# Question 11: I rent with my partner and work rostered hours that change from week to week. Our pay can drop unexpectedly, but rent and bills don't. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What would the parties change about rental affordability, tenancy protections and the supply of rental homes? Collected 31 October 2026 [NZ Election 2026 · Edition 7 study](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/7) ## ChatGPT Answer ID: 6c1c26f2-a81a-49e7-a0c2-1dc274400a2b # 2026 New Zealand election: what the parties propose for renters For someone renting with a partner and relying on rostered, variable income, three questions are particularly important: 1. Can you afford the rent when your hours or pay unexpectedly drop? 2. Can you stay in your home without worrying about an eviction or sudden rent increase? 3. Will there be enough rental properties to give tenants more choice and keep rents competitive? These are related, but they are not the same problem. A policy that encourages landlords to provide more rental properties doesn't necessarily make existing rents cheaper. Likewise, stronger tenancy rights don't automatically increase housing supply. The following is a comparison of the main parties' publicly announced positions as at 31 October 2026, ahead of the general election on 7 November. One important distinction: most parties have policies about housing affordability generally, but considerably fewer have specific proposals to make private rents more affordable. ## 1. Party-by-party comparison I've included the six parties represented in the main parliamentary debate, plus The Opportunities Party (TOP), which has a distinct housing policy. ### Labour Party Tenant protections are a major focus Rental affordability - Retain the existing limit of one rent increase every 12 months, with better enforcement. - Introduce a 28% capital gains tax on gains from residential and commercial property sales, excluding the family home, applying to gains after July 2027. - Keep interest deductibility for landlords. Tenancy protections - Reinstate a ban on no-cause evictions. - Require 63 days' notice when a landlord or family member wants to move in. - Require 90 days' notice for a sale, renovation or change of use. - Introduce a landlord duty of care for serious hazards. - Strengthen Healthy Homes requirements, including proper curtains or blinds. - Improve regulation of property managers. Rental supply - Restart Kāinga Ora's building programme. - Deliver at least 6,000 additional social housing places over four years. - Provide a Crown guarantee to help community housing providers borrow more cheaply. - Introduce rent-to-buy for eligible Kāinga Ora and community housing tenants. What this could mean for you: More security against losing your home unexpectedly and stronger standards for the property. However, Labour is not proposing a general cap on how much landlords can increase rents beyond the existing annual restriction. [Making Renting Better for Kiwis](https://www.labour.org.nz/renting-better)[Rent, supply, red tape: The housing gaps political parties haven’t filled](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140787/nitpicky-councils-no-cause-evictions-four-housing-voices-what-election%E2%80%99s-housing)[Election 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis](https://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/news/policy-analysis-2026) Official policy: [Labour – Making Renting Better](https://www.labour.org.nz/renting-better?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### National Party Supply and property investment focus Rental affordability - Expand access to First Home Loans, allowing eligible buyers to purchase with a 5% deposit and extending the income cap to $300,000. - Maintain its existing landlord tax settings, including interest deductibility. - Its general approach is to encourage housing development and investment rather than introduce rent controls. Tenancy protections - Retain the current tenancy framework, including the restoration of no-cause periodic tenancy terminations. - Does not propose Labour's reinstatement of a ban on no-cause evictions. - Has not announced a comparable new rent-control policy. Rental supply - Expand rules allowing granny flats and tiny homes to be built more easily. - Reduce building consent delays. - Reserve at least 20% of Housing Flexible Fund places for seniors' housing, including affordable rentals and social housing. - Continue its existing approach to housing development and planning reform. What this could mean for you: National's approach aims to increase housing options through construction and investment. However, its announced policies offer fewer additional protections against unexpected tenancy termination or rent increases. [2026 Election Policy](https://www.national.org.nz/policies)[Election 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis](https://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/news/policy-analysis-2026)[Rent, supply, red tape: The housing gaps political parties haven’t filled](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140787/nitpicky-councils-no-cause-evictions-four-housing-voices-what-election%E2%80%99s-housing) Official policy: [National – 2026 Election Policies](https://www.national.org.nz/policies?