New Zealand 2026 election: migrant settlement and family reunification

First, congratulations on becoming a New Zealand citizen. Becoming a citizen gives you the right to participate fully in New Zealand's democracy, including voting in general elections.

Your question is particularly important because immigration policy affects more than the person who migrates. It can affect whether you can bring your parents, partner, children or other relatives to live near you, how easily your family can settle, and whether migrants receive support to participate in New Zealand society.

There are two distinct issues worth examining:

1. Settlement support: What help do parties propose for migrants to learn English, find employment, understand New Zealand society, access public services and integrate into communities?
2. Family reunification: What rules do parties support for migrants and residents who want their family members to join them in New Zealand?

One important distinction: because you are now a New Zealand citizen, you should examine policies affecting both citizens sponsoring family members and migrants who are still on temporary or resident visas. These are not necessarily treated equally.

1. Comparing the main parties

The election is scheduled for 7 November 2026. The following comparison covers the seven parties identified as having a realistic chance of entering Parliament.

Policy announcements available as at 1 November 2026. These are party proposals, not necessarily enacted law.

National Party

National Party

Centre-right · Currently governing

Family reunification

• Proposes a new Parent Boost visa, allowing parents and grandparents to visit or spend extended periods with their children in New Zealand.
• The proposed visa would last five years, with the possibility of another five years.
• Family sponsorship and health insurance would be required.
• Visa holders would not qualify for NZ Superannuation or other government benefits.
• Also promises to prioritise and speed up work and visitor visas for partners of New Zealand citizens.

Settlement support

The emphasis is on attracting and retaining skilled migrants and making it easier for families to remain connected. There is less emphasis in the identified proposals on expanding publicly funded migrant settlement and English-language programmes.

What this means: National has particularly relevant proposals if your priority is bringing parents or grandparents for extended visits, or helping an overseas partner join you.

Sources: National on ImmigrationKnow Your Vote

Labour Party

Labour Party

Centre-left · Opposition

Family reunification

• Promises to review parent visa rules, including health and English-language requirements.
• Proposes expanding visa-waiver access to citizens of Pacific Islands Forum countries, making short family visits easier.
• Its published immigration policy does not yet promise a specific increase in parent residence places or a new general family reunification visa.

Settlement support

• Proposes community-based New Zealand orientation and civic education.
• Promises improved access to support in migrant communities.
• Proposes allowing migrant workers to change accredited employers after three months, reducing their dependence on one employer.
• Proposes stronger protection against migrant exploitation.

Important trade-off: Labour proposes increasing the time before eligible migrants can obtain permanent residence from two years to four years.

What this means: Labour has relatively explicit proposals for community integration and migrant worker protection, but its longer proposed pathway to permanent residence is an important disadvantage to consider.

Sources: ImmigrationLabour's 2026 Election Policies

ACT New Zealand

ACT New Zealand

Libertarian / centre-right · Coalition government

Family reunification

• ACT has campaigned for a more predictable Parent Resident Visa selection system.
• It advocated replacing the parent visa ballot with a queue-based system.
• It supported removing the two-year expiry on expressions of interest.
• It supports a Parent Boost visitor visa that does not impose unnecessarily expensive private insurance requirements.

The government's new parent visa selection system, which started in October 2026, reflects ACT's advocacy in part.

Settlement support

ACT generally emphasises individual responsibility, economic contribution, skills and labour-market participation. Its identified immigration announcements place more emphasis on immigration settings and eligibility than on expanding settlement services.

What this means: ACT is worth examining if you prioritise predictable parent residence applications and a more market-oriented approach to immigration.

Source: ACT New ZealandKnow Your Vote

Green Party

Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

Progressive · Opposition

Family reunification and settlement

The Greens' 2026 manifesto presents a welcoming approach to immigration and refugees.

Its central principles include:

• Fair and safe pathways for people making New Zealand their home.
• Respect and dignity for migrant workers.
• Better treatment of migrants and protection against exploitation.
• Support for people to settle and participate in New Zealand communities.

The manifesto is particularly relevant if you see migration as a question of family connection, human rights and social inclusion, rather than mainly an economic or labour-market issue.

Important qualification: I would not assume that the Greens' welcoming principles automatically mean a particular new parent visa or a guaranteed increase in family residence places. Those specific commitments need to be checked.

Source: Manifesto 2026

New Zealand First

New Zealand First

Nationalist / populist · Coalition government

Family reunification and settlement

• Proposes substantially reducing what it describes as non-essential immigration.
• Wants immigration to be more closely tied to demonstrated skill shortages.
• Proposes replacing the Accredited Employer Work Visa with a more restrictive Skilled Work Visa.
• Emphasises integration into a shared national community and the protection of New Zealand workers.

What this means: NZ First takes a more restrictive approach to immigration. Its emphasis is on controlling migration numbers, employment needs and national interests, rather than expanding family migration opportunities.

Source: NZ First Announces Immigration Reform PoliciesKnow Your Vote

Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori

Māori-centred political party · Opposition

Its political approach places particular emphasis on Māori rights, whānau, community wellbeing and equity.

For your particular question, I would distinguish these broader principles from specific immigration promises. I have not established a sufficiently detailed 2026 commitment on parent visas, partner visas or migrant English-language programmes to make a reliable comparison with National or Labour.

