Who Do Voters Trust on Prices, Health and Jobs?
Labour is still picked as the party best able to fix the five biggest issues, but National has cut the gap on four of them, according to the September 2026 Ipsos Issues Monitor.
Cost of living and healthcare
Cost of living is still the top worry. The share naming it was the highest since May 2023, according to RNZ. Both Labour and National fell four points on who can best handle it. The gap stays at 10 points to Labour.
Healthcare stayed second, with worry up six points. Labour was picked by 38%, 17 points ahead of National. That is down from 21 points in July. Labour fell three points and National rose one.
Economy, jobs and housing
The economy was third. Labour fell four points and National fell two. The gap went from four points to two. In its release titled 34th Ipsos NZ Issues Monitor - Sept 2026, Ipsos put it as Labour still ahead on all five, with the gap smaller on four including healthcare and hospitals, according to Ipsos.
Unemployment rose from fifth to fourth. National stayed on 21%. Labour fell from 42% to 34%. The gap is now 13 points.
Housing dropped from fourth to fifth. Labour fell four points and National rose one. Labour's lead went from 13 to eight points.
Other issues, tax and method
Labour led on 10 of the next 15 issues, down from 11 in July. National led on crime and defence. The Greens led on climate change and the environment. Te Pāti Māori led on Māori issues.
Tax was picked by 8%, up from 6% in July. Labour led on tax by three points. A 2.5% wealth tax on assets over $10 million, not counting family homes, had 64% support. A capital gains tax on property sales, not counting the family home, had 45% support.
The poll was online from 3 to 11 September with 1,003 New Zealanders aged 18 and over. Think of the numbers as a scoreboard with some wiggle room. Ipsos says allow plus or minus 3.5 points.
The broader context here is plain. More people are worried about prices and health, but ratings for both big parties are flat or falling.
In my view, read the jobs and housing changes with care. The order is about what worries people, not just who can fix it, and small shifts sit close to that wiggle room.
