Just one in ten Kiwis say their household is getting ahead since the 2023 election, according to research commissioned by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi.
The Talbot Mills Research survey found 43 percent of New Zealanders say their household finances have fallen behind since 2023. Only 10 percent say they are getting ahead.
Asked whether “the coalition government is doing enough to help New Zealand families manage cost-of-living pressures”, 70 percent said no. Just 22 percent said yes.
“For three years working people have been telling Luxon’s Government they’re going backwards. The survey results just add more evidence that Luxon has failed to improve the lives of average Kiwis,” says Sandra Grey, NZCTU President.
“Groceries, petrol, power, and rates have all gone up, and pay hasn’t kept pace. People are working as hard as ever and have less left at the end of the week.”
StatsNZ figures show prices rose 4.1 percent in the year to June 2026, while average hourly earnings only rose 2.8 percent. Over the same year petrol rose 27.5 percent, electricity 12.0 percent, and local council rates 8.8 percent. Living costs for the lowest-spending households rose 4.3 percent, more than double the 1.9 percent rise for the highest-spending households.
When asked who the Government’s decisions mostly benefit, 45 percent said wealthy people. That is four times as many as named middle-income households (11 percent) and more than five times as many as named low-income households (8 percent). Almost eight in ten (79 percent) agree the gap between wealthy New Zealanders and ordinary people is getting wider.
“Luxon’s Government had its chance to make life more affordable. It chose tax breaks for landlords over relief for working families, and people can see who has been looked after,” says Grey.
“Things don’t have to be this hard. Don’t risk 6 years of Luxon.”