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### Green Party Direct rent affordability proposals Rental affordability - Cap annual rent increases at 2%. - Require all rental tenancies to be offered as long-term or permanent tenancies. - Establish a rental warrant of fitness to ensure properties meet minimum standards. - Create a national register of landlords and property managers. Tenancy protections - End no-cause evictions. - Strengthen Healthy Homes Standards. - Improve accountability and regulation of landlords and property managers. - Establish a legal right to housing. Rental supply - Build tens of thousands of new public homes. - Increase accessible public housing. - Expand papakāinga housing on Māori land. - Expand transitional and supported housing. - Investigate limits on the number of properties individuals or companies can own. What this could mean for you: The proposed 2% rent-increase cap would provide a much more predictable ceiling on annual rent increases than the current system. Long-term tenancy requirements would also aim to reduce uncertainty about how long you can remain in your home. One distinction: a 2% cap limits increases to existing tenants; it doesn't necessarily cap the starting rent when a property is newly advertised. [A home for](https://assets.nationbuilder.com/beachheroes/pages/14563/attachments/original/1780533770/Housing_policy_document_2026_WEB_new.pdf?1780533770=)[The property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line up](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140674/housing-policies-capital-gains-tax-solar-roll-outs-rent-controls-and-offsetting) Official policy: [Green Party – Housing Policy](https://www.greens.org.nz/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### ACT Party Landlord investment incentives Rental affordability - Abolish rental loss ring-fencing for future rental losses. - Allow landlords to offset eligible rental losses against other taxable income. - The stated aim is to improve the financial viability of rental investment. Tenancy protections - Has not announced a comparable package of new rent controls or stronger eviction protections. - Its broader approach emphasises property rights and reducing regulation. Rental supply - Focus on reducing planning and development restrictions. - Encourage private investment in rental housing through more favourable tax treatment. - Support a property-rights-based approach to planning reform. What this could mean for you: ACT's approach is based on the idea that making rental investment more financially attractive can encourage investment and increase supply. Whether that translates into lower rents depends on how much additional housing is built and whether competition between landlords increases. Importantly, increased landlord tax deductions do not automatically mean lower rent for existing tenants. [Election 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis](https://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/news/policy-analysis-2026)[Rent, supply, red tape: The housing gaps political parties haven’t filled](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140787/nitpicky-councils-no-cause-evictions-four-housing-voices-what-election%E2%80%99s-housing) Official policy: [ACT – Policies](https://www.act.org.nz/policies?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### New Zealand First Rental affordability - No major new private-rent cap or general rent-control proposal identified in its announced housing policies. Tenancy protections - Its published housing priorities do not include a comprehensive new package of tenant protections comparable to Labour's or the Greens'. Rental supply - Prioritise New Zealand citizens for social housing. - Develop a 30-year population plan coordinating immigration, housing and infrastructure. - Require housing developments using fast-track approvals to demonstrate that necessary infrastructure, including roads, water and wastewater, is available or funded. - Support some additional housing for older people. What this could mean for you: NZ First's approach focuses on coordinating population growth with housing and infrastructure. It has less specific detail about improving the affordability or security of private rentals. [The property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line up](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140674/housing-policies-capital-gains-tax-solar-roll-outs-rent-controls-and-offsetting)[Election 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis](https://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/news/policy-analysis-2026) Official policy: [NZ First](https://www.nzfirst.nz/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### The Opportunities Party (TOP) Rental affordability - Proposes a 1.75% annual land value tax, with possible exemptions for groups such as farmers and retirees. - Seeks to change the financial incentives surrounding land ownership and development. Tenancy protections - Proposes stronger Healthy Homes Standards. - Its published housing proposals include improvements to rental property quality, rather than a clearly specified universal rent cap. Rental supply - Introduce nationally consistent planning zones. - Make modular and prefabricated housing easier to approve. - Improve access to low-cost government finance for community housing providers, iwi and developers delivering affordable housing. - Expand warmer-home assistance to eligible rental properties. What this could mean for you: TOP is attempting to address housing costs through changes to land taxation, planning and construction. The effects on private rents would be indirect rather than a guaranteed reduction in your weekly rent. [Rent, supply, red tape: The housing gaps political parties haven’t filled](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140787/nitpicky-councils-no-cause-evictions-four-housing-voices-what-election%E2%80%99s-housing)[The property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line up](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140674/housing-policies-capital-gains-tax-solar-roll-outs-rent-controls-and-offsetting) Official policy: [TOP](https://www.top.org.nz/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### Te Pāti Māori Rent control and public housing expansion