Labour will make it easier for more working Kiwis to buy their first home, with a new pathway from renting to owning and an expanded First Home Loan scheme that keeps deposits at just five percent.
 
“People are working hard and doing their best to save, but with rent, groceries, power and other bills taking up so much of the household budget, getting together a house deposit can feel impossible,” Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said.
 
“The problem isn’t always being able to afford a mortgage. It’s having money for a deposit while paying rent. Labour will give more people a fair shot at owning a home of their own.”
 
Labour will:

Introduce rent-to-buy for eligible Kāinga Ora and participating community housing tenants who are working and ready to move towards home ownership.

Protect people’s savings. Rent-to-buy deposit credits will be held safely in a trust account.

Expand First Home Loans by lifting the income eligibility cap to $300,000, keeping the deposit requirement at five percent and bringing more banks into the scheme.

Allow the schemes to work together, so eligible rent-to-buy tenants can use a First Home Loan to purchase their home with a five percent deposit.
“For a $700,000 home, a five percent deposit is $35,000, compared with $140,000 for a 20 percent deposit. That’s a huge difference for people trying to get their foot on the property ladder,” Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said.
 
“We won’t reduce the number of public homes as people rent-to-buy. For every public home sold through rent-to-buy, Kāinga Ora will build three more, with the proceeds reinvested in new public housing.
 
“Making it easier to buy a first home is part of a bigger plan to get more homes built, get our construction sector moving again and make sure working New Zealanders have a fair chance to own a place of their own.
 
“People who work hard deserve a pathway into home ownership. Labour will give more Kiwis a way to get there,” Kieran McAnulty said.

Source from New Zealand Media World https://x.com/1nzmw/status/2114507465513669085

Have a whinge about your day, a spaz about the prick that cut you off, a shoutout to the legend whom brought you a coffee, advice about your check engine light, gardening tips, or any mischievous thoughts or gossip.

Don't be shy 😉

Voted today. 2 ticks NZ First is the only way to save the country

For my electorate.

The Greens and Labour are tied 15pts ahead of National, it the best way to use my electorate vote.

It is against the law not to be enrolled to vote, for all those having a whinge because they can no longer register on election day there is no excuse and if you didn’t enrol you should be fined.

Four of us in my household voted today to ensure Chippy and his coalition of fucktards never get anywhere near government, that felt fucking good.

Ngā mihi

Do you think we should tell her the mongrel mob domestic violence stats?

With the deadline for enrolment in this year’s election passing at midnight, New Zealanders have less than two weeks to cast their vote and elect the next government. 

Both Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins are expected to vote today, with the National leader voting in Auckland with wife Amanda and Hipkins voting in his Remutaka electorate this morning. 
The rules governing this year’s election have undergone their biggest overhaul since MMP was introduced. The Electoral Amendment Act 2025 has restricted the advance voting period to a 12-day window until the day before the election, with voter enrolment closing 13 days out. 

Previously, voters could enrol or update their details until the day before election day by casting a special vote, except in 2020 and 2023, when same-day enrolment was allowed. 

Since the beginning of the campaign, Labour and the Greens have blasted the coalition Government over the changes, framing the amendments as an attempt to suppress votes and disenfranchise Kiwis who plan to vote but are unaware of the new rules. 
Luxon defended the change while campaigning yesterday, arguing people had been given plenty of time to enrol. 
“They’ve had a year,” Luxon said. 

“The change was announced by the Electoral Commission some time ago. There’s been lots of advance notice. There’s been lots of conversation about it. As I said, there’s been an inordinate amount of advertising. 

“It’s pretty simple and easy to do. A democracy’s really special, don’t take it for granted.” 
The latest enrolment figures released by the Electoral Commission show the number of eligible voters enrolled rose to 3,744,643 (92.4%) as of October 24 – an increase of 1136 from the day before. 
Of the 307,991 eligible voters who remained unenrolled on October 23, almost half, or 43%, were aged 18 to 24. 

While speaking to media in Wellington yesterday, Hipkins said that if enrolment fell short of the numbers recorded in 2023, it would be “an indictment on this Government who have deliberately tried to disenfranchise people, particularly those who are less likely to vote for them”. 
He urged people to enrol before midnight “so that they can have their say”. 

At Avondale Markets, Chlöe Swarbrick said her party had spent the morning reminding people of the midnight enrolment deadline and encouraging them to check their details. 

The Greens co-leader said she found the latest numbers “really concerning”. 
“What’s the most concerning of all is that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon knew that this was what was likely to happen when he made the very intentional changes to suppress voters,” Swarbrick said. 
Swarbrick said the Government received official Cabinet advice acknowledging the systemic barriers to voting and that the changes were likely to disproportionately impact youth, renters, Māori, Pasifika and migrant communities. 

“That is an intentional choice that the Government made ... If you’re interested in democracy, there should never be any barriers put up in place.” 
“Get enrolled” was Act leader David Seymour’s message to voters while campaigning on the North Shore ahead of the deadline. 

“I say to people [who] say it’s all too difficult, ‘You know what, if you can manage to book your R&V tickets, then you can manage to enrol to vote,’” Seymour said. 

Have a whinge about your day, a spaz about the prick that cut you off, a shoutout to the legend whom brought you a coffee, advice about your check engine light, gardening tips, or any mischievous thoughts or gossip.

Don't be shy 😉