Blind Low Vision NZ has compiled policies from the major political parties that we found to be relevant to the blind, deafblind, and low vision community. The purpose of this is to have a resource to support our clients and their whānau to be informed for the upcoming 2026 General Election.

This document was completed based on the available information as of Monday 14 September, and parties may have released other policies since then. This is not an exhaustive list of the parties’ policies, and we encourage you to do your own research by visiting the individual parties’ websites.

On this page we have the document available for download in Large Print word doc and PDF, and e-Braille full size and A4 size.

The audio format is available on the Telephone Information Service (TIS) under Blind Low Vision NZ News, menu 342. Find your local number for TIS.

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Disability-Related Party Policies for the 2026 General Election

Blind Low Vision NZ wrote to the following parties, asking them to provide not only any disability policies that they have, but any policies that would affect people who are blind, deafblind or have low vision:

• New Zealand National Party
• ACT New Zealand
• New Zealand First
• Te Pāti Māori
• Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
• New Zealand Labour Party
• Opportunity Party

The following parties provided a response:

• Te Pāti Māori
• New Zealand Labour Party
• Opportunity Party

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand provided information after the deadline, which was therefore unable to be used in this document.

Blind Low Vision NZ has incorporated the information provided to us, as well as policies listed on the parties’ websites to create this resource.

Please note that we have provided a description only of policies that directly relate to eight main areas of life: accessibility and rights, built environment, communication and information, education, employment, health, transport, and welfare.

This is not an extensive list of all the policies of the political parties.

We recommend using the links to the parties’ websites for your own research.

Blind Low Vision NZ is the operating name for the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind, which is a for-purpose, incorporated society, and is independent of all political affiliations. We continue to work across the political spectrum to ensure all legislation and decisions made are done so with consideration of the impact on people who are blind, deafblind or have low vision. We aim to foster accessibility and inclusion, so all New Zealanders can live the lives they choose.

The following party policies are summarised and separated by party and area of life.

ACT New Zealand

Accessibility and Rights

ACT New Zealand does not have a dedicated disability policy on their website, but we found the following two policies to be relevant to this category:

• Recommendations to be implemented for the End of Life Choice Act.
• The number of government departments will be decreased.

Built Environment

• Innovation trials to be implemented to allow limited testing for new technology, with set safety conditions.

Communication and Information

ACT New Zealand does not have policies on this topic.

Education

• Student Services fees at universities to be made voluntary, providing a menu of options for students to select.
• The Education and Training Act to be amended to limit state schools to a maximum of 3 compulsory branded uniform items.
• School buses to be allowed to pick up all students regardless of what school they attend.
• Taxpayer-funded support to be provided to those in need rather than providing support based on ethnicity. This policy would still support disabled students.

Employment

• Ethnicity to be removed as a factor in creating employment policies for Public Service jobs.
• Further cost saving measures to be made to the Public Service.
• The “Golden Handshake” policy to be implemented, allowing employers to offer a specific payment to an employee to end a work arrangement. This offer would not be grounds for personal grievance.
• Minimum wage to be frozen for three years and a Training Wage to be introduced, set at 60% of the adult minimum wage, for workers under 20 during their first 12 months with an employer.

Health

• Funding for medicines to be increased.
• Pharmac funding to be increased.
• Pharmacists to be allowed to treat a wider range of conditions.

Transport

ACT New Zealand does not have policies on this topic.

Welfare

• All health and disability benefits will be independently issued by a Ministry of Social Development-approved pool of designated doctors.

To read more about ACT New Zealand policies, please head to their website: act.org.nz

Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

Accessibility and Rights

• A human rights framework to be established that enables human rights issues to be resolved appropriately.
• Hate speech laws to be extended to cover disability.
• The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act to be made into supreme and entrenched law.
• All laws to be reviewed to ensure discrimination is removed, and no new laws will discriminate or breach human rights.
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to be fully implemented.
• Enforceable accessibility and/or disability rights legislation to be developed and implemented, making accessibility the norm.
• Laws and policies that permit discrimination against disabled people to be abolished.
• Investments to be made in high-quality, ethical research and data collection by, with, and for the disability community to inform decision-making.
• Consideration of disabled people to be included in regulatory impact assessments.
• Initiatives that allow disabled people to confidently take part in democracy to be resourced, including voting, understanding how government works, and engaging directly in decision-making.
• Disabled migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees to be provided with equal access to human rights mechanisms.
• Initiatives that promote disability rights to be funded as part of foreign aid.

Built Environment

• The relevant standards will be updated to require key public facilities and transport infrastructure to be accessible.

Communication and Information

• Captioning and audio descriptions to be improved in underserved languages.
• Training for te reo Māori – NZSL interpreters to be resourced and incentivised.
• The ongoing development and promotion of te reo turi and te reo Māori text-to-speech voice(s) to be resourced.

