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I'm a Pacific voter in a multigenerational household with children and older relatives. Our main concerns are household costs, enough space and access to healthcare. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do parties propose about supporting older relatives who live with family rather than in residential care?
2026 New Zealand election: Support for older relatives living with family
For a multigenerational Pacific household, one important election issue is whether government policy recognises the value of caring for older relatives at home, rather than assuming that older people will eventually move into a retirement village or residential-care facility.
There are several different kinds of support worth examining:
- Financial support: Help with food, power, housing costs and the additional expenses of having older relatives at home.
- Family caregiving: Financial recognition, respite care and practical assistance for relatives who provide daily care.
- Healthcare at home: Access to GPs, nurses, physiotherapy, medicines and home-based support.
- Housing: Enough space for different generations, including accessible bathrooms, bedrooms and separate living areas.
- Older people's independence: Helping seniors remain with their families while retaining dignity, choice and social connection.
An important distinction: a policy supporting older people to remain in their own homes does not automatically mean that a family member caring for them receives a payment.
The comparison below uses policies and party responses available as at 31 October 2026. Some parties have published more detailed policies than others.
1. What the main parties are proposing
National
Housing and independence
National's October 2026 retirement policy has several proposals relevant to families living with older relatives.
- Expand the rules allowing granny flats and tiny homes to be built more easily and cheaply.
- Reserve at least 20% of places in its Housing Flexible Fund for affordable seniors' housing.
- Establish a free 0800 Seniors helpline to help older people access government services and entitlements.
- Strengthen protections against elder abuse and financial exploitation.
- Continue support such as the Winter Energy Payment and rates rebates.
What this could mean for your household: Easier granny-flat construction could give an older relative their own space while remaining close to children and grandchildren. However, the announced policy does not establish a specific payment for family members who provide daily elder care.
Source: National – Plan for Retirement. Fixing the Basics and Building the Future: National’s plan for retirement
Labour
Healthcare affordability and care workers
Labour's proposals focus more on reducing the cost of healthcare and strengthening the paid care workforce.
- Three free GP visits annually for everyone through its proposed Medicard.
- Free prescriptions, with the policy scheduled from July 2027.
- More support for GP practices and community healthcare.
- Restore pay equity legislation and give care and support workers an immediate $4-per-hour pay rise.
- Introduce a $20 weekly public transport fare cap in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and $10 elsewhere.
What this could mean for your household: If an older relative needs frequent GP visits or prescriptions, the proposed healthcare changes could reduce some household expenses. Better pay for care workers could also help strengthen the workforce supporting older people.
However, higher wages for professional care workers are not the same as paying an unpaid daughter, son, grandchild or other family member to provide care.
Sources: Labour's 2026 policies, CCS Disability Action policy analysis. Labour's 2026 Election PoliciesElection 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis
Green Party
Ageing at home and family support
The Greens explicitly identify the needs of an ageing population as a policy priority.
Their proposals include:
- A dedicated long-term strategy for an ageing population.
- Better support for the wellbeing and dignity of older people and kaumātua.
- Implementing the national Dementia Mate Wareware Action Plan over five years.
- More community-based health services.
- Support for family carers and helping older people remain in their communities.
- More accessible public housing, including housing suitable for intergenerational living.
- More papakāinga housing and prioritising kaumātua on social housing waiting lists.
- A state-owned, not-for-profit retirement village scheme.
The Greens also propose removing prescription charges, expanding access to primary healthcare and providing free dental care.
What this could mean for your household: Their proposals address several aspects of family-based elder care, including accessible housing, dementia support and community healthcare. Their emphasis on family carers is particularly relevant when relatives provide substantial unpaid care.
The important question to investigate further is what practical financial assistance and respite arrangements would be available to those carers.
Sources: Green Party 2026 Manifesto, CCS Disability Action analysis. Manifesto 2026Manifesto 2026Election 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisElection 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis
New Zealand First
Aged-care reform and coordination
New Zealand First identifies aged-care reform as a major priority.
Its stated proposals include:
- Better coordination between primary healthcare, community services and aged care.
- More options for older people to age in place.
- A Seniors Housing Plan.
- More places for senior citizens within the social housing pool.
- Expanding the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme, including insulation, double glazing and solar options.
New Zealand First has also committed to maintaining NZ Super at 66% of the net average wage and retaining the retirement eligibility age rather than increasing it.
What this could mean for your household: Better coordination between healthcare and community-based aged care could make it easier for families to support older relatives without relying entirely on residential facilities.
However, the party's published responses provide less detail about direct financial payments to family caregivers.
Source: Grey Power's 2026 party comparison. How parties stand on issues affecting older New ZealandersElection 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis
The Opportunities Party (TOP)
Family carers and community care
TOP has placed particular emphasis on helping older people remain at home.
Its proposals include:
- A 10-year cross-party Health Plan to provide stable, long-term healthcare funding.
- Greater investment in primary and preventative healthcare.
- Stronger community-based health services to help older people age at home.
- Support for family carers.
- A universal housing payment to replace the Accommodation Supplement.
- More social housing and interest-free rates deferral for older homeowners.
- Planning changes to make multigenerational homes, co-housing and papakāinga easier to build.
TOP also proposes a Citizens' Income model, with up to $370 per week for most adults, alongside additional support for groups including superannuitants, parents and disabled people.
What this could mean for your household: TOP's combination of community healthcare, family-carer support and multigenerational housing proposals is directly relevant to your concerns. Its income and housing proposals would need closer examination to understand eligibility and the effect on a particular household.
Sources: Grey Power comparison, CCS Disability Action analysis. How parties stand on issues affecting older New ZealandersElection 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisElection 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis
ACT
ACT's publicly outlined 2026 proposals include:
- Raising the NZ Super eligibility age to 67 by 2035.
