This is the first in a new series that looks at one policy topic at a time, instead of putting two parties side by side. Housing and cities is first because it came up as one of the more pressing issues in the sample regardless of who someone voted for, and because it splits into a few genuinely different questions: how bad the crisis is, whether prices should fall, whether to build up, whether government itself should be doing the building, and whether cycling should come before roads.

The numbers below come from 690 responses split across six parties’ voters: 230 Greens, 195 OPP, 152 Labour, 43 ACT, 43 NZ First and 27 National. Two of the five statements, house prices and cycle lanes, were added to the survey more recently. ACT’s and National’s samples on those two fall below the size needed to plot them at all, so they’re left off those two statements below. NZ First clears that bar, but only just, so its numbers there are a direction, not an exact position.

Every party wants cheaper housing. They split over who should build it.

Greens OPP Labour ACT NZ First National The housing crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing New Zealand today. Housing crisis is most pressing Greens: +0.62 (n=230) OPP: +0.63 (n=195) Labour: +0.53 (n=152) ACT: +0.26 (n=43) NZ First: +0.49 (n=43) National: +0.21 (n=27) House prices need to come down, even if that reduces the wealth of current homeowners. House prices must come down Greens: +0.64 (n=61) OPP: +0.61 (n=67) Labour: +0.54 (n=28) NZ First: +0.22 (n=15) We should build more appartments & townhouses in our cities. Build more apartments Greens: +0.59 (n=230) OPP: +0.64 (n=195) Labour: +0.52 (n=152) ACT: +0.32 (n=43) NZ First: +0.10 (n=43) National: +0.45 (n=27) It is silly to think that the government can build houses faster than private developers. Government can't build houses faster Greens: -0.44 (n=230) OPP: -0.23 (n=195) Labour: -0.12 (n=152) ACT: +0.65 (n=43) NZ First: +0.09 (n=43) National: +0.46 (n=27) Building dedicated cycle lanes and walking paths should be a higher funding priority than roads. Cycle lanes over roads Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Greens: +0.43 (n=61) OPP: +0.22 (n=67) Labour: +0.19 (n=28) NZ First: -0.68 (n=15)
Each dot is a party's mean answer on the nine-point agreement scale. Rows run from the narrowest party spread to the widest. n = 230 Greens, 195 OPP, 152 Labour, 43 ACT, 43 NZ First, 27 National. A party is left off a statement's row when too few of its voters answered it: 'House prices must come down' (ACT, National); 'Cycle lanes over roads' (ACT, National).

As with every piece in this series, this is a self-selected sample that skews younger and more online than the country as a whole, so treat it as directional, not a poll. ACT and National are the smallest groups here, and on the two newest statements they don’t have enough responses to be plotted at all. You can see exactly who has answered so far.

Section 1 of 6

Where the parties split

The clearest split in this topic holds up across all six parties, not just the bigger ones, and the split is over who should fix housing, not over whether it needs fixing.

Should government just build houses itself?

The statement reads “it is silly to think that the government can build houses faster than private developers,” so agreeing means doubting that government-led building would help. Greens voters disagree, averaging -0.44: they think government could build faster. OPP and Labour lean the same way, at -0.23 and -0.12, though both groups’ middle half crosses into agreement too. ACT and National agree firmly, at +0.65 and +0.46, while NZ First sits close to neutral at +0.09. Greens to ACT is a gap of 1.09 points, and all six parties have a large enough sample here to stand behind their own number: a real left-right divide over whether government should build housing directly or leave it to the market.

It is silly to think that the government can build houses faster than private developers.

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Greens n = 230 Greens: -0.44 average, middle half -0.79 to -0.10 (n = 230) OPP n = 195 OPP: -0.23 average, middle half -0.60 to +0.15 (n = 195) Labour n = 152 Labour: -0.12 average, middle half -0.55 to +0.38 (n = 152) ACT n = 43 ACT: +0.65 average, middle half +0.40 to +0.91 (n = 43) NZ First n = 43 NZ First: +0.09 average, middle half -0.44 to +0.57 (n = 43) National n = 27 National: +0.46 average, middle half +0.24 to +0.75 (n = 27)
The dot is the party's mean answer; the line spans the middle half of the party's answers, lightly smoothed. n = 690 respondents across 6 parties.

