Table of Contents
Summarised by Centrist
A major Ipsos survey reveals deep public distrust in New Zealand’s media, central, and local government while confirming that Kiwis want their councils to focus on real issues—traffic, crime, and cost of living—not ‘woke’ ideological agendas.
Trust in the media has plummeted, with only 27% of New Zealanders expressing confidence in it, while 48% explicitly do not. This makes the media the least trusted major institution, ranking even lower than local and central government, both at 28%.
The breakdown by city is revealing: in Tauranga, media trust is as low as 20%, while even in Wellington, where the highest level of trust was recorded, only 33% of people expressed confidence in the press.
With a sample size exceeding 7,000 respondents, this is one of the most comprehensive studies on media trust in New Zealand.
The survey also confirms that Kiwis are overwhelmingly concerned with practical, everyday problems rather than ideological debates.
Traffic congestion, parking availability, rubbish collection, and crime dominate the list of local grievances. Despite the political and media focus on racism and climate change, these issues barely register as priorities for most citizens.
Perhaps most striking, a higher percentage of citizens say their quality of life has improved in areas under more conservative mayors, compared to 2022 when Labour-aligned councils were more dominant.
Read more over at theFacts and the Quality of Life Survey here