- Allowing compassionate early access for people who have spent their careers in physically demanding jobs.
ACT did not complete Grey Power's questionnaire about older people's needs. Its publicly available policy material therefore gives less detail on support for family-based elder care.
Its proposals should be examined separately from its broader positions on reducing regulation and government spending.
Source: CCS Disability Action – Election 2026 analysis. Election 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisHow parties stand on issues affecting older New Zealanders
Te Pāti Māori
Te Pāti Māori has several proposals relevant to whānau support, although it did not respond to Grey Power's older-person questionnaire.
Its published proposals include:
- Recognising unpaid care and whānau support as valuable labour.
- Making disability support more connected with healthcare, mental wellbeing and social services.
- Removing barriers to accessing disability support.
- Ensuring new government housing is designed to accommodate all whānau.
- Building more papakāinga housing, including 2,000 homes on Māori ancestral land.
What this could mean for your household: Its recognition of unpaid care and its whānau-centred approach to housing and disability services are relevant to family-based care arrangements.
However, recognition of unpaid care does not necessarily mean that a specific caregiver allowance or payment has been promised.
Sources: CCS Disability Action – Election 2026 analysis. Election 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisElection 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis
2. Side-by-side comparison
The following table focuses on the policies most relevant to older relatives living with family.
| Party | Family caregiving | Healthcare at home | Multigenerational housing |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | No specific new family-carer payment identified | General health investment | Expanded granny-flat rules |
| Labour | Better-paid professional care workforce | Free GP visits and prescriptions | Accessible public housing |
| Greens | Explicit support for family carers | Community care and dementia support | Intergenerational housing |
| NZ First | Aged-care reform priority | Better coordination of services | Seniors Housing Plan |
| TOP | Explicit support for family carers | Community-based care | Easier multigenerational building |
| ACT | No specific proposal identified | No specific family-care proposal identified | No specific elder-focused proposal identified |
| Te Pāti Māori | Recognises unpaid care and whānau support | Integrated disability and health services | Whānau-centred housing |
Sources: Grey Power, CCS Disability Action and the parties' published policies. How parties stand on issues affecting older New ZealandersElection 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisElection 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisElection 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisFixing the Basics and Building the Future: National’s plan for retirementLabour's 2026 Election Policies
3. The biggest issue: Are family caregivers actually going to receive support?
This is an important distinction that can get lost during election campaigning.
If your household has an adult child, daughter-in-law, son-in-law or grandchild who provides daily care for an older relative, consider whether a party will provide:
- A caregiver payment: Financial recognition for people who reduce their working hours or leave employment to care for an older relative.
- Respite care: Someone to take over temporarily so family caregivers can rest, work or attend to their children.
- Home nursing: Government-funded nurses, personal-care assistants and other health professionals visiting the family home.
- Equipment and home modifications: Help with accessible bathrooms, ramps, mobility equipment and other safety improvements.
- Caregiver protection: Support with employment flexibility, leave and retirement savings when caring responsibilities interrupt paid employment.
Based on the published proposals reviewed, the Greens and TOP explicitly emphasise family-carer support. Te Pāti Māori explicitly recognises unpaid whānau care as valuable labour. But I have not found a clearly specified new, universal payment for family members caring for older relatives in these parties' published election proposals.
That is an important question to put to all parties.
4. Questions particularly relevant to Pacific multigenerational households
Pacific families often have several generations contributing to one household. Looking beyond older people's policies alone, there are some important questions to consider.
| Your household concern | What to ask political parties |
|---|---|
| Rising grocery and power bills | Will support reflect the additional costs of having several generations at home? |
| Limited living space | Will there be grants or financial assistance to create additional bedrooms or granny flats? |
| Caring for older parents | Will family caregivers receive financial assistance? |
| Older relatives with health conditions | Will nurses and other healthcare professionals provide more home visits? |
| Caring for children and older relatives simultaneously | Will respite services and caregiver leave be expanded? |
| Cultural preferences | Will services recognise Pacific languages, cultural values and family-based caregiving? |
One particularly important question is whether eligibility for financial support will be based on the older person's individual needs or the combined income of everyone living in the household.
That distinction can make a substantial difference to multigenerational families.
5. What I would investigate before voting
I would encourage you to look beyond general promises about supporting seniors and ask parties for specific answers to these five questions:
- Will you pay or financially compensate family members who provide substantial unpaid care to older relatives?
- Will you fund respite care so families can continue caring without becoming exhausted?
- Will you provide grants or subsidies to make existing homes suitable for older relatives?
- Will you increase home-based nursing and healthcare services?
- Will you ensure Pacific older people can access culturally appropriate services without unnecessary financial or administrative barriers?
You can also compare the parties' positions directly through these resources:
- Grey Power – Party policies for older New Zealanders
- RNZ Pacific – Where parties stand on Pasifika issues
- CCS Disability Action – 2026 party policy analysis
- New Zealand Electoral Commission
My overall observation
There is a meaningful difference between parties promising to support older people and parties promising to support the families who care for them.
For your particular concerns, I would pay close attention to three policy areas:
- Household affordability: Whether policies reduce the actual costs of feeding, housing and supporting several generations.
- Housing choice: Whether families can afford to accommodate older relatives while maintaining privacy and independence.
- Recognition of family care: Whether caregivers receive practical help, respite and financial recognition rather than being expected to carry the responsibility themselves.
The last issue deserves particular attention. Family-based care can preserve cultural connections, dignity and relationships across generations, but it should not mean that the financial and physical burden falls entirely on the family.
Ultimately, the useful question is not simply whether a party supports older people. It is whether its policies make it financially and practically possible for an older person to remain safely and comfortably with their family.
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Captured 31 October 2026 · shown as ChatGPT gave it, not a verified account