New Zealand 2026 election: rental security and housing support

As a sole parent renting and working part-time, two policy questions are particularly important: how secure your home would be if your landlord wanted you to leave, and how much help you would receive with rent and other housing costs as your income and working hours change.

For the 2026 New Zealand general election, it is useful to compare party policies across four areas:

• Rental security: rules on ending a tenancy, rent increases, and protection from unfair eviction.
• Help paying rent: Accommodation Supplement, income-related rents, and other housing assistance.
• Support for working parents: whether extra working hours leave you better off after childcare costs and changes to benefits.
• Affordable, stable housing: access to public housing, transitional housing, and measures to improve the supply of affordable rentals.

One important distinction: an announced election promise is not the same as an existing entitlement. A party may propose changing a rule, but the change would generally need to be implemented before you could rely on it.

1. What the main parties propose

The following comparison reflects policies and announcements available as of 26 October 2026. The election is scheduled for 7 November 2026, so some details may still change. Sources include the parties' own announcements and the independent comparison site Undecided. How should housing policy change?Greens announce plan to end homelessness & fix housing crisis2026 Election Policy

Green Party

Rent controls, stronger tenant protections and more public housing

The Greens propose:

• Capping annual rent increases at 2% and linking the rent for a new tenancy to the previous rent.
• Ending no-cause evictions to give tenants greater security.
• Introducing a Rental Warrant of Fitness to improve rental quality.
• Building tens of thousands of public homes and supporting community housing providers.

Relevance to you: These proposals address both the risk of losing your rental and the possibility of rent rising faster than your income. The 2% cap and other protections are proposed changes, not current universal rights. Greens announce plan to end homelessness & fix housing crisisHow should housing policy change?

Greens' housing plan

Labour Party

Maintain income-related social rents and expand housing supply

Labour's announced housing-related positions include:

• Keeping income-related rents for Kāinga Ora and community housing tenants at 25% of income, rather than increasing them to 30%.
• Providing at least 6,000 additional social housing places over four years, according to its housing programme.
• Increasing the Crown guarantee for community housing funding to $950 million.
• Opposing the return of no-cause terminations, although the detailed replacement tenancy policy has not been fully specified in the comparison available.

Relevance to you: The social-rent policy matters particularly if you qualify for public housing in the future. Additional public housing places could expand access, but do not guarantee you a home or immediate placement. How should housing policy change?Labour's 2026 Election Policies

Labour's 2026 election policies

National Party

Higher Accommodation Supplement limits and changes to social housing contributions

National's government has announced:

• Increasing maximum Accommodation Supplement rates by $10–$30 a week from 1 April 2027, depending on circumstances.
• Increasing the minimum income-related rent contribution in social housing from 25% to 30% of income from April 2027, phased in for social housing tenants.
• Continuing the current tenancy framework, which allows landlords to end periodic tenancies without giving a specific reason, with 90 days' notice.

Relevance to you: If you rent privately and qualify for an increase in the Accommodation Supplement, you may receive more assistance. If you live in social housing, the higher rent contribution could reduce the money you have left, although your individual result depends on your circumstances. AS – Increasing maximum rate factsheet Budget 2026Increasing the minimum housing cost contribution factsheet Budget 2026How should housing policy change?

National's social housing changes

ACT New Zealand

Planning reform and more housing development

ACT's housing approach emphasises reducing barriers to development and increasing housing supply through planning reform. The available comparison does not identify a specific ACT commitment to cap rent increases or reverse no-cause terminations.

Relevance to you: This approach seeks to address housing affordability through supply and development rather than the specific rent-control measures proposed by the Greens. More construction does not necessarily translate into an immediate reduction in your weekly rent. How should housing policy change?Election Policy Comparison

ACT's official website

Te Pāti Māori

Rent controls and stronger protections against eviction

Its published housing positions include universal rent control and repealing no-cause evictions. Reporting on its 2026 proposals describes a rent freeze followed by limits on increases, but the precise ongoing cap was not established in the sources reviewed.

Relevance to you: These proposals focus on keeping rent increases under control and reducing the risk of having to leave a home unexpectedly. How should housing policy change?Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

Te Pāti Māori's official website

New Zealand First and The Opportunity Party (TOP) are also contesting the election. The available comparisons do not establish a directly equivalent, detailed rent-control and housing-subsidy package for every party. TOP has proposed improving rental standards and extending some home-insulation support to eligible private rentals. You can compare the wider party positions using Policy.nz's 2026 housing guide. How should housing policy change?Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

2. What this means for your housing costs

Party promises matter, but your existing eligibility for government support may affect your household budget sooner.

Accommodation Supplement

This is a weekly, non-taxable payment that can help with private rent. Eligibility and the amount depend on income, assets, accommodation costs and family circumstances. It is not available for tenants paying income-related rent in public housing.

For a sole parent with one child, the current maximum weekly rates are:

Area category	Maximum per week
Area 1	$235
Area 2	$155
Area 3	$105
Area 4	$80

These are maximums, not guaranteed payments. The applicable area and your personal entitlement must be checked. The planned 2027 increase applies to maximum rates, not automatically to every recipient.

Check Accommodation Supplement eligibility and rates

Accommodation SupplementAS – Increasing maximum rate factsheet Budget 2026

Public and community housing

If you qualify for income-related rent, the proposed change from 25% to 30% of income from April 2027 is important. The Government estimates that the increase will raise rents for around 84,000 households by an average of about $31 a week.

The same Budget package increases Accommodation Supplement maximums for eligible private-market households. These are different schemes: you should not assume that a higher private-rent subsidy will compensate you for a higher public-housing rent.

Read the official Budget 2026 explanation

Increasing the minimum housing cost contribution factsheet Budget 2026AS – Increasing maximum rate factsheet Budget 2026

3. The part-time work and childcare question

For your circumstances, housing policy cannot be considered in isolation. Taking on extra hours may increase wages while also changing your benefit, childcare assistance and other income-tested support.

When comparing parties, check whether they have published specific proposals for:

• Childcare affordability: help with preschool or early childhood education fees, eligibility thresholds, and the number of hours covered.
• Benefit abatement: how quickly support reduces when you earn more.
• Housing assistance: whether rent support changes as your income increases.
• Tenancy security: whether you could lose your rental even if you have paid rent reliably.

A policy that increases rent support may help with immediate expenses, while stronger tenancy protections may help you plan for the longer term. Neither alone establishes how much better off you would be from taking on another shift.

4. A practical comparison for your vote

Here is a neutral way to compare the choices against your priorities:

Your priority	Policy detail to examine
Staying in your rental	Whether the party would end no-cause terminations and what notice or eviction protections it proposes
Keeping rent predictable	Whether it supports a rent cap, how the cap is calculated, and whether it applies to new tenancies
Having enough money after rent	Changes to Accommodation Supplement, income-related rent and other housing support
Being able to work more hours	How childcare costs, benefit reductions and housing assistance interact
Finding a more affordable home	Public housing targets, funding and eligibility rules

The central trade-off in the current proposals is that parties differ in how they pursue affordability: direct controls and stronger tenant rights, more income-based housing assistance, or increased housing supply and development. Those approaches can have different effects on a household's immediate budget and its long-term rental security.

For a useful next step, compare the full policies on Policy.nz and check your current entitlements through Work and Income. That way, you can separate the support you may be entitled to now from the changes each party is promising if elected.