Here’s the six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy today around housing, climate and poverty:
Petrol prices, consumer confidence and support for the Government are correlated in Roy Morgan’s latest consumer confidence and political opinion polls, suggesting the latest spikes in petrol prices are translating straight through into record-low support for National, just as they did for Labour in mid-2023.
ACT has proposed a $6/day tax or ‘infrastructure charge’ on migrant workers in its immigration policy for the upcoming election.
Retailers and small businesses are bracing for a wintry slump after the spike in fuel prices, with Retail NZ reporting1 two-thirds expect to miss their sales targets in the current quarter and 17% of small businesses telling Prospa2 they had less than a month’s cash left.
The Scoop of the day is from Farah Hancock for RNZ on how NZ First donors want more tax breaks for horse racing.
A survey for Newsroom has found most voters are not confident the Government can manage the fuel crisis.
The Deep-dive of the day is from Mildred Armah for Stuff on the importance of rural healthcare centres, told through the eyes of a woman with cancer who relies on a centre in KatiKati that is about to run out of funds.
Here is the presentation used above in the video available to paying subscribers, with more details in text and chart form below.
When petrol prices rise, support for the Govt falls
The thing that really matters for the government’s popularity is actually petrol prices.