Education

• Investments to be made in education that build diversity and understanding.
• Schools and support agencies to be resourced, supporting learning journeys.
• Fees-free tertiary education. Diversity needs of all disabled learners catered for through resources and universal design principles.
• All schools will be required to provide learning access centres, use ‘Universal Design for Learning’ approaches, and collaborate with disabled people and whānau to plan and provide for learning.
• Financial access will be ensured to tertiary and community adult education, including removing the lifetime cap on the Training Support Fund.

Employment

• A comprehensive, rights-based national disability employment strategy to be developed and implemented, covering skills development, recruitment, pay, and working conditions.
• Equitable employment opportunities to be ensured by providing training and accessible information about opportunities to marginalised groups.

Health

• The right to health and wellbeing to be added to the Bill of Rights Act.
• Access to universal, free, and accessible diagnosis, treatment, and management will be ensured.
• All barriers will be removed for disabled people to access health services.
• A publicly owned supermarket chain called ‘KiwiMart,’ consisting of at least 120 stores, will be created.

Transport

• Urban public transport will be fare free. This initiative would start with the disabled community.
• Transport and mobility public infrastructure to be co-designed with the disabled community, targeting investment in deprived urban and rural areas.
• A national mobility scheme to be developed with infrastructure that meets accessibility standards.

Welfare

• Main benefit levels to be increased to a livable income.
• Easily accessible and timely income support will be provided to meet all disability related living and medical costs. This support would not depend on your relationship status or cause of disability.
• The Social Security Act will be reformed to uphold the dignity of those who need support and ensure everyone has a secure income and a decent standard of living.
• Benefit sanctions to be abolished.
• ACC will be extended to cover income support and treatment for injuries, disability, and illnesses regardless of origin.

To read more about Green Party policies, please head to their website: Greens.org.nz

New Zealand Labour Party

Accessibility and Rights

• A commitment to UNCPRD, Enabling Good Lives principles, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi will be maintained.
• Easily accessible and timely income support and housing to be provided.
• The design and evaluation of disability services will be centred on the Enabling Good Lives approach.
• Enforceable accessibility legislation to be introduced.
• Consideration of disabled people will be included in regulatory impact assessments.

Built Environment

New Zealand Labour Party does not have policies on this topic.

Communication and Information

• New Zealand Labour Party has an AI policy, but it makes no specific mention of accessibility.

Education

New Zealand Labour Party does not have policies on this topic.

Employment

• Reserve Bank of New Zealand will return to having two mandates when deciding the official cash rate: price stability and maximum sustainable employment.

Health

• The ‘Medicard’ scheme to be introduced, which will fund three free doctor’s visits per year.
• Free prescriptions to be reintroduced.
• Free cervical screening for 25- to 69-year-olds and free maternity scans to be introduced.
• Price gouging to be banned, increasing price competition, and reducing prices at supermarkets.

Transport

• Weekly public transport fare cap to be introduced: $20 per week in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch; and $10 per week elsewhere, with further eligible trips during that week becoming free. This covers buses and trains, and some ferry services.

Welfare

• KiwiSaver employer contributions to be made compulsory by 2028, and the employer contribution rate to be increased to 6% by 2032. KiwiSaver contributions will continue for those over 65 and on paid parental leave.

To read more about New Zealand Labour Party policies, please head to their website: labour.org.nz

New Zealand National Party

Accessibility and Rights

New Zealand National Party does not have a dedicated disability policy.

Built Environment

• Complex projects will no longer need to depend on a local council having specialist staff available. This allows councils to focus more on standard and residential consents to support more housing and renovations. Access to 5% deposit home loans will be widened to an income cap of $300,000 which will be applied to all applicants.

Communication and Information

New Zealand National Party does not have a policy on this topic.

Education

• Compulsory student loan repayment rate to be reduced for domestic borrowers from 12% to 10%. People with student loans who are overseas will face an increase in annual interest rate and they will not be able to access their KiwiSaver until their student loan has been cleared.

Employment

New Zealand National Party does not have a policy on this topic.

Health

• Business separation of New World and Pak’n’Save supermarkets to increase competition which supports better pricing and access to food stability.

Transport

New Zealand National Party does not have a policy on this topic.

Welfare

• KiwiSaver worker contributions to be made compulsory by 2028, with the combined default contribution rate increasing to 12% by 2032.
• From July 2027, every baby born will receive $1,500.
• Contributions for people on parental leave will continue even if the employee isn’t making their own contributions. Employees over 65 will continue to have employer contributions paid.
• Rates will be capped to keep local council rates within a target range of 2%-4%.
• To read more about New Zealand National Party policies, please head to their website: national.org.nz/policies

New Zealand First

Accessibility and Rights

New Zealand First does not have a dedicated policy around disability, but they do have a private member’s bill in the biscuit tin, the Accessibility Standards Bill, which aims to set regulations regarding accessibility in the built and digital environment.