Cycle lanes over roads: a second wide split, on fewer parties

Asked whether cycle lanes and walking paths should be a higher funding priority than roads, Greens voters lean toward agreeing at +0.43. OPP and Labour lean the same way, at +0.22 and +0.19, though both groups’ middle half crosses neutral. NZ First disagrees firmly, at -0.68, on a sample small enough to read as direction only. That is a gap of 1.12 points among the four parties with enough responses to plot. ACT and National are left off entirely: this newer statement doesn’t have enough answers from their voters yet.

Building dedicated cycle lanes and walking paths should be a higher funding priority than roads.

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree OPP n = 67 OPP: +0.22 average, middle half -0.17 to +0.62 (n = 67) Greens n = 61 Greens: +0.43 average, middle half +0.11 to +0.83 (n = 61) Labour n = 28 Labour: +0.19 average, middle half -0.23 to +0.59 (n = 28) NZ First n = 15 NZ First: -0.68 average, middle half -0.88 to -0.43 (n = 15)
The dot is the party's mean answer; the line spans the middle half of the party's answers, lightly smoothed. n = 171 respondents across 4 parties. ACT and National are left off: too few of their voters answered this statement.
Section 2 of 6

Where the parties agree

Strip out those two statements, and the other three in this topic cluster far more tightly.

The housing crisis, whoever you vote for

Asked whether the housing crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing the country, every party’s mean lands on the agree side: Greens +0.62, OPP +0.63, Labour +0.53, NZ First +0.49, ACT +0.26 and National +0.21. The gap between the highest and lowest mean is just 0.41 points, the narrowest in this topic, though ACT’s and National’s middle half both dip slightly below neutral, so read their agreement as a lean rather than a certainty.

The housing crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing New Zealand today.

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Greens n = 230 Greens: +0.62 average, middle half +0.41 to +0.87 (n = 230) OPP n = 195 OPP: +0.63 average, middle half +0.39 to +0.89 (n = 195) Labour n = 152 Labour: +0.53 average, middle half +0.34 to +0.83 (n = 152) ACT n = 43 ACT: +0.26 average, middle half -0.26 to +0.72 (n = 43) NZ First n = 43 NZ First: +0.49 average, middle half +0.27 to +0.85 (n = 43) National n = 27 National: +0.21 average, middle half -0.36 to +0.74 (n = 27)
The dot is the party's mean answer; the line spans the middle half of the party's answers, lightly smoothed. n = 690 respondents across 6 parties.

House prices should come down

A newer statement asks directly whether house prices need to come down, even if that reduces current homeowners’ wealth. Greens, OPP and Labour all lean toward agreeing, from +0.64 down to +0.54. NZ First leans the same way but more softly, at +0.22, on a sample small enough to read as direction only. ACT and National are left off this statement: it is one of the two added most recently, and too few of their voters have answered it yet.

House prices need to come down, even if that reduces the wealth of current homeowners.

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree OPP n = 67 OPP: +0.61 average, middle half +0.36 to +0.86 (n = 67) Greens n = 61 Greens: +0.64 average, middle half +0.35 to +0.89 (n = 61) Labour n = 28 Labour: +0.54 average, middle half +0.26 to +0.86 (n = 28) NZ First n = 15 NZ First: +0.22 average, middle half -0.10 to +0.50 (n = 15)
The dot is the party's mean answer; the line spans the middle half of the party's answers, lightly smoothed. n = 171 respondents across 4 parties. ACT and National are left off: too few of their voters answered this statement.

Build more apartments and townhouses

Greens, OPP, Labour and National all agree the country should build more apartments and townhouses, averaging between +0.45 and +0.64. ACT leans the same way at +0.32. NZ First is the outlier here, averaging just +0.10, with a middle half spanning -0.43 to +0.55, the widest internal spread of any party on any of the three agreement statements above: NZ First’s own voters don’t agree with each other on this one nearly as much as the other parties agree with themselves.

