Labour Closes In On National For Law And Order Lead

Labour now holds the advantage over National on all five of the most pressing issues facing New Zealand voters, according to the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor released on November 1. The data, collected from a panel of 1,008 adults between October 19 and 27, shows the opposition party gaining ground on every major economic and social concern as the election approaches.

Cost of living and inflation remains the dominant worry, cited by 64% of respondents as a top three concern. That figure rose by one point from the previous month to a new high. Labour’s perceived ability to manage inflation climbed seven points to reach 38%, while National’s rating increased three points to 24%. Healthcare sits in second place with 45% of voters concerned. Labour rose four points to 42% on this issue, holding a large lead over National, which remained steady at 21%.

Fuel prices saw the sharpest movement in the rankings, jumping from seventh to third place with a 14-point increase to 31%. Labour gained six points on this issue to reach 35%, while National fell two points to 20%. The general economy concern dropped four points to 30%, but Labour still extended its lead by four points to 34%. Unemployment concerns fell two points to 19%, though Labour recovered four points of trust to reach 38% compared with National’s steady 21%.

Law and order is the only issue in the top twenty where National still holds the highest trust rating. However, the gap has narrowed to a single percentage point following the recent disputes over politicians meeting with gang members. National remains at 29% on this topic, while Labour gained three points to reach 28%. Carin Hercock, manager at Ipsos New Zealand, noted that the survey was conducted during prominent media coverage of these interactions. She said the results show New Zealanders are "sending a clear message about what matters most to them." She added that inflation and cost of living continue to dominate the public agenda despite the noise around law and order, which fell one point to 14% and dropped to eighth place in the rankings.

Housing ranked sixth with 18% of concern, down one point. Labour gained four points on housing to reach 35%, while National fell one point to 22%. Poverty and inequality rounded out the top ten at 16%, climate change at 12%, and education at 8%, all down one point each. The current government’s performance rating stayed static at 4.1 for the third consecutive survey. The study has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.