Built Environment

New Zealand First does not have a policy on this topic.

Communication and Information

• BNZ bank will be bought back to create competition against the majority of overseas-owned parent groups.

• The government’s ability to affect fiscal policies that target New Zealanders to be increased.

Education

New Zealand First does not have a policy on this topic.

Employment

New Zealand First does not have a policy on this topic.

Health

• Legislation will be introduced to break up New World and Four Square into one cooperative, and Pak’n’Save into another. The aim will be to increase competitiveness, reduce food costs, and increase food security.

Transport

New Zealand First does not have a policy on this topic.

Welfare

• KiwiSaver to be compulsory with a $1,000 government contribution for citizens.
• New Zealand Superannuation will be changed so that a person can only receive it if they are a New Zealand citizen.
• ‘Kiwi Kids Grant’ will be introduced to help with the cost of raising a child through their first 3 years, using a non-means tested grant of $5,000 per annum. This will be tax-free for a family’s first 3 children.

To read more about New Zealand First policies, please head to their website: NewZealandFirst.nz

Opportunity Party

Accessibility and Rights

• Accessibility should be built in right from the start of design. Public spaces, buildings, and services to be designed so that everyone can use them easily. This policy is set around Enabling Good Lives Principles.

Built Environment

• New Zealand must be fully accessible. Everyone should be able to take part in their community with dignity, independence, and the right opportunities. Barriers will be steadily removed in housing, public buildings, and government buying.

Communication and Information

• Accessible information, communication, and formats to be strengthened through co-work with the disability community. Work will be put in towards accessible websites, apps, and online tools that work for everyone.

Education

• People with learning disabilities should have the same rights, opportunities, and choices as everyone else. Support will be increased for neurodivergent people, including specialist support – i.e. learning support coordinators, RTLBs, speech-language therapists, psychologists, and mental health services.

Employment

• A Citizens’ ‘Income and Disability Allowance’ to be introduced, giving people better financial security.
• The disabled community will be enabled to find employment without losing support.
• Fair pay will be ensured for everyone. Rules that allow employers to pay disabled people less than the minimum wage will be put to an end.
• Businesses will be supported to hire and keep disabled staff. Employers will be given better support so they can confidently recruit disabled workers and help them stay in their jobs.

Health

• Funding to be increased for health services, especially primary and community care. A 10-year plan will be created to be agreed upon across government to work together.
• Fair and accessible healthcare. Everyone should easily get the health, treatment, rehab, and disability support they need. This means making physical spaces, online services, and care culturally safe and accessible.
• Choose your own navigator. The disabled community will be able to choose the person who helps them manage their way through the health and disability system.
• A “Tell Us Once” system. For people with long-term support needs, this means you will not have to repeat your story or do unnecessary tests repeatedly. This protects privacy and increases independence on how information is shared.
• Connect different government systems. Disability support, health, education, and ACC will be streamlined, so no one falls through the cracks between agencies.
• Stronger support for children. Better care to be provided for disabled children and smooth, clear plans created for when young people move into adult services.

Transport

• Work will be put in to steadily remove barriers in transport and make buses, trains, and travel options easier to use.

Welfare

• Benefit rules to be reviewed, and Citizens’ Income and Disability Allowance will be introduced.
• The disability community and their support networks will be enabled to work without losing access to benefits.

To read more about Opportunity Party policies, please head to their website: Opportunity Party Policies

Te Pāti Māori

Accessibility and Rights

• Public services, information, transport, housing, and community infrastructure must be accessible. Decisions affecting whānau hauā and disabled people should be made with them, not for them.

Built Environment

• Public and affordable housing to be increased.

Communication and Information

Te Pāti Māori does not have a policy on this topic.

Education

• Support will be given towards removing barriers to education and lifelong learning so tamariki, rangatahi and adults can access the learning, support and opportunities they need.

Employment

• Support pathways into secure, meaningful employment will be increased, and systemic barriers to participation for disabled people, including whānau hauā, will be removed.

Health

• Support will be given towards free and accessible primary health care, improved access to quality health services, and action to reduce the health inequities experienced by Māori, disabled people and low-income whānau.
• Goods and Services Tax to be removed from food.

Transport

Te Pāti Māori does not have a policy on this topic.

Welfare

• Many whānau hauā and disabled people face higher living costs and barriers to employment. Policy will focus on increasing income security, reducing poverty, and ensuring whānau can live with dignity.
• Income will not be taxed up to $30,000 per annum.

To read more about Te Pāti Māori policies, please head to their website: MaoriParty.org.nz