibility action plan for the 2026 General Election

2. Check whether party policies address your rights and independence

A useful starting point is The Spinoff's September 2026 disability policy comparison. It reviews the major parties' positions on disability support and funding, accessibility standards, benefits and related issues. Use it as a starting point, then verify specific promises against each party's own published policies. How do the different parties fare on disability issues this election?

For your circumstances, I would examine the following issues across all parties, rather than relying only on whether a party has a disability policy.

1. Accessible rental housing and security

Look for commitments to accessible rental properties, modifications for disabled tenants, affordable housing, protection from unfair eviction and rent increases, and greater security of tenure.

Ask whether policies cover existing rental homes as well as newly built homes, and who pays for accessibility modifications.

2. Accessible and affordable transport

Look for wheelchair-accessible buses, trains and stops, reliable mobility transport services, accessible taxis, affordable fares and transport options where public transport is limited.

Ask about delivery dates, funding and whether the proposals address the entire journey, including getting to and from stops.

3. Disability support and independent living

Examine personal care, home support, equipment and mobility aids, needs assessments, funding eligibility, respite and continuity of services.

Check whether the party proposes stable funding, clearer entitlements or changes that could affect your existing support.

4. Disability rights and accountability

Look for enforceable accessibility standards, protection against discrimination, accessible public services, consultation with disabled people, and independent ways to complain when rights are breached.

Check whether a commitment changes the law, creates a new service, or simply promises to review the issue.

5. Income and the cost of living

Compare proposals affecting disability-related costs, benefits, housing assistance, healthcare, prescriptions, power and transport. Consider how eligibility rules and changes in household costs could affect your ability to remain independent.

3. How to assess whether a promise is meaningful

When you read a party's policy, try to answer these five questions:

• What exactly is promised? Is there a specific policy, or only a general statement of support for disabled people?
• Who qualifies? Does it cover people with mobility impairments who rent and live independently?
• Is it funded? Is there a published budget, funding allocation or implementation plan?
• When will it happen? Is there a deadline, measurable target or clear sequence of steps?
• How will rights be protected? Is there a legal obligation, independent oversight or a way to challenge a decision?

Distinguish between a party's published election commitment, its record in government or opposition, and an independent assessment of its likely effects. These are different types of evidence.

For additional context, you can use Vote NZ for official electoral information and The Spinoff's 2026 disability policy comparison for a cross-party overview. Check party websites for updates as the campaign progresses.

4. Make your own comparison

This simple checklist can help you organise your research without having to read every policy document in full.

Your election research checklist

Tick each issue once you have checked the relevant party policies. Add notes or questions for candidates below.

Accessible rental homes and tenancy security

Accessible, affordable transport

Reliable home and disability support

Enforceable disability rights and accessibility standards

Income support and disability-related living costs

0 of 5 issues reviewed

Questions or policy commitments to follow up

Copy checklist and notes

You can also ask candidates directly: “What specific, funded commitments will your party make to ensure disabled renters can access transport, receive the support they need, and continue living independently?” Their response can help you distinguish a concrete commitment from a general campaign statement.

The central point: assess not only what parties say about disability, but whether their proposals would protect your ability to choose where you live, get where you need to go, access reliable support, and exercise your rights on an equal basis with others. Your own experience of which barriers matter most is an important part of that assessment.