We should build more appartments & townhouses in our cities.

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Greens n = 230 Greens: +0.59 average, middle half +0.34 to +0.88 (n = 230) OPP n = 195 OPP: +0.64 average, middle half +0.41 to +0.87 (n = 195) Labour n = 152 Labour: +0.52 average, middle half +0.33 to +0.83 (n = 152) ACT n = 43 ACT: +0.32 average, middle half +0.03 to +0.66 (n = 43) NZ First n = 43 NZ First: +0.10 average, middle half -0.43 to +0.55 (n = 43) National n = 27 National: +0.45 average, middle half +0.09 to +0.83 (n = 27)
The dot is the party's mean answer; the line spans the middle half of the party's answers, lightly smoothed. n = 690 respondents across 6 parties.
Section 3 of 6

House prices unite them. Cycle lanes don’t.

We tested all ten pairs among this topic’s five statements for how well two statements together separate the parties, the same test used across this series. Most pairs add little beyond what one statement alone already shows, since statements in the same topic tend to move together. House prices against cycle lanes is worth a closer look anyway, not because it separates the parties best on paper, but because of the shape of the split it reveals.

Across everyone plotted, the two statements correlate only weakly, at r = +0.22. Counting only respondents who weren’t neutral on either, Greens voters mostly agree with both (85%, n = 53) and so do OPP voters (64%, n = 59). NZ First’s much smaller sample leans the other way: toward agreeing prices should fall while disagreeing that cycle lanes should be funded ahead of roads, though too thinly sampled here to put a number on. Wanting cheaper housing is close to universal among the parties with enough data to say so. Wanting to get there partly by spending less on roads is not.

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree House prices must come down: House prices need to come down, even if that reduces the wealth of current homeowners. House prices must come down (across) Cycle lanes over roads: Building dedicated cycle lanes and walking paths should be a higher funding priority than roads. Cycle lanes over roads (up) Greens OPP Labour ACT NZ First National Greens: House prices must come down +0.64 (middle half +0.4 to +0.9), Cycle lanes over roads +0.43 (middle half +0.1 to +0.8), n = 61 OPP: House prices must come down +0.61 (middle half +0.4 to +0.9), Cycle lanes over roads +0.22 (middle half -0.2 to +0.6), n = 67 Labour: House prices must come down +0.54 (middle half +0.3 to +0.9), Cycle lanes over roads +0.19 (middle half -0.2 to +0.6), n = 28 NZ First: House prices must come down +0.22 (middle half -0.1 to +0.5), Cycle lanes over roads -0.68 (middle half -0.9 to -0.4), n = 15 Greens OPP Labour NZ First
Dots are party means; the ellipse spans the middle half of each party's answers on both statements, lightly smoothed. Across everyone plotted the two statements correlate at r = +0.22. ACT and National fall below the plotting minimum for this pair and are not drawn; treat NZ First's dot as direction only.
Section 4 of 6

Which statements move together

The strongest relationship here is between thinking the housing crisis is pressing and wanting prices to come down: r = +0.49 across everyone plotted. Restricted to Greens voters alone, the largest group in this sample, the same two statements correlate even more strongly, at r = +0.58. Averaged across every pair in the topic, the within-Greens correlations differ from the whole-sample ones by 0.11 on average, so this mostly is not an artefact of party vote lining up with everything: these statements move together inside a single party’s voters too.

The strongest negative relationship sits between wanting government to build houses itself and wanting cycle lanes funded ahead of roads, at r = -0.43. Voters who’d rather government built housing directly are, more often than not, the same ones who’d rather fund cycling than roads: one more sign this pair taps the same left-right divide as the statement behind this post’s headline split above.

