By Political Editor Duncan Garner
What happens if you ask first voters and then the party leaders, what are the most important issues to them in this election?
The answers came as a surprise for politicians.
The latest 3 News Reid Research poll revealed cleanliness and quality of our natural environment is the number one issue for voters in the upcoming election.
Most certainly the oil on Bay of Plenty beaches following the grounding of container ship Rena has played a large part in the surprise result.
Perhaps so has the Greens campaign criticising our dairy industry as dirty.
Asked if it surprises him, Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says it does, “but in a good way”.
“That’s not the sort of thing people raise with me when they come along to meetings,” says Labour Party leader Phil Goff.
“Well, people will worry about that, but on that we are in good shape,” says Prime Minister John Key.
Meanwhile Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples says the result pleases him.
“That has always resonated with Maori.”
None of the leaders picked the environment as the number one issue for them in the upcoming election.
3 News gave 21,000 voters a list of 21 options and asked for a ranking; 10 being most important, 1 being least important.
The environment came out on top at 8.2.
Second equal were food prices and the quality of our schools at 7.9.
Hospital care was third at 7.8.
The price of petrol was fourth at 7.7.
The number of people living in poverty was fifth 7.5.
So 3 News tested the leaders, to see what they think are the most important issue for voters.
“Far and away the economy, because it’s all about people having jobs, independence and being able to meet their current obligations,” Mr Key said.
“When I ask people they say education and health, then they get onto the cost of living,” Mr Goff said.
“No question about that at all, it’s the economy,” ACT Party leader Don Brash said.
“I think they’ll be concerned about long-term security,” NZ First leader Winston Peters said.
“At the end of the day, it’s got to be education,” Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples said.
Concerns over asset sales ranked eighth and longer prison sentences below that.
At the bottom of the list was immigration to New Zealand at 19th, too many Kiwis heading overseas at 20th and Mr Brash’s frightener that Maori are getting preferential treatment under law.
Asked if he got it wrong, Mr Brash said: “No, no, no, I didn’t. No, I did not”.
But voters of course, think otherwise.
3 News