Comparing 2026 New Zealand election policies: living on a fixed benefit

When you rely on a benefit because a long-term health condition limits your ability to work, the cost of living is about more than general inflation. It is about whether you can afford the essentials every week, without having to sacrifice food, warmth, housing or medical care.

For your voting decision, I would look particularly closely at five areas:

1. Benefit adequacy: Will your income keep pace with the cost of living?
2. Housing: Will you be able to afford rent and have secure, healthy accommodation?
3. Food: Will there be practical help with groceries and basic necessities?
4. Power and heating: Will you be able to keep your home warm without falling behind on bills?
5. Healthcare: Will you be able to afford GP visits, prescriptions, specialist appointments and travel to medical care?

An important distinction is between policies that provide immediate financial assistance and policies that promise longer-term improvements. For someone living on a fixed income, both matter, but they have different effects on your weekly budget.

1. Income support: how much money would you actually have to live on?

This is arguably the most important issue for someone who cannot reliably increase their income through employment.

Here are some of the clearest differences between parties.

Party	Relevant 2026 commitments
Green Party	Increase main benefits to liveable levels, guarantee a minimum income, increase supplementary assistance and remove benefit sanctions.
Te Pāti Māori	Double baseline benefit levels, remove sanctions and work-test obligations, and increase the amount people can earn before their benefit reduces.
The Opportunities Party (TOP)	Introduce a Citizen's Income of up to $370 per week for almost all adults, with additional disability, housing and other support.
Labour	End annual benefit renewals for people with verified permanent disabilities. Its published commitments also include broader cost-of-living assistance.
National	Maintain an employment-focused welfare system, with tighter requirements for some Jobseeker recipients.
ACT	Require independent medical certification for health and disability benefits, with reassessment of existing recipients.

Sources: Disability-focused election analysis by The D*List and CCS Disability Action. Party policies, simplified: Disability fundingElection 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis

Why this matters:

• Increasing the baseline benefit provides money for everyday expenses, not just a particular medical or disability-related expense.
• Individualised entitlements mean your access to support is not automatically reduced because you have a partner.
• Removing sanctions and unnecessary reassessments can provide greater income security.
• A guaranteed income could make budgeting more predictable.

One particularly important distinction is that TOP's proposed $370 Citizen's Income would replace most existing benefits, including Jobseeker and Supported Living Payment, with additional top-ups. It is therefore important to examine the proposed disability top-up rather than assume everyone would simply receive $370 extra. Party policies, simplified: Disability funding

2. Food: making groceries affordable

Food assistance can be particularly important when your income is fixed and there is little flexibility in your weekly budget.

Green Party

Proposes:

• Doubling the Work and Income food-grant limit.
• A $150 million Fair Food Fund.
• More funding for food banks.
• A national food strategy and a legal right to adequate food.
• A KiwiMart public supermarket initiative.

Election policy tracker: what the parties are promisingPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

National

Proposes separating New World and PAK'nSAVE to increase supermarket competition, with the intention of improving prices, specials and product choice.

2026 Election PolicyElection policy tracker: what the parties are promising

New Zealand First

Proposes breaking up the supermarket duopoly to increase competition and reduce market dominance.

Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising

The practical difference: The Greens' proposed increase to food grants is directly relevant if you need help buying groceries now. Supermarket competition policies aim to reduce prices more generally, but do not guarantee that an individual beneficiary will have more money available each week.

3. Housing: affordable rent and a healthy home

8

For someone with a long-term health condition, housing affordability is only part of the issue. Dampness, mould, poor insulation and insecurity of tenure can also affect your wellbeing.

Party	Relevant housing proposals
Greens	Build thousands of public homes, increase accessible public housing, strengthen Healthy Homes standards and introduce an independently certified Rental Warrant of Fitness.
Labour	Build at least 6,000 additional social housing places over four years, ban no-cause evictions, strengthen rental protections and make at least 25% of new Kāinga Ora homes accessible.
Te Pāti Māori	Build more social housing, stop discount sales of existing state homes, introduce rent controls and repeal no-cause evictions.
TOP	Expand warmer-home improvements to eligible rental properties and provide finance for affordable and social housing.
National	Increase housing supply, expand granny-flat building rules and reserve some housing funding for seniors.
ACT	Allow landlords to offset future rental losses against other taxable income, aiming to encourage rental investment.
NZ First	Prioritise citizens for social housing and expand the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme.

Election 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026

For your circumstances, I would pay particular attention to:

• Whether a party will increase the supply of genuinely affordable public housing.
• Whether it will improve access to accessible homes.
• Whether rental protections will make it easier to remain in your home.
• Whether it will strengthen standards for warm, dry and healthy rentals.

A first-home buyer policy is less immediately relevant if you are dependent on a fixed benefit and cannot afford a mortgage.

4. Electricity: making power and heating affordable

aucklandheatpumpservices.co.nz

Electricity costs can be particularly difficult when you spend more time at home because of a health condition, need heating, or use medical equipment.

There are some interesting differences between the parties.

