New Zealand 2026 election: income support when illness prevents you from working

If a long-term health condition limits your ability to work, the most important differences between parties are likely to be how much financial support you receive, whether you must undergo repeated medical assessments, and whether you can be penalised for not meeting work-related obligations when you are unwell.

New Zealand's general election is scheduled for 7 November 2026. The parties differ significantly in their approaches to welfare, disability rights and medical certification. Some have made specific commitments for disabled people, while others have set out broader approaches to welfare rather than detailed policies for people unable to work. How do the different parties fare on disability issues this election?Party policies, simplified: Disability funding

One important distinction: not everyone with a long-term illness receives the same benefit. The rules affecting you may depend on whether you receive the Supported Living Payment or Jobseeker Support with a health condition or disability. Those differences matter when comparing the parties.

1. How the main parties compare

The following comparison focuses on the issues most likely to affect someone who has ongoing medical appointments and cannot reliably meet ordinary work expectations.

Based on party policy pages and election coverage available as of 26 October 2026. These are proposals, not guaranteed outcomes.

National

Approach: maintain the current system, with an emphasis on consistency and fiscal sustainability.

• Has emphasised consistent disability support funding and the New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026–2030.
• Its welfare programme includes more work-focused support for people considered work-ready who have been on Jobseeker Support for over a year.
• Has announced lower Jobseeker payments from April 2028 for people who have received that benefit for two of the previous three years. This is particularly relevant if you receive Jobseeker Support with a health condition, rather than Supported Living Payment.
• Has not set out an equally detailed new commitment to end repeat medical reassessments for people with permanent conditions. Party policies, simplified: Disability policyParty policies, simplified: Disability funding

Key question: Will your current level of support and medical exemption be protected over the long term?

Labour

Approach: stronger disability rights and less repetitive administration.

• Promises to end annual benefit renewals for people with verified permanent disabilities.
• Wants to strengthen disability rights and develop a rights-based disability support framework with disabled people and carers.
• Supports moving disabled people into open employment, but this is not the same as promising that everyone unable to work will be exempt from every work-related requirement.
• Its published disability policy does not specify a new benefit rate for people unable to work. DisabilityParty policies, simplified: Disability policy

Key question: How would Labour reduce repeat assessments and administrative demands for people whose condition is permanent?

Green Party

Approach: more generous, accessible and less punitive income support.

• Proposes accessible and timely income support to meet disability-related living and medical costs, regardless of relationship status or the cause of disability.
• Supports abolishing benefit sanctions introduced by the current government.
• Proposes individualised benefit entitlements, so a partner's income would not determine eligibility in the same way as under current rules.
• Its wider welfare programme includes raising benefits to liveable levels and extending ACC coverage to illness and disability regardless of origin. How do the different parties fare on disability issues this election?Party policies, simplified: Disability funding

Key question: How much additional assistance would be available for your actual medical and disability-related expenses?

ACT

Approach: stricter verification, with ongoing support for people assessed as genuinely unable to work.

• Proposes requiring health and disability benefits to be certified by doctors from an MSD-approved pool, rather than making this optional.
• Plans phased reassessments for existing recipients.
• Says long-term arrangements should remain available for people with genuine, enduring disabilities.
• Its published fiscal plan proposes reducing disability funding by $653 million over 2028–2031. How do the different parties fare on disability issues this election?Party policies, simplified: Disability funding

Key question: Would independent certification and reassessment create extra appointments, paperwork or uncertainty for you?

Te Pāti Māori

Approach: substantially higher benefits and fewer punitive welfare obligations.

• Proposes doubling baseline benefit levels to meet the upper range of Welfare Expert Advisory Group recommendations.
• Proposes removing financial penalties, sanctions and work-test obligations.
• Wants benefits to be individualised rather than dependent on relationship status.
• Emphasises whānau-centred disability support and investment in Enabling Good Lives. Party policies, simplified: Disability fundingParty policies, simplified: Disability policy

Key question: How would the proposed benefit increases translate into your actual weekly payment and medical costs?

New Zealand First

Approach: less clearly defined for people unable to work because of illness.

• Supported the Disability Support Services Act 2026.
• Has not published a comparably detailed disability-specific income-support and medical-reassessment programme in the sources reviewed.
• Its position on removing work obligations or protecting people with permanent conditions from repeat assessments remains less clear. Party policies, simplified: Disability policyDisability Policies of NZ Political Parties

Key question: What specific protections would it offer people who cannot meet normal work expectations?

The Opportunities Party (TOP)

Approach: replace much of the current benefit system with a Citizen's Income.

