2026 New Zealand election: holiday rentals, housing and Queenstown Lakes

The issue you are describing is an important distinction in New Zealand housing policy: a town can have plenty of accommodation for visitors while the people who work in its hotels, restaurants, bars and tourism businesses struggle to find somewhere permanent to live.

In Queenstown and the wider Queenstown Lakes District, this is not simply a question of building more houses. It is also about:

• How many existing homes are used as short-term visitor accommodation rather than permanent housing.
• Whether local workers can afford to rent near their jobs.
• Whether new housing is actually available to ordinary residents, rather than being purchased as holiday homes or investments.
• Whether councils have the powers and resources to manage the effects of tourism.

For your voting decision, I would separate the parties' positions into two questions: what they propose to do about the supply and affordability of housing, and what they propose to do about the conversion of residential homes into holiday accommodation.

1. Where the parties differ

The most important finding is that the parties have quite different housing philosophies, but there is not a clear, comprehensive party-by-party contest over banning or restricting Airbnb in Queenstown Lakes.

The policies announced by 2026 need to be distinguished from policies that parties might introduce if elected.

Here is how the main parties compare, using their announced policies and election policy summaries available in October 2026.

Party	Main housing approach	Potential relevance to Queenstown
National	More home ownership, private development and easier access to mortgages	Could help first-home buyers, but doesn't directly guarantee more long-term rentals
Labour	Public and community housing, tenant protections and investment-property tax reform	More emphasis on rental security and increasing non-market housing
Green Party	Rent controls, long-term tenancies and substantial public housing	Strongest explicit emphasis on protecting renters and making rental housing permanent
ACT	Less regulation and fewer restrictions on landlords and property investment	More focused on encouraging private investment than restricting holiday rentals
NZ First	Population planning, infrastructure coordination and prioritising citizens for social housing	Could address pressures caused by population and infrastructure growth, but has limited specific rental policy
Opportunity Party	Planning reform, affordable housing finance and land-value taxation	Could encourage development and affordable housing, including through council and community providers
Te Pāti Māori	Stronger tenant protections, rent controls and taxes on vacant or land-banked property	Could discourage some speculative ownership and improve tenant security

Sources: election housing policy comparisons by interest.co.nz and The Conversation. The property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line upElection policy tracker: what the parties are promisingElection Policy Comparison

The parties worth examining more closely

Green Party

The Greens have some of the most directly relevant proposals for someone renting.

Their announced housing policies include:

• Rent increases limited to the lower of inflation or average wage growth.
• Requiring rental tenancies to be offered as long-term or permanent tenancies.
• A rental warrant-of-fitness system.
• A substantial expansion of public housing.
• Stronger Healthy Homes requirements.

These policies could improve the quality and security of long-term rental accommodation.

However, an important question is whether their proposed long-term tenancy rules would cover every type of accommodation currently used for holiday letting, and how they would be enforced. The property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line upThe property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line up

Labour

Labour's 2026 proposals include:

• 6,000 additional social housing places over four years.
• A targeted 28% capital gains tax on profits from investment property sales after 1 July 2027, excluding the family home.
• Banning no-cause evictions and providing tenants with more notice.
• A rent-to-buy pathway for eligible Kāinga Ora and community housing tenants.

These measures could help increase the supply of housing outside the purely commercial rental market and improve tenant security.

The capital gains tax is not an Airbnb tax. It would apply to qualifying investment property profits when sold, rather than directly limiting how many nights a home can be rented to tourists. Labour's 2026 Election PoliciesThe property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line up

National

National's housing approach is more focused on home ownership and enabling private development.

Its announced proposals include expanding access to First Home Loans with a combined income threshold of $300,000.

That could help some people eventually move from renting into home ownership. However, it doesn't directly address the problem of existing residential properties being used for holiday accommodation instead of permanent rentals. NZ election 2026: What every party plans for housing, rankedThe property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line up

ACT

ACT's approach is generally more market-oriented, with less emphasis on regulating landlords.

One relevant proposal is abolishing rental-property loss ring-fencing. That would change the tax treatment of rental investment losses.

