insight

Our perspective: Gauging the winds of change

11 September 2020

The Deloitte and Chapman Tripp Election Survey, hosted by BusinessNZ, is the leading survey of opinion on business issues for the 2020 General Election.

The survey in 2020 has attracted a high response rate from the business community with clear indications of opinion on important business issues. It has also helped clarify the policy positions of some political parties contesting the election.

Insights 

  • 71% think the Government has done a good or excellent job of handling the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • There are mixed feelings about whether the Government has spent the right amount on business support. 43% agree the Government is spending the right amount; 26% say it’s spending too much; and 17% say it’s spending too little.
  • There is strong support for the wage subsidy and leave schemes.

Over the short to medium-term and during COVID-19 recovery, insights from the survey include:

  • Tax – 91% don’t want higher personal tax; 88% don’t want higher corporate tax.
  • Economic well-being – 86% say economic well-being should take priority over cultural, environmental or social well-being during COVID-19 recovery.
  • Building infrastructure – 80% think this is a useful mechanism to help the economy recover from economic shock; 70% says central and local government should borrow to directly fund infrastructure development.
  • RMA – 80% say recent fast-track changes to the Resource Management Act show the Act needs a full overhaul.
  • Regulatory burden – 79% say more should be done to reduce regulations on business as part of ongoing COVID-19 recovery; 65% say Government processes for developing regulatory change aren’t satisfactory.
  • 90-day trials – 73% say reintroducing 90-day job trials would benefit their business.
  • Post-COVID planning – 65% say the Government doesn’t have a coordinated plan for raising NZ’s economic performance.

The Deloitte and Chapman Tripp Election Survey, hosted by BusinessNZ, provides exclusive information for the business voter not available from other sources. The complete set and full detail of the results can be found on our Election Survey Online Hub.

 

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