Immigration has rarely driven NZ elections. Could 2026 buck the trend?
With immigration back on the political agenda, I use NZ Election Study data to examine how attitudes differ by party — from NZ First's consistent opposition to ACT's divided base. Immigration has rarely been a top election issue for New Zealand voters, but both ACT and NZ First seem to be betting 2026 will be different. Part 1 of 2 on immigration.