This is relevant because tax incentives influence the economics of property investment, although the proposal itself is not a direct holiday-rental policy. The property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line upElection Policy Comparison

NZ First, Opportunity and Te Pāti Māori

These parties offer different approaches:

• NZ First proposes a 30-year population plan coordinating immigration, housing and infrastructure, as well as prioritising citizens for social housing.
• Opportunity proposes a 1.75% annual land-value tax, nationally consistent planning zones and lower-cost finance for councils and community housing providers building affordable homes.
• Te Pāti Māori proposes universal rent controls, a vacant-home tax of 2% of capital value for qualifying properties vacant for more than three months, and stronger support for tenants at risk of losing their homes.

An important qualification: a vacant-home tax is not automatically a tax on Airbnb properties. A home occupied by paying holiday visitors is not necessarily vacant under the proposed policy. The property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line upThe property policies: How election 2026 housing promises line up

2. What is happening in Queenstown Lakes already?

The Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) already has rules regulating short-term visitor accommodation.

Its current rules distinguish three categories:

Type	What it means
Residential visitor accommodation	A residential home or flat rented to paying guests for less than 90 days
Homestay	The owner or resident remains living at the property while hosting paying guests
Visitor accommodation	Purpose-used accommodation such as hotels, motels, backpackers and managed apartments

For residential visitor accommodation, owners must register and comply with the rules for their particular planning zone. Additional activity can require resource consent.

Homestays have different rules and, in most zones, can operate without a night limit if they meet the relevant conditions.

QLDC also charges different rates for properties used for short-term visitor accommodation. Depending on usage, these can be 25–35% higher for mixed-use properties or 50–80% higher for accommodation-rated properties. Short Term AccommodationShort Term AccommodationShort Term Accommodation

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The council itself acknowledges the underlying problem: converting houses into short-term visitor accommodation removes properties from the long-term rental market and contributes to the district's housing shortage. Short Term Accommodation

This is particularly relevant to hospitality workers because demand for accommodation can rise during the same periods when tourism businesses need more staff.

3. What can central government change that the district council cannot?

This is probably the most important distinction for your voting decision.

There are different levels of government with different responsibilities.

Issue	Central government	QLDC
Airbnb and holiday rentals	Can establish national laws and regulatory frameworks	Applies local planning rules and registration requirements
Rental protections	Sets tenancy legislation	Has limited influence over private tenancy agreements
Property taxation	Sets income and property tax laws	Sets local rates
Housing construction	Funds national housing programmes and changes planning legislation	Determines local zoning and infrastructure planning
Public housing	Funds and directs Kāinga Ora	Can work with community housing organisations
Worker accommodation	Can fund national programmes and enable development	Can support local projects and partnerships
Infrastructure	Provides national transport and infrastructure funding	Plans and provides many local services and infrastructure

What could a government actually do about holiday rentals?

There are several possible national-level interventions.

1. Introduce national restrictions on short-term letting

Parliament could introduce legislation limiting the number of days residential properties can be used for visitor accommodation.

For example, a national framework could:

• Set maximum annual holiday-rental nights.
• Require registration and reporting of short-term rental activity.
• Give councils stronger enforcement powers.
• Allow stricter restrictions in places experiencing severe housing shortages.

Queenstown Lakes could potentially benefit from rules specifically designed for high-tourism areas.

2. Change taxation

Government could introduce tax incentives that favour long-term rental accommodation or change the tax treatment of investment properties.

It could also consider a specific short-term accommodation levy or tax.

The important distinction is that these are possible policy options, not necessarily promises in the parties' published 2026 manifestos.

3. Fund permanent and affordable worker housing

Central government could provide:

• Funding for affordable rental developments.
• Low-interest finance for community housing providers.
• Support for employer-linked accommodation.
• More social and affordable housing through Kāinga Ora.
• Infrastructure funding to unlock land for residential development.

This could be especially useful in Queenstown, where the cost of developing housing and providing infrastructure can be substantial.

4. Strengthen rental protections

Government could change tenancy law to improve security for people renting rooms and homes.

This matters because a person renting a room may not necessarily have the same legal protections as someone renting an entire property under a tenancy agreement.

4. What could QLDC do locally?

QLDC has some particularly important tools because it understands the district's tourism and housing pressures.

It could:

• Tighten the number of nights residential properties can be used for visitor accommodation.
• Introduce more restrictive rules in residential neighbourhoods.
• Improve monitoring of properties advertised on holiday-rental platforms.
• Enforce existing registration and consent requirements more effectively.
• Provide land and support for affordable worker housing.
• Work with hospitality businesses to develop permanent staff accommodation.
• Coordinate public transport and housing developments so workers can live further from expensive central locations.

