2026 New Zealand election: accessible and affordable housing for disabled people

For someone who rents, has a mobility impairment and wants to remain independent, housing policy is about much more than the number of houses being built.

The key issues are whether you can:

• Find and afford a rental home that is physically accessible.
• Stay in your home as your mobility or support needs change.
• Get funding for modifications such as ramps, accessible bathrooms, wider doorways and handrails.
• Access reliable transport, healthcare and disability support services from where you live.
• Live independently without being forced into residential care because suitable housing or support is unavailable.

Below is a comparison framework for assessing the parties in the 2026 New Zealand general election. An important distinction is between policies already announced for this election, existing government programmes and broader party commitments.

1. What the main parties are proposing

The following reflects policies reported as available by 29–30 October 2026. It covers National, Labour, the Greens, ACT, New Zealand First, Te Pāti Māori and The Opportunities Party (TOP).

Housing policy comparison

Party	Proposals relevant to disabled renters
Labour	At least 25% of new Kāinga Ora homes to meet accessible design standards; at least 6,000 additional social housing places over four years; restart public housing construction. Proposes stronger renter protections, including ending no-cause evictions and limiting rent increases to once every 12 months.
Green Party	Universal design standards for public and private housing; significantly increase accessible public housing; build thousands of public homes; strengthen Healthy Homes Standards and renter protections. Explicitly supports disabled people living in safe, accessible and affordable housing in their chosen communities.
National	Focuses on increasing general housing supply, expanding granny-flat building rules and increasing housing options for older people. No specific enforceable accessible-housing requirement for new homes was identified in its 2026 platform.
ACT	Supports market-led housing supply and reducing restrictions on rental investment. No specific disability-accessible housing commitment was identified.
New Zealand First	Focuses on general housing supply, infrastructure and social housing access, with some emphasis on older people's housing. No specific accessible-housing construction target was identified.
Te Pāti Māori	Commits to designing new government buildings to accommodate all whānau and supports Māori-led disability services, accessible housing and housing that recognises the needs of whānau hauā.
The Opportunities Party (TOP)	Supports more social and community housing, universal rent control, stronger rental standards and funding for community housing providers. Its wider housing approach includes more accessible housing and Building Code reform.

Sources: CCS Disability Action's October 2026 election policy analysis and Disability Responsiveness New Zealand's party comparison. Election 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisDisability Policies of New Zealand’s Political Parties – 2026

A closer look at the most relevant commitments

Labour

Its proposal that at least 25% of new Kāinga Ora homes meet accessible design standards is a measurable commitment.

Other relevant proposals include:

• At least 6,000 additional social housing places over four years.
• $760 million for additional Income-Related Rent Subsidy and operating costs for Kāinga Ora and community housing providers.
• More secure tenancies through ending no-cause evictions.
• Better enforcement of rental property safety requirements.

One important question is whether the accessible homes would be allocated to disabled people who need them, rather than simply added to the general housing stock. Election 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis

Green Party

The Greens explicitly connect disability rights with housing rights.

Their proposals include:

• Robust universal design standards for both public and private housing.
• A significant increase in accessible public housing.
• More public housing and community housing.
• Stronger Healthy Homes Standards and an independently certified Rental Warrant of Fitness.
• Stronger tenant protections.
• Housing in the community of a disabled person's choice.

This approach is particularly relevant to someone who rents and needs accessible housing, because it addresses both the design of homes and the broader availability and affordability of housing. Election 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisDisability Policies of New Zealand’s Political Parties – 2026

Te Pāti Māori

Its approach includes:

• Making accessibility part of government building design.
• Māori-led disability services and decision-making.
• Removing barriers to disability assessments, funding and service delivery.
• Recognising the housing needs of tāngata hauā Māori and whānau hauā.

The published commitments provide a rights and self-determination framework, although further detail about accessible rental supply and specific housing targets would be useful. Election 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisDisability Policies of New Zealand’s Political Parties – 2026

TOP

Its proposals include:

• More affordable and social housing.
• Access to low-cost government finance for community housing providers, iwi and councils.
• Universal rent control, with rent increases generally linked to inflation.
• Stronger rental property standards.
• More accessible housing through wider housing and Building Code reform.

Its proposed Citizen's Income is also relevant to disabled people's financial independence, although the details of disability-related top-ups and how they would interact with existing support need careful examination. Election 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisDisability Policies of New Zealand’s Political Parties – 2026

2. Transport and support services: important for independent living

Accessible housing is only useful if you can get to appointments, shops, community activities and support services.