Correlation between every pair of statements in this topic Blue-indigo is negative, orange is positive, grey is near zero; neither hue is a party colour Government can't build houses faster Government can't build houses faster and Housing crisis is most pressing: r = -0.18 -0.18 Government can't build houses faster and Build more apartments: r = -0.22 -0.22 Government can't build houses faster and House prices must come down: r = -0.23 -0.23 Government can't build houses faster and Cycle lanes over roads: r = -0.43 -0.43 Government can't build houses faster Housing crisis is most pressing and Government can't build houses faster: r = -0.18 -0.18 Housing crisis is most pressing Housing crisis is most pressing and Build more apartments: r = 0.26 0.26 Housing crisis is most pressing and House prices must come down: r = 0.49 0.49 Housing crisis is most pressing and Cycle lanes over roads: r = 0.17 0.17 Housing crisis is most pressing Build more apartments and Government can't build houses faster: r = -0.22 -0.22 Build more apartments and Housing crisis is most pressing: r = 0.26 0.26 Build more apartments Build more apartments and House prices must come down: r = 0.38 0.38 Build more apartments and Cycle lanes over roads: r = 0.37 0.37 Build more apartments House prices must come down and Government can't build houses faster: r = -0.23 -0.23 House prices must come down and Housing crisis is most pressing: r = 0.49 0.49 House prices must come down and Build more apartments: r = 0.38 0.38 House prices must come down House prices must come down and Cycle lanes over roads: r = 0.28 0.28 House prices must come down Cycle lanes over roads and Government can't build houses faster: r = -0.43 -0.43 Cycle lanes over roads and Housing crisis is most pressing: r = 0.17 0.17 Cycle lanes over roads and Build more apartments: r = 0.37 0.37 Cycle lanes over roads and House prices must come down: r = 0.28 0.28 Cycle lanes over roads Cycle lanes over roads Government can't build houses faster Housing crisis is most pressing Build more apartments House prices must come down Cycle lanes over roads
Each cell is the correlation between two statements over respondents who answered both. Diagonal cells are each statement against itself and carry no number.
Section 5 of 6

Where housing and cities sits on the compass

Housing and cities loads mostly on the left-right axis, which on this survey is not a purely economic axis: it blends economic and social views. Averaged across the five statements, the pull sideways is about 0.10, against roughly 0.04 up or down, so this topic separates parties along the same axis that already divides them on tax and welfare, not the authoritarian-libertarian one. Build more apartments leans furthest off that line, carrying a modest libertarian pull too. On the live compass, positive movement on the second axis points toward libertarian, drawn at the bottom; the crosshair marks the political centre, not an extreme.

Housing and cities on the compass LEFT RIGHT AUTHORITARIAN LIBERTARIAN Housing and cities Other statements Government can't build houses faster: It is silly to think that the government can build houses faster than private developers. (pc1=-0.13, pc2=+0.01) Housing crisis is most pressing: The housing crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing New Zealand today. (pc1=+0.05, pc2=+0.03) Build more apartments: We should build more appartments & townhouses in our cities. (pc1=+0.07, pc2=+0.13) House prices must come down: House prices need to come down, even if that reduces the wealth of current homeowners. (pc1=+0.07, pc2=+0.02) Cycle lanes over roads: Building dedicated cycle lanes and walking paths should be a higher funding priority than roads. (pc1=+0.17, pc2=+0.01) Cycle lanes over roads House prices must come down Housing crisis is most pressing Build more apartments Government can't build houses faster
Each highlighted line is one statement's loading, direction and length; the faint lines are every other statement in the survey for context. The crosshair at the centre is the political centre; positive loadings on the second axis point toward the libertarian, bottom end of the live compass.
Section 6 of 6

How sure are we

Three of these six groups are large enough that their averages are fairly settled: Greens (230), OPP (195) and Labour (152). ACT (43) and National (27) are smaller but still comfortable on every statement except the two newest, house prices and cycle lanes, where too few of their voters have answered yet: they’re left off those two rather than shown on a handful of responses. NZ First (43) clears that same bar there by the narrowest possible margin, so treat its numbers on those two as direction, not a settled position. Every other finding above draws on a sample large enough to stand on its own.

As with every piece in this series, this is a self-selected sample that skews younger and more online than the country as a whole. You can see exactly who has answered so far.

For how the compass and this kind of breakdown are built, see the methodology page.

Want to see where your own answers land? Take the survey at kiwivalues.nz.