Clear message from Snap Poll: Hipkins must Scrap Three Waters for Labour to be competitive

The Taxpayers’ Union is congratulating incoming Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, and says his first move should be to remove the electoral handbrakes revealed in the Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Snap Poll released this morning.

Jordan Williams, the Union’s Executive Director, said:

“We congratulate Mr Hipkips, but his election won’t be enough for Labour to win back supporters, based on the snap poll released today."

"It is clear that a clean break from Jacinda Ardern’s controversial policies such as Three Waters is needed if Mr Hipkins is to attract back those who voted for Labour at the last election, but have since shifted.”

“Of those who voted Labour at the last election 48% told polsters they want the new PM to scrap Jacinda Ardern’s controversial water reforms. Just 21% of Labour’s 2017 voters think Three Waters should be kept.”

The poll asked whether the new leader should retain or scrap signature policies of Jacinda Ardern’s Government such as Three Waters, KiwiBuild, and merging TVNZ and RNZ.The net retain score (percentage of people favouring retention of the policy minus percentage of those favouring scrapping the policy) for each policy is:

Auckland Light Rail +18%
Kiwibuild +15%
Compulsory Unemployment Insurance -4%
Reduction in speed limits -21%
Expanding co-governance -21%
TVNZ/RNZ Merger -23%
Three Waters -40%