There are some important differences in the parties' wider disability commitments.

Party	Relevant transport and disability support proposals
Greens	Restore the government subsidy for Total Mobility to 75%, increase the availability of mobility vehicles, strengthen enforceable transport accessibility standards and support Enabling Good Lives.
Labour	Introduce a $20 weekly public transport fare cap in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and $10 elsewhere. Proposes replacing the current disability support legislation with a framework developed alongside disabled people.
Te Pāti Māori	Develop Māori-led disability services and remove barriers to disability assessments, funding and support.
National	Continue work on national consistency in disability support assessments and restore some flexibility in individualised funding.
ACT	Favour more individualised funding and reduced bureaucracy in disability support services.
TOP	Proposes a Citizen's Income with additional support for disabled people, although implementation details matter.
New Zealand First	No substantial standalone disability transport or support policy identified in the October comparison.

Election 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisDisability Policies of New Zealand’s Political Parties – 2026

One distinction worth keeping in mind: cheaper public transport does not necessarily mean accessible transport. For someone who relies on mobility taxis or specialised vehicles, the Total Mobility Scheme and accessible vehicle availability may be more directly relevant than ordinary bus and train fares.

3. What should you look for when comparing policies?

For your circumstances, I would suggest examining six practical questions when reading party manifestos.

Accessible and affordable rental housing

• Are there measurable targets for accessible rental homes?

• Will new public housing meet universal design standards?

• Will disabled tenants receive priority for suitably accessible homes?

  Keeping your home

• Can you get financial assistance for ramps, bathroom modifications and other adaptations?

• Are landlords required or supported to make reasonable accessibility modifications?

• Are there protections against losing a tenancy because modifications are needed?

  Rental affordability

• Are there limits on rent increases?

• Are there additional rental subsidies or housing support for disabled people?

• Will social housing availability increase?

  Accessible transport

• Will Total Mobility funding increase?

• Will accessible taxis and mobility vehicles be more available?

• Will public transport accessibility become enforceable?

  Disability support services

• Will you retain choice and control over your support funding?

• Will support workers and personal care be reliably available?

• Will funding allow you to remain independent in your own home?

  Security and independence

• Will policies enable you to remain in your community?

• Will housing, transport and support services be coordinated?

• Will disabled people have meaningful involvement in decisions affecting their lives?

4. Where to find the evidence

These two resources are particularly useful because they examine disability policy rather than just general election promises.

• CCS Disability Action – Election 2026: Political Parties Policy Analysis. Published 30 October 2026, covering housing, accessibility, health, welfare and employment.
• Disability Responsiveness New Zealand – Disability Policies of New Zealand's Political Parties. A broader comparison prepared in August 2026, including the limitations of parties' published disability policies.

I would also recommend checking the parties' official policy announcements as election day approaches. Some have not published complete disability manifestos, and policies may change.

5. My suggested way to assess the policies

Rather than looking only at promises to build more houses, consider whether each party has a complete pathway to independent living:

The independent living pathway

1. A suitable home

   An accessible rental property that you can afford.

2. Security of tenure

   The ability to stay in your home without unreasonable rent increases or insecurity.

3. Home modifications

   Funding and permission to adapt the property to your mobility needs.

4. Accessible transport

   Reliable transport to essential services and social activities.

5. Ongoing support

   Sufficient personal care and disability services to maintain independence.

A party might have a strong housing construction policy but little detail about home modifications or accessible transport. Another might have strong disability rights proposals but less detail about how many affordable accessible rentals it will deliver.

Both aspects matter.

6. Questions worth putting to candidates

You can also ask local electorate candidates these questions directly, regardless of their party:

1. How many additional accessible rental homes will your party deliver, and by when?
2. Will disabled renters receive priority for accessible Kāinga Ora and community housing?
3. How will you ensure private landlords cannot unreasonably prevent necessary accessibility modifications?
4. Will you increase funding for home modifications and make the process easier?
5. What will you do to ensure accessible transport is affordable and reliably available?
6. How will you ensure disability support funding is sufficient for people to remain living independently?

My overall observation: The published 2026 commitments show meaningful differences. Labour has a specific accessible public-housing target, the Greens propose broader universal design requirements across public and private housing, Te Pāti Māori emphasises accessibility and Māori-led decision-making, while several other parties have not identified comparable disability-specific housing commitments. This is a comparison of published proposals, not a recommendation about how to vote.

Your independence is a legitimate and important issue to bring into the election conversation. Housing, transport and disability support should be considered together, not as separate policy problems.