• Proposes a Citizen's Income of up to $370 per week for adults, replacing most current benefits, including Supported Living Payment.
• Proposes an additional universal disability allowance of around $6,000 per year, plus needs-based top-ups.
• Its disability statement also promises to make support more person-centred and reduce unnecessary repeated assessments through a proposed “Tell Us Once” approach.
• The final payment you would receive would depend on how the replacement scheme and disability top-ups were implemented. How do the different parties fare on disability issues this election?Opportunity Disability Position Statement - October 2026

Key question: Would the combined Citizen's Income and disability allowance leave you better off than your current benefit?

2. What the differences mean for your medical appointments and work obligations

If you cannot work at all

The most relevant distinction is between parties that want to remove work-test obligations and parties that retain a system based on assessing work capacity.

• Te Pāti Māori explicitly proposes removing work-test obligations and sanctions.
• The Greens propose abolishing the current government's benefit sanctions, although that is not a blanket promise to remove every assessment or administrative requirement.
• Labour explicitly promises to end annual renewals for people with verified permanent disabilities.
• ACT proposes independent medical certification and phased reassessments, while promising continued support for people with enduring disabilities.
• National emphasises work-focused support for people assessed as work-ready; how that would affect someone with a medical exemption depends on their benefit and assessment.
• TOP proposes replacing the existing benefit structure, so the practical effect on your income would depend on the final replacement rules. DisabilityParty policies, simplified: Disability fundingOpportunity Disability Position Statement - October 2026

If attending appointments is already difficult

Repeat assessments, travel and paperwork can create a significant burden when your health is unstable.

Labour's permanent-disability renewal pledge is especially relevant if your condition has been formally verified as permanent. ACT's proposed independent certification could mean a different assessment process, while TOP's proposed “Tell Us Once” system aims to reduce repeated information requests across agencies. These are different approaches, and they should not be treated as equivalent promises. DisabilityParty policies, simplified: Disability fundingOpportunity Disability Position Statement - October 2026

3. Which policies matter most for financial security?

Beyond work obligations, three questions are particularly important if you rely on a benefit to cover everyday living costs and regular medical care.

Issue	Parties with the clearest relevant proposals
Higher baseline benefit payments	Te Pāti Māori; the Greens support higher, liveable benefit rates
Medical and disability expenses	Greens explicitly propose support for disability-related living and medical costs
Fewer repeat renewals for permanent conditions	Labour has a specific commitment for verified permanent disabilities
Removing benefit sanctions	Te Pāti Māori and the Greens
Alternative income-support system	TOP's Citizen's Income and disability allowance

These are not direct comparisons of dollar amounts. The proposals have different eligibility rules, funding arrangements and implementation details. DisabilityParty policies, simplified: Disability fundingHow do the different parties fare on disability issues this election?

One issue worth watching is whether you receive Jobseeker Support with a health condition or disability rather than Supported Living Payment. The New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services has highlighted that people who are medically unable to work can end up on the lower-paying Jobseeker benefit, sometimes remaining subject to interventions intended for jobseekers. It has recommended increasing that payment to the Supported Living Payment rate. This is an advocacy group's recommendation, not a commitment made by every party. Poverty Policy Election 2026

4. A practical checklist before you vote

When reviewing a party's final policy announcements, I would focus on these five questions:

• Income: Will my weekly payment increase, decrease or stay the same?
• Medical evidence: Will my existing specialist or GP evidence be accepted, or will I need further assessments?
• Work obligations: Can I be sanctioned if my health prevents me from attending an appointment, participating in a programme or meeting a deadline?
• Medical costs: Will support cover prescriptions, transport to appointments, specialist visits and other disability-related expenses?
• Long-term security: If my condition does not improve, will my support continue without unnecessary reassessments?

You can also check the current rules directly through Work and Income's Supported Living Payment obligations page. Current rules already distinguish between people who can prepare for work and those who cannot, although other obligations can still apply. Supported Living Payment obligations

My overall reading

Based on the published proposals, Te Pāti Māori and the Greens have the clearest commitments to removing punitive welfare rules; Labour has a particularly concrete promise on ending annual renewals for people with verified permanent disabilities; ACT places more emphasis on independent medical verification; and National places more emphasis on the existing system and work-focused support for people assessed as work-ready. TOP offers a more fundamental alternative to the current benefit system. New Zealand First's position on these particular issues is less clearly specified. DisabilityParty policies, simplified: Disability fundingDisability Policies of NZ Political Parties

No party's proposal guarantees a particular outcome for an individual claimant, and the final effect depends on the benefit you receive and the rules ultimately enacted.

One detail would help me make this comparison much more relevant to your circumstances: Which income support do you currently receive?