There is already a local framework for this through the council's Joint Housing Action Plan, which involves central government, the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust, iwi and the local community. Short Term Accommodation

The key issue is that QLDC cannot independently rewrite national tax law or tenancy legislation. It also depends on central government for many of the major funding and planning changes that determine how much housing can be built.

5. What should matter most when comparing the parties?

For someone in your situation, I would look beyond general promises to build more houses.

I would assess each party against five practical tests:

Question to ask	Why it matters
Will they reduce the conversion of homes into holiday rentals?	More existing homes could remain available to residents
Will they increase affordable long-term rentals?	More realistic options for hospitality workers
Will they improve rental security?	Less risk of having to move unexpectedly
Will they fund worker accommodation?	Housing closer to employment becomes more achievable
Will they fund infrastructure and transport?	More viable places to live outside the expensive town centre

One particularly important distinction is that building more expensive houses does not necessarily solve the problem of affordable accommodation for hospitality workers.

A new housing development might increase the total housing supply without providing a single affordable room for someone working in a restaurant.

Similarly, a policy helping people buy their first home might be worthwhile but won't necessarily help someone who needs a secure room to rent next month.

6. My overall assessment

Based on the published 2026 policies, I would group the parties this way, specifically for your housing concerns:

Strongest explicit emphasis on renter protections

• Green Party: rent controls, long-term tenancies and substantial public housing.
• Labour: additional social housing and stronger tenancy protections.
• Te Pāti Māori: rent controls, vacant-home taxation and tenancy support.

More emphasis on private development and property markets

• National: home ownership and private-sector housing development.
• ACT: reducing restrictions and changing investment-property tax treatment.
• Opportunity: planning reform and finance for affordable housing development.

Emphasis on population and infrastructure planning

• NZ First: longer-term coordination of population, housing and infrastructure.

This is a comparison of policy emphasis, not a prediction of which party would produce the most affordable Queenstown rentals. Coalition agreements, funding and implementation would matter enormously.

My biggest observation: the Greens and Labour have more explicit policies directed at rental security, while Opportunity has an interesting approach to financing affordable housing. National and ACT put more emphasis on private markets and ownership. None of those distinctions, by themselves, establishes which party would do the most to restrict holiday rentals in Queenstown.

I would want every party to answer one very specific question:

If Queenstown needs its hospitality workforce to keep its tourism economy operating, what will you do to ensure that residential homes remain available for the people who work here, rather than being used predominantly for short-term visitors?

That is a much more revealing question than simply asking how many houses they intend to build.

7. One additional thing worth checking before you vote

There is a distinction between renting a room as a flatmate and being a tenant under a formal tenancy agreement.

If you rent a room in someone else's home, the Residential Tenancies Act may not apply in the same way as it would if you rented the property yourself. This can make the security of your accommodation particularly important.

I would also look at whether parties have specific plans for room renters, not just people renting entire properties.

For further reading:

• QLDC – Short-term visitor accommodation rules.
• 2026 election – housing policy comparison.
• Labour – 2026 policies.
• The Conversation – 2026 party policy tracker.

One final suggestion: I can put together a more focused comparison of all seven parties specifically on Airbnb restrictions, affordable room rentals, permanent worker accommodation and protections against losing your accommodation. That would make a useful voting guide based on your priorities, rather than a general comparison of housing policies.

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2026 New Zealand election: holiday rentals and housing in Queenstown Lakes

The issue you're describing is an important distinction in Queenstown: a town can have plenty of accommodation for visitors while still not having enough homes for the people who work there.

For someone renting a room and working in hospitality, there are two connected concerns:

1. Holiday rentals: How many homes that could house permanent residents are instead used for short-term visitors?
2. Housing affordability and security: What will make it easier for hospitality workers and other local employees to find a stable, long-term rental near Queenstown?

The 2026 general election is an opportunity to compare how parties would address both. It's also worth separating national government policy from Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) decisions, because they have quite different powers.

