Labour candidate leads in Te Tai Tonga polling

Labour candidate Mananui Ramsden is leading the race for the Te Tai Tonga electorate with 30 per cent support, according to a new Whakaata Māori-Curia poll. He holds a 13-point lead over Te Pāti Māori candidate Lisa Marie Murch, who received 17 per cent. Green Party candidate Lisa Te Morenga follows with 16 per cent, while incumbent independent MP Tākuta Ferris is in fourth place with 15 per cent.

The poll, conducted between 14 and 24 September, has a margin of error of +/- 4.5 per cent. The survey sampled 500 Māori voters aged 18 and older, including 420 by phone and 80 via an online panel. Curia Market Research selected areas within the electorate where more than 25 per cent of the population is Māori.

For the party vote, Labour leads with 28 per cent, followed by the Greens at 14 per cent and Te Pāti Māori at 11 per cent. National and New Zealand First both received 6 per cent. Other parties receiving support include Opportunity and Free Palestine, both at 4 per cent.

Voters identified several key priorities for improving Māori outcomes, with honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi ranked highest at 30 per cent. Other priorities included reducing poverty and homelessness at 24 per cent, and improving health and education outcomes at 20 per cent.

Where reports differ

• One report lists the most important issues as cost-of-living, healthcare, jobs, environment, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and infrastructure, while another focuses on priorities for improving Māori outcomes such as Te Tiriti, poverty, and health.

Compiled from reports by NZ Herald, The Press and RNZ.