Voters in New Zealand have ranked the Labour Party as more capable than National on 16 of the 20 most critical issues facing the country, according to the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor released this week.
The October survey results place Labour ahead on the five most important voter concerns: inflation and the cost of living, healthcare, fuel prices, the economy, and unemployment. This data contrasts with separate poll findings published by the NZ Herald this month, which showed voters selecting National as more able on the majority of key issues overall.
Diverging Polls and Voter Priorities in the Final Campaign Week
The Ipsos poll, conducted between October 19 and 27 with 1,008 New Zealanders aged 18 and older, captured public sentiment precisely as political debate centered on law and order and gang issues. Despite that media focus, inflation and the cost of living remained the primary concern for 64% of respondents.
Healthcare followed in second place at 45%. Meanwhile, concern regarding fuel prices experienced a sharp rise, jumping from seventh to third place with 31% of voters listing it among their top three concerns.
On these top economic and domestic concerns, Labour strengthened its standing. Perceptions of Labour’s ability to manage fuel prices rose six percentage points to 35%, while National’s rating dropped two points to 20%, according to the Ipsos Issues Monitor report. Labour also extended its lead over National across healthcare, the economy, and unemployment.
Crime, Climate, and Niche Issues
National maintained its lead on a single top-20 issue: crime and law and order. Twenty-nine percent of respondents regarded National as best equipped to handle crime. However, The Spinoff noted that Labour narrowed that gap to just one percentage point, sitting at 28%, even as overall concern for crime dipped to 14%.
Other parties led in specific portfolios. The Green Party remained the most trusted on climate change and environmental concerns, while Te Pāti Māori led on issues directly affecting Māori communities.
National leader Christopher Luxon dismissed the poll findings, emphasizing his focus on data pointing toward economic growth, tourism, and export performance. Labour leader Chris Hipkins expressed strong optimism based on direct voter feedback while continuing to criticize National’s policy platform.
Advance Voting Numbers Surpass Previous Markers
The data emerges as the electoral roll and early voting reach historic thresholds. Provisional figures show that as of October 30, the enrolment rate for the 2026 General Election reached 93.6%, representing 3,790,946 enrolled voters, as reported by Interest.co.nz.
Advance voting numbers also surpassed previous markers, with 309,876 ballots cast in the first three days following the opening of advance voting on October 26, compared to 235,515 over the same period in 2023.
As Newsroom analysis pointed out, a central question remains whether Labour’s substantive advantage on individual policy issues will translate directly into proportional party vote shares at the ballot box. Three additional opinion polls from Verian, Curia, and Freshwater are scheduled for release in the final days of the campaign.
