This is edition 2025/174 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Hi all,
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. What do NZ First voters want?
David Farrar
- 🗳️ Election Speculation: With the NZ election approaching, debate grows over whether NZ First could side with Labour if it means excluding Te Pāti Māori, despite Winston Peters ruling out Hipkins personally.
- 📊 Supporter Profile: Analysis of 500+ NZ First voters (4.5% margin of error) shows key concerns: Cost of Living 21%, Economy 17%, Health 9%, Law & Order 6%, Treaty 6%, Employment 4%, Immigration 3%, Social Division 3%.
- 👑 Preferred PM: Winston Peters dominates at 53%, followed by Luxon 10%, Shane Jones 6%, and Hipkins 4%.
- 🔄 Country Direction: 37% think NZ is on the right track, 43% believe it’s on the wrong path.
- 📈 Issue Alignment: On major issues, supporters rate National far higher than Labour—Economy 40% vs 3%, Health 25% vs 7%, Inflation 35% vs 4%, Law & Order 29% vs 2%.
- ❤️ Leader Favourability: Winston Peters enjoys +78% net favourability; David Seymour +17%; Christopher Luxon slightly negative at -5%; Chris Hipkins heavily negative at -51%.
- ⚖️ Coalition Implications: Strong pro-National leanings and intense dislike of Hipkins mean a deal with Labour would risk alienating NZ First’s base and jeopardizing the crucial 5% threshold.
