Ipsos
New Zealand has released the 34th edition of the Ipsos
Issues Monitor, which tracks the most important issues
facing New Zealanders today and which political parties are
perceived as best able to manage them. The survey has been
running since 2018.
The latest survey of 1,003 New
Zealanders shows that inflation / cost of
living remains the country’s most important issue,
with 63% identifying it as a top concern. Healthcare
/ hospitals (44%) and the economy
(34%) continue to rank second and third respectively,
maintaining the same top three order that has been in place
since February 2025.
A notable shift this wave is
concern about unemployment, which has risen
to become New Zealanders’ fourth most important issue,
overtaking housing / price of housing for
only the second time since Ipsos began tracking issues in
2018. Concern about healthcare has also
increased significantly this wave, returning to levels last
seen in August 2025.
New Zealanders’ assessment of
government performance remains stable this
wave, with average rating of 4.1 out of 10
unchanged from July 2026. Just over a quarter of New
Zealanders (26%) rate the government’s performance
positively (7-10 out of 10).
Other key findings from
the 34th Ipsos NZ Issues Monitor
include:
Issues
- Inflation / cost
of living (63%) continues to be New Zealanders’
number one concern and is now at its highest level since May
2023. - Healthcare / hospitals (44%)
remains the country’s second most important issue and has
increased this wave, returning to levels last seen in August
2025. - Concern about the
economy (34%) remains stable and is at
levels last seen following the 2020 General
Election. - Unemployment (21%) has
overtaken housing to become New Zealand’s fourth most
important issue and has reached its highest level since
November 2020. - Concern about climate
change (13%) has fallen to its lowest level since
Ipsos began tracking the issue in 2020. - Following
the sharp increase recorded in May 2026, concern about
petrol prices / fuel (17%) has stabilised
this wave.
Government
performance
- New Zealanders’ rating of the
Government’s performance remains stable at 4.1 out
of 10, unchanged from July
2026 - Labour remains the party
perceived as most capable of managing all five of New
Zealanders’ top concerns: inflation / cost of
living, healthcare / hospitals, the economy, unemployment,
and housing / price of housing. - While
Labour continues to lead on all five
issues, the gap between Labour and
National has narrowed on four of them –
healthcare / hospitals, the economy, unemployment,
and housing / price of housing – since July
2026.
Taxation Spotlight
- Concern
about taxation (8%) has trended upward over
recent waves and is now at its highest levels since the 2023
General Election. - New Zealanders are evenly divided
on how much tax they currently pay. 44% percent believe they
should pay less tax, while 45% believe they pay about the
right amount. - A Wealth Tax (64%)
receives the strongest support among the tax measures
tested. Around half of New Zealanders also support a
Capital Acquisitions Tax (49%), Bed
Tax (48%), and Capital Gains Tax
(45%). - Support for wealth-based taxes is strongest
among voters intending to support the Green
Party and Labour Party.
Green Party voters are significantly more
likely than the average New Zealander to support a
Wealth Tax (89%), Capital
Acquisitions Tax (78%), and Capital Gains
Tax (77%). - Voters intending to support
National and ACT are
generally less supportive of wealth-based taxes, while
support among voters intending to vote for The
Opportunity Party show above-average support for
several proposed tax measures, particularly Capital
Gains Tax (66%), Capital Acquisitions
Tax (60%), and Land Value Tax
(54%).
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Carin Hercock, Country Manager,
Ipsos New Zealand, said: “While cost of living
remains New Zealanders’ dominant concern, this wave shows
healthcare moving back up the agenda and unemployment
becoming increasingly important. The fact that unemployment
has now overtaken housing highlights growing concern about
the labour market as New Zealanders continue to navigate a
challenging economic
environment.”
Amanda Dudding, Executive
Director Public Affairs, Ipsos New Zealand, added:
“The taxation deep dive reveals an interesting contrast
in public opinion. While New Zealanders are divided on
whether they personally pay too much tax, there is
relatively strong support for taxes focused on wealth and
capital gains. These findings suggest New Zealanders
continue to distinguish between personal tax burdens and how
they believe the overall tax system should
operate.”
