Party policies, simplified: Employment

The General Election day is approaching on Saturday November 7. We reached out to political parties National, Labour, Te Pāti Māori, ACT, New Zealand First, the Green Party, and The Opportunity Party with the same questions across housing, transport, disability policy, funding, healthcare, education, employment and accessibility.

Here’s how parties say they will ensure work opportunities for disabled people into work, including fair wages.

The most recent labour market summary shows 36.4% of disabled people aged 15-64 years are employed, compared to 78.4% for their non-disabled counterparts. The weekly income gap between the two groups is $658. We asked parties how they would ensure work opportunities for disabled people.

Te Pāti Māori says they will support meaningful employment pathways for disabled whānau by “resourcing the Enabling Good Lives kaupapa”. Enabling Good Lives is an approach that shifts power and authority from Government to disabled people and their families. Some of the outcomes are that disabled people are supported to live an everyday life in everyday places, and have the same opportunities as non-disabled people.

The Greens would ensure that the public service is a leader in disability-responsive employment, providing resources and training to meet access needs and counter ableism.

National says they will ensure opportunities for disabled people into work by “[continuing] to support the NZ Disability Strategy around employment strategies including actions to assist disabled people to have meaningful work and careers.”

Labour is “committed to ensuring that disabled people have the opportunities to get into decent, secure work and that employers are supported to hire disabled people.”

NZ First said they “[prioritise] economic independence and meaningful employment opportunities for disabled Kiwis”, but did not provide any current or future employment policies. On their website, they say they will lift minimum wage each year for the next three years.

ACT is focused on removing barriers to employment, encouraging flexible workplaces, and targeting support “according to an individual’s actual circumstances”. However, they did not provide any policies. 

TOP did not respond to our questions.

In May 2023, the Labour government allocated $37.3 million over four years to phase out the minimum wage exemption by mid-2025 and replace it with a wage supplement. When the National Party came into power, the government decided to continue the minimum wage exemption scheme and ceased the development of a wage supplement. The exemption permits disabled employees to be paid less than minimum wage, mostly affecting workers with a learning disability.

Te Pāti Māori and TOP commit to abolishing the minimum wage exemption for disabled people. Te Pāti Māori would also raise the minimum wage to living wage. At the D*List’s Disability Debate*, Labour representative Priyanca Radhakrishnan said: “Of course we want to abolish [the minimum wage exemption]” and that the party still needed “to figure out if that is something we can fund and deliver within the first term.” At the same debate, Greens representative Ricardo Menéndez March, said the Green Party supports the abolishment of the exemption.

Last year, the government passed the 2025 amendments to the Equal Pay Act which limit the scope of pay equity claims that aim to balance inequities between men and women doing work of equal value. The Act predominantly affects female-dominated work such as caring professions. The bill was introduced by ACT MP, Brooke van Velden.

*Te Pāti Māori, TOP, Labour and Greens would restore pay equity legislation. Labour would give an immediate pay rise by $4 an hour to 65,000 care and support workers. The Green Party would also resume claims, pay transparency measures and comprehensive pay gap reporting.

National says they will soon begin consulting with key stakeholders on a carer’s package.

Responses about past policies, or generic statements without indication of the party's own intention, actions or policies have been excluded.

Summary by party

*indicates policy found outside of questionnaire responses or policy announced after the party’s response was submitted.