Chris Hipkins is not reading the room on wealth taxes.
Chris Hipkins is not reading the room on wealth taxes. 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. Analysis: Bruce Alpine. A n Ipsos survey in September 2026 found 64% support for a 2.5% annual wealth tax on individual net assets above $10 million (family home exempt), with only 26% opposed. The latest 1News Vote Compass data (drawn from roughly 186,000 responses in early-to-mid October) shows 62% of respondents want wealthier people to pay somewhat or much more tax—majorities even among higher earners, including 53% of those over $100,000. Support has softened slightly from the 67% peak in 2023 but remains a clear majority view. Cost of living and healthcare dominate voter concerns; many see the tax system as tilted toward those whose wealth is held in assets rather than wages. Labour’s response under Hipkins is a li...