Source: Greenpeace
New polling shows that by pushing the controversial Fast Track Bill, NZ First could be getting offside with its own support base.
Horizon Research polling commissioned by Greenpeace has revealed that an increasing majority of NZ First voters do not support the Fast Track Bill and that their support has fallen sharply to only 36% from 55% in May 2024.
Greenpeace spokesperson Juressa Lee says, “It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Luxon government is flogging a dead horse with their insistence on pushing ahead with the Fast Track Bill against all good advice and public opinion.
“Even for Winston Peters and Shane Jones, who have championed the dangerous new legislation as a condition of the New Zealand First coalition agreement, the Fast Track Bill could be the proverbial dead albatross around their necks.”
The true impact of the new legislation has become more clear recently, with information provided by the government showing that nineteen new mines could be created under the fast-track approvals process.
“We’ve seen the mining lobbyist Straterra drawn out of the shadows recently trying to defend the prospect of new mines on conservation land or on the seabed, and the sheer number of new mines in the pipeline shows the true impact of this dangerous new legislation.
“New Zealanders do not want to see oceans and forests turned to open-cast mines, they don’t want to see rivers and lakes turned to sewers, and they don’t want to see more indigenous species pushed to extinction, but that is what the Fast Track Bill could do,” says Lee.
Greenpeace has written an open letter to companies considering the Fast Track, cautioning of reputational damage and loss of social licence that would bring, and warning of the resistance they will face. Over 6,000 people have signed on.
The new polling shows that there has been a significant decline in support for the Fast Track Bill among New Zealand First voters. A similar poll in May 2024 showed 55% of New Zealand First voters thought the bill was a good idea, but by August 2024, this support dropped to only 36%.
In the period since the May polling was done, there has been a hikoi to Wellington, a 20,000-strong protest in Auckland on 8 June, and a variety of protests around the country.
In that time, overall awareness of the Fast Track Bill has grown, with 55% of respondents aware of it by August 2024, compared to only 42% in May 2024. This increase is particularly significant among younger adults under 35 years old, where awareness rose from 30% in May to 48% in August.
The research also reveals growing concerns among the public about the potential consequences of the bill, with 80% of respondents showing concern about the possibility of activities currently prohibited (like dumping raw sewage into the ocean) being allowed under the bill, and 70% are concerned that the public will not have the right to participate in fast-tracked developments in their communities.
The Horizon polling report can be downloaded here:
