New Zealand 2026 election: NZ Super, retirement income and aged care

Policy snapshot as at 26 October 2026 · New Zealand general election: 7 November 2026

The main divide between the parties is whether to preserve the current retirement system, including eligibility for NZ Super at 65, or gradually shift more of the cost of retirement onto individual savings. Aged care adds another set of differences, particularly around healthcare costs, dementia support, care-worker pay and helping older people remain in their own homes.

The comparison below draws on the parties' published policies and their responses to Grey Power's September 2026 survey. One important qualification: not every party has released a complete policy covering all three subjects. How parties stand on issues affecting older New ZealandersWhere the parties stand on New Zealand SuperWhat should we do about New Zealand’s soaring superannuation bill?

1. NZ Super: who qualifies, and at what age?

New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super) is the public pension, generally available from age 65, subject to residency and other eligibility rules. The central questions for this election are whether that age should rise, whether the pension should remain universal, and how its future cost should be funded.

Party	Position on NZ Super
National	Supports universal NZ Super and opposes means-testing it. Proposes gradually raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67, starting in 2044.
Labour	Says the eligibility age should remain 65 and opposes means-testing. Emphasises certainty for retirees.
ACT New Zealand	Proposes increasing the age to 67 over eight years, with an exception allowing people with at least 20 years in physically demanding work to apply from 65. Existing recipients would retain their entitlement.
New Zealand First	Opposes raising the eligibility age or means-testing. Commits to maintaining NZ Super at 66% of the net average wage.
Green Party	Supports universal NZ Super at 65, with a focus on making retirement income adequate to cover living costs.
The Opportunities Party (TOP)	Proposes eventually replacing NZ Super with a broader Citizens' Income system, with transitional protection to maintain payments at current NZ Super levels.
Te Pāti Māori	Has previously advocated earlier access to superannuation for Māori, reflecting differences in life expectancy and health outcomes. A complete 2026 NZ Super policy was not available in the sources reviewed.

Sources: Grey Power's party comparison, Local Matters' September election analysis and The Spinoff's examination of the superannuation debate. How parties stand on issues affecting older New ZealandersWhere the parties stand on New Zealand SuperWhat should we do about New Zealand’s soaring superannuation bill?

2. Retirement income and KiwiSaver

NZ Super is only one part of retirement income. The other major issue is how much people are expected to save privately, and whether employers and the government should contribute more.

National

Proposes compulsory KiwiSaver contributions for workers from July 2028, automatic enrolment at birth and a $1,500 contribution for each newborn from July 2027. Combined default contribution rates would rise to 12% by 2032. Employer contributions would also continue for eligible workers over 65 from July 2027. Enhancing KiwiSaver for EveryoneWhere the parties stand on New Zealand Super

Labour

Supports keeping NZ Super at 65 and proposes raising compulsory employer KiwiSaver contributions to 6% by 2032, with the default employee contribution rising to 4%. It also wants to prevent employers from including KiwiSaver contributions within total-remuneration packages, and to continue employer contributions for workers over 65. Election 2026: What’s in it for seniors so far?Labour's 2026 Election Policies

ACT

Supports compulsory retirement saving and raising NZ Super eligibility to 67 by 2035. Its proposed changes include removing tax on KiwiSaver earnings and removing the government KiwiSaver contribution. People with at least 20 years in physically demanding jobs could apply for NZ Super from 65. Election 2026: What’s in it for seniors so far?Where the parties stand on New Zealand Super

New Zealand First

Wants compulsory KiwiSaver, with a proposed automatic $1,000 contribution at birth. It opposes raising the NZ Super age and has also advocated higher contribution rates over time. Its stated position is to protect the existing public pension entitlement. Election 2026: What’s in it for seniors so far?Winston Peters

Green Party

Opposes raising the age of NZ Super and prioritises making the public pension sufficient for everyday living costs. It also wants to reinstate a 10-year New Zealand residence requirement for NZ Super, alongside its broader healthcare and housing proposals. Election 2026: What’s in it for seniors so far?How parties stand on issues affecting older New Zealanders

The Opportunities Party (TOP)

Proposes a compulsory KiwiSaver 2.0 system, with employer and employee contributions ultimately reaching 6% each. Its longer-term Citizens' Income model would replace NZ Super with a broader income payment and could reduce the additional pension top-up as a person's other income grows. TOP says major structural changes would not occur within the next decade. Election 2026: What’s in it for seniors so far?Where the parties stand on New Zealand Super

Te Pāti Māori

Has advocated earlier access to NZ Super for Māori, citing shorter average life expectancy and health inequities. Its broader approach emphasises Māori-led health services and preventive care. The exact details of its current retirement-savings policy should be checked against its latest election announcements. Election Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New ZealandElection 2026: What’s in it for seniors so far?

One distinction worth keeping in mind: compulsory KiwiSaver and a higher NZ Super age are separate policy decisions. A party can favour greater private saving while keeping Super at 65, or propose both higher savings and a later pension age.

3. Aged care, dementia and support for older people

Aged care covers more than residential care homes. It includes home support, dementia services, GP access, hospital treatment, care-worker pay, retirement villages and support for family members providing unpaid care.

The parties' published positions differ in how directly they address these services.

Party	Main stated priorities
National	Points to additional doctors and nurses, funding for medicines, elective surgery and expanded cancer screening. It has also highlighted rates rebates and Accommodation Supplement changes. Its detailed aged-care election commitments remain less clear in the sources reviewed.
Labour	Proposes three free GP visits per year for everyone through a Medicard, more support for general practice, and free prescriptions from July 2027. It also has a member's bill proposing faster repayment of retirement-village residents' funds when they leave.
Green Party	Wants free public primary healthcare, including free dental care and prescriptions, and full implementation of the national Dementia Mate Wareware Action Plan over five years. It also proposes more accessible public housing and a state-owned, not-for-profit retirement-village scheme.
ACT	Did not submit a response to Grey Power's older-person policy questionnaire. Its detailed aged-care commitments therefore cannot be compared on the same basis here.
New Zealand First	Identifies aged-care reform as a priority, supports better coordination between primary, community and aged care, and proposes a Seniors Housing Plan with more options for ageing at home.
TOP	Wants a 10-year cross-party health plan, stronger primary and preventive healthcare, more community-based services and support for family carers, helping older people remain at home for longer.
Te Pāti Māori	In its response to the National Council of Women of New Zealand, committed to implementing the recommendations of the Ministerial Advisory Group's report on aged care. It also emphasises rebuilding the Māori Health Authority and preventive healthcare.

Sources: Grey Power's September 2026 comparison and the National Council of Women of New Zealand's election survey. How parties stand on issues affecting older New ZealandersElection Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New Zealand

Where the differences matter most

Access to healthcare

Labour's three free GP visits and free prescriptions are specific proposals. The Greens go further in proposing a move towards fully free public primary healthcare, including dental care. National emphasises workforce and treatment capacity, while TOP focuses on long-term funding and community care. How parties stand on issues affecting older New ZealandersLabour's 2026 Election Policies

Dementia and long-term care

The Greens have a clearly stated five-year commitment to implement the national dementia action plan. New Zealand First has identified aged-care reform as a priority, and Te Pāti Māori has committed to implementing the aged-care advisory group's recommendations. These commitments do not, by themselves, establish how much extra funding each would provide. How parties stand on issues affecting older New ZealandersElection Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New Zealand

Staying at home versus residential care

TOP emphasises community services and family-carer support. The Greens propose a not-for-profit retirement-village option and more accessible public housing. New Zealand First proposes more options for ageing in place. Labour's retirement-village repayment proposal addresses a different issue: residents getting their money back promptly when they leave. How parties stand on issues affecting older New ZealandersElection Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New Zealand

Aged-care workers

All five parties that responded to Grey Power's survey — National, Labour, the Greens, New Zealand First and TOP — supported pay equity for aged-care workers. That is broad agreement on the principle, although it does not mean they have identical plans for wages, staffing levels or funding. How parties stand on issues affecting older New Zealanders

4. Quick comparison: what to look for on the ballot

If your main concern is…	The key policy differences to examine
Retiring at 65	Labour, the Greens and NZ First explicitly support retaining the age; National and ACT propose raising it.
Keeping NZ Super universal	National, Labour, the Greens and NZ First support universal entitlement. TOP proposes a longer-term Citizens' Income restructure.
Building private retirement savings	Compare National's compulsory KiwiSaver and $1,500 newborn contribution, Labour's employer-contribution changes, ACT's tax changes, NZ First's proposed birth contribution, and TOP's KiwiSaver 2.0.
Affordable healthcare in retirement	Compare Labour's Medicard and free prescriptions with the Greens' broader free-care proposals and TOP's long-term health plan.
Dementia and residential aged care	Look closely at the Greens' dementia action-plan commitment, New Zealand First's proposed aged-care reform, and Te Pāti Māori's commitment to the aged-care advisory group's recommendations.
Staying in your own home	Compare TOP's community-care approach, the Greens' housing proposals and New Zealand First's Seniors Housing Plan.

5. Sources to check before voting

These are useful starting points for verifying the latest announcements, especially where parties' policies have been updated during the campaign.

• Grey Power — How parties stand on issues affecting older New Zealanders
• Local Matters — Where the parties stand on New Zealand Super
• Lifetime Income — Election 2026: What's in it for seniors so far?
• The Conversation — 2026 New Zealand election policy tracker
• National — KiwiSaver policy
• Labour — 2026 election policies

Bottom line: The most consequential choice on NZ Super is between retaining eligibility at 65 and gradually moving to 67. On retirement savings, the main debate is how much more people should be required or encouraged to save privately. For aged care, compare the specific commitments on dementia, primary healthcare, home support, residential care and workforce funding — areas where a general pledge to support older people is not the same as a funded policy.

Because some parties have not yet published equally detailed commitments across all three areas, treat missing detail as unconfirmed, rather than assuming a party supports or opposes a proposal.