Cost of living is the dominant issue for Māori voters, and only 17% believe the Government is doing a good job of running the country — while 72% say it is doing a poor job, according to a new Whakaata Māori poll.
The Curia Market Research poll of 1000 Māori adults, carried out between August 29 and September 10, additionally found 12% of those surveyed were unsure.
The poll also surveyed Māori on their voting intentions.
Te Pāti Māori led the party vote among voters on the Māori roll with 29%, but attracted just 3% of Māori on the general roll.
The three parties of the National-led coalition government drew just 8% support from Māori on the Māori roll, rising to 23% among Māori on the general roll.
The poll comes after a term in which the Government's approach to Māori issues has been among its most contested.
The walk began at Parliament with waiata from local iwi and kura. (Source: 1News)
Cost of living dominates
Asked to name the single biggest issue facing Māori today, respondents pointed overwhelmingly to the cost of living at 42%, with Māori-Crown relations second at 15%.
Health and housing each drew 7%, jobs, education and te reo Māori each sat at 6%, crime was named by 3% and the environment by 2%. Seven per cent were unsure.
In particular, cost of living was the main concern for younger Māori — cited by 49% of those aged 18 to 30. Older Māori were more likely to nominate Māori-Crown relations.
In Tāmaki Makaurau, 33% of Māori polled said the Government was doing a good job, as did 22% in Te Whanganui-a-Tara and 19% in Ōtautahi.
That figure fell away steeply outside the main centres, dropping to 9% in tāone (towns), and just 4% in taiwhenua (rural) areas where 81% rated performance as poor.
Dissatisfaction also ran deeper among wāhine (women) than tāne (men).
Only 10% of wāhine rated performance as good, against 24% of tāne. Nearly four in five wāhine, 78%, said the Government was doing a poor job, compared with 65% of tāne.
Views differed by age as well but Government dissatisfaction was broadly high.
Māori aged 46 to 60 were the harshest with 79% rating the Government poorly and only 11% positively. The good-job rating was highest, at 22%, among those aged 61 and over.
Have internal rifts hurt Te Pāti Māori?
The poll also asked whether Te Pāti Māori's internal divisions last year had changed how people viewed voting for the party.
Overall, 31% of Māori said divisions made them less likely to vote for the party, while 17% said they were more likely and 38% said it made no difference — 14% were unsure.
New party launched means a four-way race for the Māori electorate. (Source: 1News)
But the effect was split by what roll voters were on — among those on the Māori roll, 27% said the divisions made them more likely to vote for the party and 27% less likely, compared with 5% and 35% respectively among those on the general roll.
Divisions came to a head late in 2025, when Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Te Tai Tonga MP Tākuta Ferris split from the party's leadership after a prolonged internal dispute. The fallout produced Kapa-Kingi's Te Tai Tokerau Party.
Despite the turmoil, the party's Māori-roll vote had held at around 30%, and it remained the party Māori most often named as understanding their aspirations.
Split between Māori and general roll
The poll found big differences between results on the Māori and general roll.
Compared with the 2023 election result, Te Pāti Māori's support among Māori-roll voters held broadly steady, moving from 30% to 31%. Labour's share fell from 44% to 28%, while the Greens climbed from 9% to 17%. These comparisons excluded undecided voters.
When including the 5% of unsure voters on the roll, Te Pāti Māori's support was at 29%; Labour 27%; Greens 16%; NZ First 6%; Te Tai Tokerau Party 4%; and others on 11%.
The party made the announcement during its Māori campaign launch at Wainuiomata Marae in Lower Hutt. (Source: 1News)
On the general roll among Māori, Labour was the most popular party, drawing 35%, with the Greens on 18%. National and NZ First both sat at 10%; Opportunity 6%; Alliance 4%; while Te Pāti Māori and ACT were on 3%. Other parties were on 4%, and 7% were unsure.
When tallied across all Māori voters, Labour was ultimately the most popular party on 31%, followed by Te Pāti Māori on 18%, the Greens on 17%, NZ First on 8%, National on 6% and Opportunity on 4%. A further 6% were undecided.
When asked what party best understands the aspirations of Māori, a plurality of 47% chose Te Pāti Māori, followed by Labour on 15% and the Greens on 9%.
Curia Market Research, one of New Zealand's long-established political pollsters, operated outside the Research Association, having quit the body in 2024.
The poll surveyed 1000 respondents – 500 by phone and 500 through an online panel – and carried a maximum sampling error of +/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence level, with sub-groups such as gender, age, roll and area subject to a higher margin of error.
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