1. What is happening locally?

QLDC itself acknowledges the problem. Its short-term accommodation guidance explicitly says that converting long-term rental homes into visitor accommodation makes fewer homes available for permanent residents and contributes to the district's housing shortage. Short Term AccommodationQLDC

There are already local controls:

• QLDC defines short-term visitor accommodation as paid accommodation for stays of fewer than 90 days.
• Residential visitor accommodation must be registered.
• The rules depend on the property's planning zone.
• Some operations require resource consent if they exceed permitted limits.
• Homestays have separate rules, including a usual maximum of five paying guests per night. Short Term Accommodation

This means Airbnb-style accommodation isn't simply unrestricted in Queenstown. But the existing rules don't amount to a blanket prohibition on taking a residential property out of the long-term rental market.

QLDC's Joint Housing Action Plan also involves central government, Kāi Tahu, the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust and the local community. Its stated objectives include affordability, housing choice, supply and quality. QLDCQLDC

2. How the main parties differ

The following comparison uses published 2026 election material available as at 1 November 2026. An important qualification: not every party has published a specific policy on restricting Airbnb properties in Queenstown. A general housing policy should not be mistaken for a commitment to restrict holiday rentals.

Party	Relevant housing and tourism policies
National	Emphasises housing supply, development and access to home ownership. Its published election material includes widening access to 5% first-home deposits.
Labour	Proposes stronger rental protections, including banning no-cause evictions, more notice for tenants, and warmer, safer rental homes. Also proposes a targeted capital gains tax on investment property profits.
Green Party	Proposes stronger housing affordability measures and more intervention in the rental market. Has specifically announced a bed levy for councils and a nationally supported short-term accommodation register.
ACT	Emphasises property rights, reducing barriers to development and increasing housing supply. Its tourism policy includes a local tourism dividend.
New Zealand First	Has highlighted prioritising social housing for New Zealand citizens. Its published material also emphasises regional development and infrastructure.
Te Pāti Māori	Proposes rent controls, wealth-tax reform and an annual 2% tax on residential properties left empty for more than three months.

Sources: party election policies and the independent Property Council comparison of 2026 policies. Election Policy ComparisonLabour's 2026 Election PoliciesGreens give councils tools to fund tourist infrastructureManifesto 2026Party policies, simplified: Housing

The Green Party: a particularly relevant tourism proposal

Specific Queenstown-relevant proposal

On 14 October 2026, the Greens announced two measures:

• Giving councils the power to introduce a bed levy, with councils deciding the rate and design.
• Creating a nationally supported register for Airbnb and other short-term accommodation.

The party says these would help councils pay for tourism infrastructure and distribute the rates burden more fairly. It explicitly mentions Queenstown in its announcement. Greens give councils tools to fund tourist infrastructure

It's important to understand what this would and wouldn't do.

A bed levy would make visitor accommodation contribute towards tourism-related infrastructure. It would not automatically force an Airbnb owner to offer their property as a permanent rental.

A register would improve information about the short-term rental market. Registration alone would not necessarily increase the number of available long-term homes.

Labour: rental security and investment-property taxation

Labour's published 2026 policies include:

• Banning no-cause evictions.
• Increasing notice periods for tenants.
• Improving rental warmth and safety.
• A targeted capital gains tax on investment property profits.
• An expanded First Home Loan scheme and a rent-to-buy pathway for eligible public and community housing tenants. Labour's 2026 Election PoliciesLabour's 2026 Election Policies

For someone renting a room, the rental protections are particularly relevant. However, these proposals do not themselves establish a Queenstown-specific restriction on holiday rentals.

National, ACT and New Zealand First

Their published positions place more emphasis on housing supply, development, property ownership, regional development or eligibility for public housing than on a specific Queenstown short-term rental restriction.

That distinction matters: increasing the number of houses built does not necessarily mean increasing the number of affordable rooms available to hospitality workers.

The Property Council's 2026 comparison is useful for checking the broader property policy differences, but it represents a property-sector perspective rather than an independent assessment of affordability for tenants. Election Policy Comparison

3. What can central government change that QLDC cannot?

This is probably the most important distinction when assessing election promises.

Central government (Wellington)

National laws, taxes and funding

• Change tenancy law, including eviction protections and minimum rental standards.
• Change tax treatment of investment properties and short-term accommodation.
• Give councils powers to introduce visitor levies.
• Set national planning rules affecting where and how much housing can be built.
• Fund Kāinga Ora, public housing and affordable housing programmes.
• Change immigration and employment settings that influence the local workforce and housing demand.

