The issues which most divide us have been revealed by well over 100,000 responses to the Vote Compass online tool.
Analysts looked at the topics where substantial groups felt strongly in opposite directions.
The top three divisive issues were:
- Whether to abolish the Māori electoral roll
- Police powers to move on rough sleepers
- Fully funded GP visits for everyone
The findings draw on answers from 114,206 participants, examining which of Vote Compass’ 30 policy questions attract the strongest views on opposing sides. Results are weighted to reflect the New Zealand population.
In terms of abolishing the Māori electoral roll, 30% strongly disagreed with the proposition, while 25% strongly agree.
Other responses show there are issues where we are much close to consensus as a society. Requiring all work visa applicants to pass an English language test has the highest support, at 79%.
Where do you stand? Try Vote Compass at 1News.co.nz/VoteCompass
Strongest opposing views
Kiwis were asked to respond to the statement: “The Māori electoral roll should be abolished.”
Overall, more oppose the proposition than support it.
Combining moderate and strong responses, 43.8% disagree and 36.8% agree. Just 16.5% neither agree nor disagree, while 2.9% do not know.
What puts the question at the top of the polarisation ranking is the strength of feeling at both ends: 30.3% strongly disagree and 24.6% strongly agree.
Neither overall position commands a majority.
Victoria University of Wellington political scientist Associate Professor Lara Greaves said Māori had been a particular target of negative sentiment, alongside migrant communities.
She also described a growing distance between people and their political representatives.
“We don’t have that connection necessarily with the MP down the road, with the local government member down the road. The information environment, social media, TikTok and our attention spans is all playing into that as well.”
Moving on rough sleepers
The second-most polarising issue was whether police should be allowed to order rough sleepers to move on.
Almost identical shares feel strongly on either side: 17.7% strongly disagree and 17.6% strongly agree.
Include the more moderate responses, however, and the balance shifts towards support.
Overall, 46.6% agree with allowing police to order rough sleepers to move on, compared with 37.6% who disagree.
A further 14.8% neither agree nor disagree, and 1.1% do not know.
Fully funded GP visits
The third most divisive results came in reaction to the statement, “The government should cover the full cost of GP visits for everyone.”
About 16% strongly agree and a similar proportion strongly disagree.
Overall, 41.1% support the proposition, while 44.3% oppose it. Another 14.3% neither agree nor disagree, and 0.2% do not know.
The question specifically asks about covering the full cost for everyone. Opposition to that proposition does not necessarily mean opposition to assistance with GP fees for particular groups.
Two other questions complete the five most polarising issues: how much of a role the Treaty of Waitangi should have in New Zealand law, and whether the government should restore free tertiary education.
On the Treaty, 39.4% favour a smaller role, 30.7% want a greater role, and 28% want about the same role as now. Another 1.9% do not know.
Restoring free tertiary education attracts 48.5% support and 35% opposition, with 15.9% neither agreeing nor disagreeing and 0.6% unsure.
Common ground
The Vote Compass results also show the topics which attract the broadest agreement, counting moderate and strong responses together.
Requiring all work visa applicants to pass an English language test has the highest support, at 79%.
And 75% agree that migrants applying for New Zealand citizenship should have to pass a test on the country’s laws and values.
Greaves said there were serious policy questions about the country’s future workforce and who should be able to move here.
“So often when these debates start to become about racism or quips or one-liners, they miss that big policy point where we really do need to consider what our working age population looks like going forward.”
Housing also produces a substantial area of agreement: 69.7% support a limit on how much landlords can raise the rent they charge tenants.
These responses show agreement with the propositions as written, rather than agreement on all the details of how a policy would work.
“One of the things we know from research in New Zealand is that New Zealanders are actually pretty open to talking about politics,” Greaves said.
She encouraged people to use the tool to start conversations, particularly with young people in their lives, about how they might vote and why they hold particular views.
Vote Compass presents users with 30 policy propositions, then shows how their answers compare with the positions of New Zealand’s political parties.
You can explore where you agree or disagree on individual issues, rather than relying only on an overall result.
It does not tell you how to vote. That decision remains yours.
Take part at 1News.co.nz/VoteCompass.
Results are based on 114,206 respondents to Vote Compass between October 4 and 7, 2026. The data have been weighted on gender, age, education, Māori identity, region, and partisanship (past party and electorate votes) to ensure the sample composition reflects the voting-eligible population of New Zealand.
SHARE ME