The deputy prime minister role might be a bauble Christopher Luxon could dangle in post-election coalition negotiations, but the results are in — most Kiwis want it to go to National's deputy leader Nicola Willis.
A 1News Verian poll asked eligible voters: "If the National Party won the election, who would you like to be deputy prime minister?"
Voters were given the choice of Willis, ACT leader David Seymour or NZ First leader Winston Peters.
Willis was favoured by 34%, while Seymour and Peters were tied on 21% apiece — 25% didn't know or refused to answer.
Asked today if she wanted to be the deputy prime minister, Willis said she wanted to be the finance minister in a National-led government, and it would be up to the prime minister to decide who was the deputy prime minister.
She said the decision would happen in coalition negotiations.
Eligible voters were asked "If the National Party won the election, who would you like to be deputy prime minister?" (Source: 1News)
Asked if Winston Peters, with more experience in top jobs, would have an advantage for the role, she said: "I have more experience with four kids than Winston Peters does."
Asked if she would say no to the deputy prime minister role, she said: "I will say yes to whatever the prime minister asks of me — as long as it's Prime Minister Luxon."
When Peters was asked today if he wanted to be the deputy prime minister again, he said he was not going to "make those silly comments or remarks that others are making".
"But you should have asked the question, do you want someone there who's been in the Cabinet before? Who's got experience? Or is this going to be — for some of them — their first rodeo."
He said "everything is important about experience".
"You've got to have people who know how to ask good questions and stick there until you find the truth. This is not a game to be learning on the job."
When Seymour was asked if he wanted to be deputy prime minister, he said "less than I want to make sure we get good policies".
He said for ACT the focus was on "policies for people rather than positions for politicians".
Seymour said the country needed to reduce waste in spending, get the cost of living under control and have consequences for crime.
"Those are the things that are important. If we get an agreement for the new government to do that — between ACT and National — then we can talk about positions."
After first asking if there were more options to choose from, Labour MP Grant Robertson said: "I'm not going to pick between three awful options."
Posed with the three options and asked which was best, Green Party co-leader James Shaw said: "I think I'd probably move to Australia."
As to whether he'd like the role if offered, he said it was all to come in post-election negotiations.
Those groups of eligible voters who are more likely than average to prefer Nicola Willis for the role were National Party supporters (52%), those with a household income of more than $150,000 (45%), those aged 55 years and over (41%), graduates (40%) and NZ Europeans (37%).
Those groups of eligible voters who are more likely than average to support David Seymour as deputy prime minister were ACT Party supporters (67%), those with a household income of $100,001 to $150,000 (32%) and men aged 18 to 34 years (32%).
Those groups of eligible voters who are more likely than average to support Winston Peters as deputy prime minister were New Zealand First party supporters (90%), Pacific peoples (41%), Northland residents (36%), Māori (32%) and non-graduates (24%).
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