Queenstown Lakes District Council

Local planning and enforcement

• Set and enforce district-plan rules for visitor accommodation.
• Decide which residential areas allow short-term visitor accommodation and under what conditions.
• Process resource consents and investigate breaches.
• Make local infrastructure and zoning decisions.
• Work with housing trusts and developers to support affordable housing.
• Set local rates within the powers provided by national legislation.

For example, QLDC can regulate whether a particular residential property can operate as visitor accommodation under its district plan.

But QLDC cannot independently introduce a nationwide capital gains tax, rewrite the Residential Tenancies Act or change national GST rules.

Likewise, central government can give councils new powers, but it doesn't necessarily make the local decisions about how those powers are used.

The Greens' proposed bed levy is a good example: Parliament would provide the authority, but QLDC could decide how to implement it locally. Greens give councils tools to fund tourist infrastructureShort Term AccommodationQLDC

4. Which policies could actually help hospitality workers?

It's worth looking beyond whether a party says it supports affordable housing. Consider the practical effects of its proposals.

Policy intervention	Potential benefit in Queenstown
Limits on whole-home holiday rentals	Could return some properties to the long-term rental market.
Visitor accommodation register	Makes it easier to identify and monitor short-term rentals.
Visitor bed levy	Could help pay for infrastructure without placing the entire burden on local ratepayers.
More public and community housing	Creates accommodation less exposed to private holiday-rental decisions.
Stronger tenancy protections	Could make it harder for renters to lose their accommodation unexpectedly.
More affordable housing construction	Could increase the supply of homes for permanent residents.
More worker accommodation	Could directly address the needs of hospitality and tourism employees.

There are some important limitations:

• Restricting holiday rentals doesn't guarantee that owners will offer cheaper long-term rentals.
• Building more expensive homes doesn't necessarily help people on hospitality wages.
• Better tenancy protections don't solve a shortage of available rooms.
• A tourism levy doesn't automatically create new homes.

For your circumstances, I'd pay particular attention to proposals that combine rental security with additional affordable housing, rather than relying on just one intervention.

5. Questions worth asking candidates in Queenstown

Local electorate candidates should be able to explain how their party's national policies would work in this particular district.

These are questions I'd consider putting to them:

1. Would your party support restrictions on whole-home Airbnb and Bookabach rentals in residential areas where permanent housing is in short supply?
2. Would you give QLDC stronger powers to regulate short-term visitor accommodation?
3. Would you support a tourism bed levy, with revenue helping fund local housing and infrastructure?
4. Would you commit funding to affordable rental housing specifically for hospitality and tourism workers?
5. Would you support more community housing that is permanently protected from conversion into holiday accommodation?
6. What would you do to make private room rentals more secure for people who depend on seasonal hospitality employment?

You could also ask whether they would support a Queenstown-specific housing programme, rather than relying on nationwide policies that might work differently in Auckland or Christchurch.

6. Where to check the policies yourself

These are useful primary sources and comparison resources:

• QLDC – Short-term visitor accommodation rules: Check the existing Airbnb and visitor accommodation restrictions.
• QLDC – Improving housing outcomes: Read about the local Joint Housing Action Plan.
• Green Party – 2026 manifesto.
• Labour – 2026 election policies.
• Property Council – 2026 party policy comparison.

My overall assessment of the issues to compare

I wouldn't reduce this election issue to simply whether a party is for or against Airbnb.

There are three separate policy questions:

• Availability: Will fewer residential properties be used exclusively for short-term visitors?
• Affordability: Will more homes and rooms be available at prices hospitality workers can actually pay?
• Security: Will people renting rooms have greater protection against losing their accommodation?

A party could make progress on one without addressing the other two.

For someone working in Queenstown hospitality, I'd also look closely at whether policies recognise that tourism depends on having a stable local workforce. Housing isn't just a social issue here; it's also an economic and workforce issue.

One final distinction: The 2026 party policies are proposals, not guaranteed outcomes. Coalition negotiations, legislation, funding and QLDC implementation will all influence what actually happens.

If you'd like to go further, I can put together a side-by-side comparison of National, Labour, Greens, ACT, NZ First and Te Pāti Māori specifically on Airbnb restrictions, long-term rental supply, rent security and affordable worker housing, separating confirmed policies from areas where parties haven't made a clear commitment.