More bad news for the Coalition as a majority of voters say the Government is performing poorly on economic management across all five key issues measured as part of this month’s Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll.

Voters were asked to say whether they thought the Government was doing a “good job" or “bad job" in each area. In no area did the Government receive a net positive result.

Total net result for each category:

• Growing the Economy: -3 percent
• Reducing Costs for Households: -39 percent
• Managing the National Accounts to Get them Back to Surplus: -1 percent
• Creating Jobs: - 33 percent
• Reducing Wasteful Spending: -4 percent

The full poll results can be found at www.taxpayers.org.nz/poll_econ_issues_082025

Commenting on this, Taxpayers' Union Spokesman James Ross said:

“Poll after poll show the cost of living and the economy are top of voters’ minds. These results suggest they are losing faith in the Government’s economic management. With the Coalition’s numbers on a knife-edge, the link is clear.”

“Willis winging it isn’t working. There’s more bureaucrats now than when Labour left office, Willis is spending more than Labour, and she's borrowing at a faster rate. That’s caused inflation to track back up, and the ‘going for growth’ results are paltry.”

"Nicola Willis talks about responsible fiscal management, but what has she actually done differently from Grant Robertson?"

"The message from the polls is loud and clear: the Government is failing to be bold on the economy or cutting excessive spending. And that failure is costing them."

Notes:

The scientific poll was conducted by Curia Market Research and commissioned by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. The full polling report is being released exclusively to members of our Taxpayer Caucus. As is well known, but for full disclosure, David Farrar co-founded the Taxpayers' Union and previously served on its board. He is also a Director of Curia Market Research Ltd.

The Taxpayers’ Union – Curia Poll was conducted from Sunday 03 to Tuesday 05 August 2025. The median response was collected on Monday 04 August 2025.

The target population is adults aged 18+ who live in New Zealand and are eligible and likely to vote. The sample population is adults aged 18+ who live in New Zealand and are eligible and likely to vote who are contactable on a landline or mobile phone or online panel. 1,000 respondents agreed to participate, 800 by phone and 200 by online panel.

A random selection of 15,000 NZ phone numbers (landlines and mobiles) and a random selection from the target population from up to three global online panels (that comply with ESOMAR guidelines for online research). If the call is to a landline, the person who is home and next has a birthday is asked to take part. Those who take part through an online panel are excluded from further polls on the same topic for six months. Multiple call-backs occurred to maximise the response rate. Those who said they were unlikely or very unlikely to vote were excluded.

The poll was part of a wider omnibus survey for multiple clients. Questions on voting sentiment are asked before any other questions. The questions were asked in the order they are listed. The results are weighted to reflect the overall voting adult population in terms of gender, age, and area. Based on this sample of 1,000 respondents, the maximum sampling error (for a result of 50%) is +/- 3.1%, at the 95% confidence level. Results for sub-groups such as age and area will have a much higher margin of error and not seen as precise.

The full polling results can be found at www.taxpayers.org.nz/poll_econ_issues_082025

This poll should be formally referred to as the “Taxpayers’ Union – Curia Poll”.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is an independent and membership-driven activist group, dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power. Its mission, lower taxes, less waste, more accountability, is supported by 200,000 subscribed members and supporters.

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