Jordan Williams: Taxpayers' Union Executive Director on the Government falling behind in the new Taxpayers Union-Curia Poll

Another poll is showing a clear drop in support for the coalition Government - and some are wondering if it's cause for concern.

The newest  Taxpayers Union-Curia Poll has Labour on 34.1 percent, and National on 33.6 percent - and Hipkins in the lead for preferred Prime Minister.

ACT has fallen 2.3 points to 7.7, and New Zealand First is just above the threshold on 5.1 percent.

Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union says the Government should be concerned about losing favour with voters.

"We are now only 18 months away from Christopher Luxon having to go to the public to ask that fundamental question - do you feel better off than three years ago? Right now, that answer is no."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Big story today, of course, is this Taxpayer Union Caurier
poll question. Is this far from an election? Should anyone
really care? The numbers are the Nats half a point
behind Labor. Luxon has dropped below Chris Hopkins in terms
of favorability Act, the Greens New Zealand first, all down,
while the Multi Party is up two points to six
and a half percent. Taxpayers Union executive director Jordan Williams

(00:23):
is with me tonight, Jordan, get.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
A good r.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Is this a trend? Is this something you start to
freak out about?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, I don't freak out about it. I don't have
a pony in this in this race, I run a
humble tax payer. I don't mean you.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
I mean I mean if you're on the ninth floor,
do you start hitting panic stations?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Ah? Well, it certainly things have got to start getting
urgent because it is not, as you say, it's the trend.
You know it does a pole matter this far?

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Out?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Of course it doesn't, but it does give you information.
And the information is is that the current trend, the
current direction the government is on, isn't finding favorite with voters.
And I would argue that is because you know, the
key sweetener that the NATS offer is credible economic management,
and whilst they've certainly conservatively managed the economy, I would

(01:17):
argue they haven't done enough heavy lifting last year to
actually see the effects of a or we'll see a
better economy and you know, the New Zealanders to feel that.
I think that this poll should send alarm bells because
we are now only eighteen months away from Christopher lux
and having going having to go to the public to

(01:39):
ask that, you know, reagan fundamental question, do you feel
better off than three years ago? Isn't there right now.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
That answers know? Yeah? But isn't that the problem for
Hopkins as well? People will go, well, how did I
feel last time I saw that guy? You know, which
is probably not great.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, I'm in Towering at the moment. I've spent a
day with some donors, and I'm at the Popoma Ratepayers
group tonight and everyone that said to me, and what
I'm expecting tonight is how on earth can people forget
how bad it was or how the last government mismanaged
the economy. What you have to remind people is going

(02:21):
the information the average voter is running on is not
an intellectual framework like that it's how hard is it
for me and my family right now? And the problem
we've got is that right now New Zealanders are doing
it tough and the government, I would argue, have not
delivered the macroeconomic reform we need to get the economy

(02:44):
back on track.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Jordan, Thank you for that, Jordan Williams, Executive director of
the Taxpayers Union.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
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