Rental affordability - Introduce universal rent control. - Repeal landlord interest deductibility. - Introduce a 5% stamp duty on residential property sales, with exemptions for qualifying first-home buyers. - Introduce a vacant-house tax of 2% of capital value for properties left vacant for more than three months annually. - Introduce a 33% land-banking tax. Tenancy protections - Repeal no-cause evictions. - Introduce universal rent control. - Increase funding for Sustaining Tenancies, which helps tenants at risk of losing their homes. Rental supply - Build 2,000 homes on ancestral Māori land within four years. - Allocate 50% of new social housing to Māori. - Increase public housing and support papakāinga development. - Stop discounted sales of existing state homes to private investors. What this could mean for you: Its proposals combine rent regulation with increasing public and Māori-led housing supply. Universal rent control is a particularly significant proposal, although the precise implementation and coverage would matter. [The property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line up](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140674/housing-policies-capital-gains-tax-solar-roll-outs-rent-controls-and-offsetting)[Election 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis](https://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/news/policy-analysis-2026)[Rent, supply, red tape: The housing gaps political parties haven’t filled](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140787/nitpicky-councils-no-cause-evictions-four-housing-voices-what-election%E2%80%99s-housing) Official policy: [Te Pāti Māori](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ## 2. Side-by-side comparison This table highlights the differences in the policies most likely to affect your household. | Party | Rent increase controls | No-cause eviction | Public housing expansion | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Labour | Once per 12 months | End | 6,000 additional places | | National | Existing rules | Retain | Existing programme and targeted initiatives | | Greens | 2% annual cap | End | Tens of thousands of homes | | ACT | No new cap proposed | No comparable reversal proposed | Less emphasis on public building | | NZ First | No new cap proposed | No comparable reversal proposed | Social housing prioritised for citizens | | TOP | No clear universal cap | No comparable reversal proposed | Affordable housing finance | | Te Pāti Māori | Universal rent control | End | Major expansion | [The property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line up](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140674/housing-policies-capital-gains-tax-solar-roll-outs-rent-controls-and-offsetting)[Rent, supply, red tape: The housing gaps political parties haven’t filled](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140787/nitpicky-councils-no-cause-evictions-four-housing-voices-what-election%E2%80%99s-housing)[Election 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis](https://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/news/policy-analysis-2026)[Making Renting Better for Kiwis](https://www.labour.org.nz/renting-better) These are announced policy positions, not guarantees of what would be legislated. The precise detail and implementation may change. ## 3. What matters particularly when your income changes week to week? There is an important gap in the housing debate. Most of these parties concentrate on rent levels, housing supply, landlord incentives and tenancy rights. Far fewer have specific proposals addressing the problem of a household whose income fluctuates while its essential expenses remain fixed. I'd pay attention to four things. ### A. Protection against rent increases Imagine your combined income drops for a few weeks because of fewer rostered shifts. Your rent doesn't automatically decrease. - Under the Greens' proposal, annual increases would be capped at 2%. - Under Te Pāti Māori's proposal, universal rent control would apply, subject to its eventual rules. - Under Labour's proposal, rent increases would remain limited to once every 12 months. The distinction is between limiting how quickly rent can increase and actually making rent affordable relative to household income. ### B. Security of tenure If one of you experiences reduced hours, you may need time to adjust your finances. An unexpected eviction could mean: - Bond and moving costs. - Potentially higher rent elsewhere. - Time off work to find a property. - Having to accept a less suitable rental because of limited availability. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori all propose ending no-cause evictions. This is worth considering because tenancy security has financial value, even if it doesn't reduce the rent itself. ### C. More rental properties More homes can mean more choice and potentially greater competition between landlords. But consider the difference between: - Building private rental properties. - Building government-owned public housing. - Building affordable community housing. These serve different purposes. National and ACT emphasise private development and investment incentives. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori place more emphasis on public and community housing, alongside other supply measures. NZ First and TOP have their own approaches to planning, infrastructure and development. There is no guarantee that increasing the number of houses will immediately lower rents. Location, affordability, housing type and demand all matter. ### D. What happens when income falls? This is perhaps the most important question for your circumstances. None of the major housing packages I reviewed offers a clearly specified new general rent-payment arrangement that automatically adjusts private tenants' rent when their working hours fall. That means you should also look at each party's wider income, employment and welfare policies. A rent cap might help protect you from increases, but it won't necessarily help when your income suddenly falls by $200 or $300 in a particular week. ## 4. The policies worth examining more closely Here is a useful way to organise your priorities without treating any one party as the automatic answer. | Your priority | Policies to examine | | --- | --- | | Keeping rent predictable | Green rent cap, Te Pāti Māori rent control, Labour annual increase restrictions | | Avoiding unexpected eviction | Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori | | Keeping rental homes healthy | Green rental warrant of fitness, Labour landlord duty of care, TOP Healthy Homes proposals | | More affordable housing options | Labour public housing, Green public housing, Te Pāti Māori housing programme | | Encouraging private rental construction | National and ACT investment and development policies | | Better coordination of housing growth | NZ First population and infrastructure planning, TOP planning reform | One other consideration: landlord tax policy can affect investment decisions, but it is difficult to predict how much of a tax change would eventually be passed on to tenants through rents. ## 5. My suggested questions to ask before voting Given your reliance on variable rostered income, I would look beyond general promises about making housing more affordable. These are the questions I'd use to test each party's proposals: 1. If our household income drops by 20% for a month, what policies would help us remain in our rental home? 2. Would we have protection against an unexpected rent increase? 3. Could our landlord terminate our tenancy without giving a valid reason? 4. Would we have access to more affordable rental properties if we needed to move? 5. Are there policies that would improve the quality of our rental home without increasing our costs? 6. Does the party have a plan for people who earn a reasonable annual income but experience unpredictable weekly pay? The last question is particularly important. A household can have reasonable annual earnings and still struggle with cash flow because the timing and amount of its pay varies. ## 6. Where to verify the policies before election day These are useful independent and official resources: - [Policy.nz – 2026 election housing comparison](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/housing?utm_source=chatgpt.com) – compare individual housing policies across parties. - [Interest.co.nz – 2026 housing policy comparison](https://www.interest.co.nz/property/140674/housing-policies-capital-gains-tax-solar-roll-outs-rent-controls-and-offsetting?utm_source=chatgpt.com) – examines the effects of proposed property and rental policies. - [The Conversation – 2026 policy tracker](https://stories.theconversation.com/nz-policy-tracker-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) – tracks wider party commitments. - [Tenancy Services](https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) – check the tenancy protections currently in force. ## One final question that could make this comparison much more useful When you think about your household's biggest financial vulnerability, which of these concerns you most? I can then put together a more focused comparison that considers not just rent, but how each party's policies could affect your household's ability to manage financially when your rostered hours change. ## Gemini Answer ID: 7e490f32-bac4-440d-90d3-030def20f613 For renters navigating variable income and rostered hours, the stability of housing costs and security of tenure are critical. In the **2026 New Zealand general election**, the major political parties present starkly different philosophies on how to handle rental affordability, tenant rights, and housing supply. --- ### 1. Tenancy Protections and Rents The debate over tenancy laws centres on whether to tilt protections toward renters for stability or toward landlords to encourage investment. * **Labour Party:** Pledges a major renter protection package. This includes **banning "no-cause" evictions** (requiring landlords to give specific, valid reasons to end a tenancy), extending notice periods for reasons like property sales, and better enforcing the rule that limits rent increases to once every 12 months. They also propose requiring landlords to deal strictly with serious anti-social behavior affecting neighbors. * **Green Party:** Proposes the most interventionist renter policies on the spectrum. They want to **cap rent increases at no more than 2% per year** (unless major property improvements are made), ban no-cause evictions, mandate long-term or permanent tenancy options by default, and introduce an independently certified Rental Warrant of Fitness alongside a national landlord register. * **Te Pāti Māori:** Also advocates for universal rent control tied to the rate of inflation, the repeal of no-cause evictions, and increased funding for tenant advocacy and sustaining tenancies services. * **National Party / ACT / NZ First:** Generally maintain that heavy-handed tenancy regulations or rent caps reduce rental availability by discouraging landlords. National has kept the settings enabling 90-day regular terminations and shorter notice periods for owner-occupancy/sales and has not proposed sweeping tenancy law overhauls. ACT's focus is heavily on landlord cash flow and tax incentives rather than tenancy restrictions. ### 2. Rental Affordability and Cost Pressures When your pay fluctuates unexpectedly week-to-week, fixed overheads like rent and power bills create severe pressure. * **Direct Rent Controls:** Only the **Greens** and **Te Pāti Māori** are offering hard caps on how much rent can go up annually, which