The Government’s claim it is creating thousands of jobs by spending billions on infrastructure does not appear to be hitting home with most voters, poll results show.
The latest 1News Verian poll finds 60% of New Zealanders say the Government isn’t doing enough to stimulate job growth.
The result comes following the announcement last week that unemployment has risen to 5.2% — the highest it has been since 2020.
The poll of 1002 eligible voters found 29% say the Government’s efforts to stimulate job growth are about right. Just 4% say they are doing too much, while 8% don’t know or refuse to say.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon reacted to the poll result by saying the Government is working hard to fix the economy and create thousands of jobs through the country’s infrastructure projects.
Unemployment has risen to 5.2% – the highest it has been since 2020. (Source: 1News)
That echoed a commitment he made with Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop last month when they said $6 billion of state-funded construction was due to start between now and Christmas.
But he acknowledged it’s been a tough time for New Zealanders.
“I think you’re seeing across New Zealand, you know, you get out of Wellington and you go to the South Island, you go into the primary industries, go to Hawkes Bay, you’re actually seeing good recovery happening in those parts,” Luxon said.
“So it is genuinely two-speed at the moment, but I acknowledge in places like Auckland and Wellington and the urban environments, it’s still pretty tough.”
When asked if he was doing enough to stimulate job growth, he said the Government was getting projects going.
“If you just think about projects, for example, in Auckland, you’ve got the first fast-track decision came through, a $200 million project to extend the ports of wharfs. That creates jobs and opportunities.
“The [City Rail Link] is now coming on stream next year. There are about 10 or 12 projects up and down that route that now are progressing as a result of that. We’ve got the convention centre coming.
“So we’ll continue to look at what else we can do, but what we have to be able, you know, what we’re doing is putting the right long-term, and I know it’s difficult and painful, particularly in our city environments.”
Luxon denied claims made by Labour that the Government has cancelled projects.
But Labour leader Chris Hipkins said there are examples of that happening.
“If you look at the thousands of new state houses that they took off the books, they said they weren’t going to build them. That contributed to the loss of thousands of jobs,” Hipkins said.
“Similarly, transport projects, by putting all of the existing transport projects on hold while they reviewed their priorities, they actually ground that part of the construction sector to a halt as well.”
See the full poll result and methodology here
Between August 2 and August 6 2025, 1002 eligible voters were polled by mobile phone (500) and online, using online panels (502). The maximum sampling error is approximately ±3.1%-points at the 95% confidence level. The data has been weighted to align with Stats NZ population counts for age, gender, region, ethnic identification and education level. The sample for mobile phones is selected by random dialling using probability sampling, and the online sample is collected using an online panel. Undecided voters, non-voters and those who refused to answer are excluded from the data on party support. The results are a snapshot in time of party support, and not a prediction.