PM of NZ May Face Tough Times Ahead Amid Sinking Approval Rating

Jacinda Ardern promised that next year, New Zealand's government would focus on economic issues, such as addressing rising living costs.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s approval rating has plummeted this year, and "things could get worse" for her in 2023, which will see the country’s general election, according to the UK press.

The media outlet reported that next year, Ardern is expected to face a tricky task of strengthening her Labour party "with a decidedly less optimistic public behind her."

In this vein, the outlet referred to the fact that opinion polls on whether people think New Zealand "is going in the right direction" started to ebb from a high of 70% in early 2021 to 30% at the end of this year.

A separate survey showed that support for the Labour party had dropped to its lowest level since it came into power in 2017, while Ardern's personal approval rating dropped to 29% – her lowest result since August 2017, just before she entered office.

Ardern's former chief of staff Neale Jones told journalists that "people’s focus has been on family budgets – they've been very concerned about what’s happening to their jobs, their mortgage repayments, how much it costs to buy groceries and petrol."

"So they expect the government to show the same laser focus that they’ve been feeling," Jones said, arguing that instead, "the government's been trying to do a lot and hasn’t really been able to explain all of it well."

Wellington, New Zealand

CC BY 2.0 / Vašek Vinklát / Wellington

Touching upon the election year, Jones suggested that "the 2023 campaign will look very different to previous campaigns – New Zealand's traditionally relaxed, casual democracy where the public has great access to politicians becomes too much of a security risk."

"Part of what was so successful with Jacinda Ardern’s communication through the Covid [pandemic] was that there was a singular focus: she was able to send a clear message to New Zealanders about what the plan was to get out of it. I think that would be the sort of strength that Jacinda could lean back on to win a third term," the Prime Minister's ex­­­­­-chief of staff noted.

He was echoed by Shane te Pou, former executive member of the Labour party, who told the outlet that "you can explain away about inflation and external forces but it has no effect on the voter – every time they fill up the car, every time they go to get kai [food], they’re considering their circumstances and their government."

The remark followed Ardern telling a local broadcaster earlier this month that the government would pare back its policy agenda to "focus on the economy", amid plummeting polling and growing pressure over living costs in New Zealand.

"We've been really focused on making sure, during this particularly tumultuous economic time we’re in, that we are trimming back and making sure that the economy is our priority," the prime minister emphasized.

She added that the government "had a lot" on its agenda and that "going into 2023 we do need to make sure we are totally focused, we prioritize [economy], and that we will be making sure that where we need to pare back we will."