directly addresses sudden rent spikes between jobs or low-income weeks. Other parties rely on boosting supply or income support (like Working for Families or Accommodation Supplement adjustments) to ease cost pressures. * **Energy and Utility Bills:** Renters often face high electricity costs in damp homes. **Labour** has proposed a *SolarSaver* scheme to help bring solar energy to rental properties without upfront costs. Other parties offer various home-energy or insulation grants (such as expanding Warmer Kiwi Homes frameworks) to lower living overheads. * **Tax and Landlord Costs:** ACT and National emphasize that costs imposed on landlords (such as restrictions on interest deductibility) are ultimately passed down to tenants via higher rents. ACT proposes allowing residential rental losses to be offset against other income again to support cash flow. Conversely, parties like the Greens and Labour argue that tax advantages for property investors drive up house prices, locking people out of ownership and keeping them trapped in the rental market. ### 3. Supply of Rental Homes and Long-Term Solutions Long-term affordability depends heavily on whether enough homes are built—both for private rent and social housing. * **Labour:** Proposes a multi-billion dollar injection to restart large-scale state and community housing builds through Kāinga Ora (targeting thousands of new social housing places), alongside a "rent-to-buy" pathway for working tenants trying to transition to homeownership. They have also introduced a capital gains tax targeting investment properties sold after mid-2027 to shift capital away from speculation. * **National:** Focuses heavily on streamlining RMA/planning laws and local council red tape to make private development faster and cheaper. For housing security, National’s primary mechanism is helping renters step into homeownership via a massive expansion of the First Home Loan scheme (raising income caps to $300,000 for a 5% deposit). * **ACT:** Focuses on freeing up land supply, incentivizing local councils with a share of building GST to say "yes" to housing developments, and cutting compliance costs to stimulate a massive private construction boom. * **Green Party & Te Pāti Māori:** Focus heavily on state-led building programs, papakāinga housing on Māori land, severe restrictions on foreign or vacant property speculation (including vacant house taxes), and dramatic expansions of public and social housing stock to protect lower-income households. ### Summary for Your Decision * If you lean toward **stricter rent controls, guaranteed tenancy stability, and an end to no-cause evictions**, parties on the left (Labour, Greens, Te Pāti Māori) align closer to those goals. * If you lean toward **boosting overall housing supply through deregulation, supporting private landlords, and expanding low-deposit pathways to get out of the rental market entirely**, parties on the centre-right (National, ACT) emphasize those mechanisms. Are you looking at these policies more from the perspective of wanting immediate stability in your current rental, or are you hoping to transition into buying your own home soon? ## Google AI Mode Answer ID: f8b4b37e-5a71-4262-a68a-9ce4b8f74ab0 Navigating fluctuating rostered pay while facing fixed costs like rent and bills is a stressful position to be in. Different political parties in New Zealand approach the intersection of renting, tenancy laws, and housing supply through distinct economic and social philosophies. The major political parties outline varying approaches to rental affordability, tenancy laws, and housing supply: 1\. Labour Party * **Tenancy Protections:** Proposes strengthening rights for renters by re-banning no-cause evictions (requiring landlords to provide a specific, legal reason to end a periodic tenancy) and increasing required notice periods (e.g., 63 days if a landlord or family member moves in, and 90 days for a sale or major renovation). They also emphasize strict enforcement of the rule limiting rent increases to once every 12 months. * **Rental Affordability & Supply:** Focuses heavily on public and social housing pipelines, alongside introducing targeted schemes like rent-to-buy initiatives to help public housing tenants transition into homeownership savings. * **Core Philosophy:** Views housing stability and tenant security as a consumer right, favoring tighter regulations on landlords to protect tenants from displacement. 2\. National Party * **Tenancy Protections:** Generally favors a balanced framework between landlords and tenants. National previously restored no-cause evictions to encourage rental property availability by giving landlords flexibility, arguing that overly restrictive rules can cause landlords to exit the market and reduce overall supply. * **Rental Affordability & Supply:** Focuses on boosting overall housing supply through planning and zoning reform (such asgoing further with the Resource Management Act reforms and "Going for Growth" infrastructure funding) to incentivize private development. Their recent social housing focus includes specialized pipelines like ring-fenced funding for senior and community housing provider partnerships. * **Core Philosophy:** Emphasizes that increasing the overall supply of houses (both rental and private) is the most effective way to stabilize and moderate rent prices over the long term, while maintaining an attractive environment for private residential landlords. 3\. Green Party * **Tenancy Protections & Affordability:** Advocates for stronger systemic interventions, including the introduction of a rent control framework (such as capping annual rent increases) and establishing an independently enforced Rental Warrant of Fitness to legally mandate minimum standards for warmth, safety, and dryness. * **Supply:** Strongly champions large-scale government-backed construction of public, affordable, and energy-efficient homes, alongside measures aimed at dampening speculative demand like land banking taxes. * **Core Philosophy:** Treats housing as a human right rather than a speculative asset, supporting direct market controls (like rent caps) and massive state-led building programs. 