Party	Electricity proposals
Greens	Zero-interest clean-energy loans, more support for low-income households to insulate and warm homes, renters' access to solar and publicly owned renewable energy investment.
Labour	SolarSaver loans, no-upfront-cost solar installations, subsidies of up to $3,000 for eligible low- and middle-income households, and action against electricity overcharging.
National	A Home Energy Fund offering long-term loans for solar, batteries and insulation, alongside electricity market reforms intended to improve affordability.
TOP	Expand Warmer Kiwi Homes to eligible rental properties, including double glazing, solar and electrification.
NZ First	Expand Warmer Kiwi Homes, including double glazing, solar and electrification supported by low-interest loans.
ACT	Focus on increasing electricity supply, investment and competition to improve affordability.
Te Pāti Māori	Has an energy sovereignty platform, including investment in Māori-led energy solutions.

Power for all of usLabour's Cost of Living PlanAffordable power Kiwis can rely onThe politics of power: Comparing energy policies ahead of Election 2026

An important consideration: Solar loans are not necessarily useful to someone who cannot afford to take on additional debt. If you rent, you also need permission or practical arrangements to install equipment.

For someone on a fixed benefit, I would look for policies that directly reduce electricity costs without requiring you to borrow money or own your home.

5. Healthcare: reducing the extra costs of being unwell

This deserves its own consideration because frequent medical appointments can take a significant amount out of a limited weekly budget.

Some relevant commitments include:

• Labour: Three free GP visits each year through its proposed Medicard, and removal of the $5 prescription charge from 1 July 2027.
• Greens: Income support to meet disability-related living and medical costs, regardless of relationship status or the cause of disability.
• Te Pāti Māori: Free dental and primary healthcare, alongside increased investment in Māori-led healthcare.
• ACT: An additional $100 million annually for general practice funding and expanded services through pharmacies.
• TOP: Increase health funding to 9% of GDP through a long-term health funding plan.

Labour's 2026 Election PoliciesElection 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis

For you, I would also examine whether a party will:

• Increase Disability Allowance support.
• Make specialist appointments and diagnostic services more accessible.
• Reduce prescription and GP costs.
• Improve transport assistance for medical appointments.
• Simplify medical assessments and reduce repetitive paperwork.

The Greens' proposed disability-related income support and Labour's commitment to end annual renewals for people with verified permanent disabilities are particularly relevant policy areas to investigate.

6. Which policies address your biggest everyday expenses?

Here is a condensed comparison of the policies discussed above. This is an issue-by-issue comparison, not an overall party ranking.

Your priority	Policies to investigate
More money each week	Greens' liveable benefits; Te Pāti Māori's benefit increases; TOP's Citizen's Income
Affordable groceries	Greens' increased food grants; National and NZ First supermarket competition proposals
Affordable rent	Greens' public housing; Labour's additional social housing; Te Pāti Māori's rent controls
Warm, affordable housing	Greens' Healthy Homes proposals; TOP's rental improvements; NZ First's insulation programme
Lower power bills	Labour's SolarSaver; Greens' energy plan; National's Home Energy Fund
Medical expenses	Labour's free GP visits and prescriptions; Greens' disability-related income support
Less benefit administration	Labour's end to annual renewals; TOP's Tell Us Once proposal

7. Questions I would ask every party before voting

Party announcements are not the same as legislation, and some proposals are not yet fully detailed.

I would encourage you to ask candidates these specific questions:

1. If someone has a permanent health condition and cannot work, will their main benefit be increased to a genuinely liveable level?
2. Will Disability Allowance payments increase to reflect actual medical and disability-related costs?
3. Will people on fixed benefits receive more assistance with groceries without having to repeatedly demonstrate financial hardship?
4. Will you increase the availability of affordable public housing and protect people from unaffordable rent increases?
5. Will you provide electricity bill assistance to low-income households, rather than simply offering loans for solar panels?
6. Will people with permanent disabilities be protected from repeated medical reassessments and unnecessary benefit reviews?

These questions help distinguish policies that might improve the overall economy from policies that would actually improve your day-to-day financial security.

8. Where to compare the complete election policies

These independent and specialist resources are useful for checking the detail.

• Policy.nz – 2026 election policy comparison: Compare parties by income, housing, health and other issues.
• CCS Disability Action – 2026 party policy analysis: A disability-focused examination of party commitments.
• The D*List – Disability funding and welfare policies: Particularly useful for understanding benefit and disability funding proposals.
• Energy policy comparison – MinterEllison: An overview of electricity and energy policies.

Research reflects policies and announcements available as at 30 October 2026. Parties may announce further commitments before election day on 7 November 2026.

My suggested approach to your voting decision

I wouldn't judge parties solely on whether they promise to lower the cost of living. I would look at whether their policies actually address the structural disadvantage of living on a benefit that you cannot easily supplement through employment.

In particular, I would distinguish between:

• Income security: Having enough money every week, regardless of whether you can work.
• Cost reduction: Paying less for food, electricity, housing and medical appointments.
• Dignity and independence: Not having to repeatedly prove that your health condition prevents you from working.
• Long-term security: Knowing that you can remain housed, warm and financially supported.

One final point: New Zealand uses MMP, so your party vote helps determine each party's representation in Parliament, while your electorate vote chooses your local representative.

I can also help you take this comparison one step further: compare the Green Party, Labour, Te Pāti Māori and TOP in greater depth, focusing specifically on how their proposed policies would affect someone who permanently relies on Supported Living Payment or another main benefit, including the Disability Allowance, Accommodation Supplement and Winter Energy Payment.