The Opportunity Party (TOP)

The Opportunity Party

Centrist / policy-focused · Smaller party

TOP has a broader focus on structural economic and social reform. However, I have not verified a sufficiently specific 2026 commitment on family reunification or settlement services to say that it offers a more favourable family visa system.

For both smaller parties, it is worth checking their complete immigration manifestos rather than assuming their general social principles translate into particular visa entitlements.

2. Quick comparison

Here is how the announced positions compare on your two main priorities.

Party	Settlement and integration	Family reunification
National	Economic participation; less emphasis on expanded settlement services	Specific parent visitor visa and faster partner visas
Labour	Orientation, civic education and community support	Review parent rules; easier Pacific family visits
ACT	Skills and individual responsibility	More predictable parent visa selection
Greens	Strong emphasis on dignity, fairness and inclusion	Welcoming principles; specific visa commitments need checking
NZ First	Integration and national identity; tighter immigration	Restrictive overall immigration approach
Te Pāti Māori	Whānau and community wellbeing	Specific immigration proposals need checking
TOP	Broader social and economic reform	Specific family visa commitments need checking

This is a comparison of published commitments, not a complete assessment of each party's position on every immigration issue.

3. What can you actually do as a new New Zealand citizen?

This is an important part of your decision because some family reunification pathways are already available to you, independently of which party wins the election.

Here are the main categories.

Parents and grandparents

You can sponsor eligible parents for:

• Parent Resident Visa: permanent residence, subject to eligibility and selection.
• Parent Boost Visitor Visa: extended visits of up to five years, with a possible second five-year visa.

The parent residence category has an annual limit of 2,500 visas.

Parent Resident Visa · Parent Boost Visitor Visa

Husband, wife or partner

Your partner may qualify for a residence visa if you have lived together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months and meet the other requirements.

Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa

Dependent children

You may sponsor eligible dependent children aged 24 or younger, subject to relationship, dependency and other requirements.

Dependent Child Resident Visa

There is an important limitation: becoming a citizen does not automatically give your siblings, adult independent children, cousins or other extended relatives a right to residence.

A significant change to parent visas in 2026

This is particularly relevant to your voting decision.

From 5 October 2026, the Parent Resident Visa selection process changed:

• Approximately 90% of selected applications come from the queue, based on submission date.
• Approximately 10% are selected by ballot.
• The annual limit remains 2,500.

This is a hybrid system intended to give families who have waited longer greater certainty.

ACT advocated for the queue-based change, although the government retained a ballot component.

Sources: Overview of parent visas :: Immigration New ZealandACT New Zealand

4. What does settlement support mean in practice?

It is worth looking beyond visas. A migrant can have a valid visa, a job and a home but still face difficulties becoming part of society.

Consider these areas when evaluating party policies.

Issue	What to look for in party policies
English language	Affordable English courses, workplace English and community classes
Employment	Recognition of overseas qualifications and protection from exploitation
Education	Support for migrant parents and children in schools
Public services	Clear information about healthcare, benefits and legal rights
Community integration	Local orientation, cultural activities and community organisations
Family support	Easier visitor visas and practical family reunification
Housing	Fair access to affordable and suitable housing

For someone whose first language is not English, I would pay particular attention to whether parties propose funding accessible English-language education and providing government information in plain English.

There is also a difference between requiring migrants to learn English and helping them learn English. These are not the same policy.

For example, a policy that increases English requirements without providing affordable learning opportunities could make migration harder for lower-income families.

5. Understanding how your vote works

New Zealand uses the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system.

You receive two votes:

• Party vote: This is generally the more important vote for determining how many seats each party receives in Parliament.
• Electorate vote: This chooses the MP who represents your local electorate.

A party generally needs at least 5% of the party vote or one electorate seat to qualify for parliamentary representation.

Importantly, you do not have to vote for the same party and electorate candidate.

You can learn more from Elections New Zealand's explanation of MMP.

6. My assessment: Which parties deserve closer examination?

Based on the policies identified, I would group the parties as follows.

If bringing parents or grandparents is your highest priority:

• National: particularly interesting because of its proposed Parent Boost visa and faster partner visas.
• ACT: particularly interesting because of its advocacy for a more predictable parent residence selection process.

If settlement, English learning and migrant worker protection are your highest priorities:

• Labour: has specific proposals for community orientation, civic education and protection from exploitation.
• Greens: has a strong emphasis on dignity, inclusion and fair treatment of migrants.

If you prioritise stricter immigration controls:

• NZ First: has the most explicitly restrictive approach among the policies examined.

These are not endorsements. The right choice depends on which issues matter most to you and how you weigh the trade-offs.

7. Let's make the comparison more relevant to your family priorities

There is one question that would make a substantial difference to how I compare the parties.

I can then produce a more detailed comparison, including a ranking of the parties against your priorities, the advantages and disadvantages of their proposals, and questions you should ask when evaluating their promises.

One final thought: You have become a New Zealand citizen, but that doesn't mean you need to forget your migrant experience when deciding how to vote. You can consider both what makes New Zealand work well for everyone already living here and what kind of country it should be for the families who may arrive in the future.