4\. ACT New Zealand * **Tenancy Protections:** Strongly opposes rent controls and heavy-handed tenancy restrictions, arguing that regulations reducing landlord flexibility ultimately restrict rental stock and drive rents higher. They support free-market flexibility in lease agreements. * **Supply:** Focuses intensely on property rights, local government zoning deregulation, and infrastructure funding tied to building approvals to fast-track land availability and private construction. * **Core Philosophy:** Relies on market-led solutions, arguing that removing red tape for developers and landlords is the best way to drive down costs through abundance. * * * What this means for your situation * If you value **immediate legislative protection** from sudden rent hikes or unexpected notices to vacate, left-leaning parties (Labour, Greens) propose tighter restrictions and direct market interventions. * If you believe **increasing supply through deregulation and encouraging private landlords** will eventually lower the pressure on weekly rents, right-leaning and center parties (National, ACT) focus on supply-side economics and maintaining flexibility for property owners. _Note: For income-related volatility (like your rostered hours dropping), broader income safety nets, Working for Families adjustments, or Accommodation Supplement settings managed by Work and Income (MSD) also play a large role in how parties assist households facing temporary drops in take-home pay._ ## AI Overviews Answer ID: 74a37614-d757-49e1-92f9-56d1f8051db2 Managing fluctuating incomes while balancing fixed rental expenses is a stressful reality for many working couples. In the upcoming **2026 New Zealand general election** , housing and tenancy policies represent a major point of difference between the left- and right-leaning party blocs. mpamag.comNZ election 2026: what a fragmented result could mean for housing Here is how the main political parties plan to alter rental affordability, tenancy protections, and the supply of rental homes. Direct Policy Comparison Party| Rental Affordability| Tenancy Protections| Supply of Rental Homes ---|---|---|--- **Labour**| Enforce existing 12-month rent increase limits; expand a rent-to-buy pathway.| **Ban no-cause evictions** and introduce a strict landlord duty of care.| Restart the **Kāinga Ora building programme** and offer cheap Crown-guaranteed financing to community providers. **Greens**| **Cap rent increases at 2% annually** through a Renters' Rights Bill.| Ban no-cause evictions and introduce an independent **Rental Warrant of Fitness**.| Mass build **40,000 public homes over 5 years** ; strip tax cuts from property speculators. **National**| Focus on broader economic factors like inflation and widening 5% first-home loan access.| Retain the current framework (reinstated in 2024), which **allows no-cause evictions**.| **Free up land through planning reform** and allow qualified engineers to bypass council inspections for building consents. **ACT**| Argue that increasing landlord supply will lower average rents by $210 per year.| Retain the current landlord-friendly tenancy rules.| **Abolish loss ring-fencing rules** , allowing landlords to offset rental property losses against other income. **Te Pāti Māori**| Enact **universal rent control** tied to annual inflation.| Ban no-cause evictions; fund budget coaching and tenancy advocacy services.| Impose a **2% annual tax on homes left vacant** for more than 3 months to push them onto the market. * * * Key Takeaways for Rostered Workers with Variable Income * **If your primary concern is sudden displacement or inspection stress:** The Labour Party and Green Party offer policies designed to give you strong security of tenure. Labour's plan also prevents insurers from demanding inspections more frequently than every six months, protecting your privacy on changing shift schedules. greens.org.nzGreens announce plan to end homelessness & fix housing crisisMaking Renting Better for Kiwis - NZ Labour * **If your primary concern is unpredictable rent hikes when your pay drops:** The Green Party and Te Pāti Māori offer strict price controls (2% caps or inflation indexing) that remove the risk of sudden market-driven rent hikes. nzherald.co.nzGreen Party election housing policy: Rent increase caps, a rental WoF and tens of thousands of new public homes - NZ HeraldElection 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis * **If you are looking for long-term pathways out of renting:** Both Labour and the National Party have committed to widening the income cap for 5% deposit First Home Loans to $300,000, making it easier to buy a home if your joint income permits. national.org.nz2026 Election PolicyLabour pledges to help public housing tenants buy their homesThe property policies: How election 2026 housing promises * **If you believe boosting investment is the best way to lower costs:** The ACT Party and National focus heavily on deregulation and tax relief for landlords (like eliminating loss ring-fencing), operating on the economic principle that making property investment more appealing will increase the total supply of rentals and naturally drive down costs. To help narrow down how these policies align with your financial situation, could you let me know: * What **region** of New Zealand are you currently renting in? * Are you hoping to **remain in the long-term rental market** , or are you actively trying to **transition into first-home ownership**?