Santa, extra pudding, and the naughty list: Voters give their verdict on NZ politicians

Sunday, 21 December 2025

Every year, Christmas arrives with the promise of cheer, forgiveness, and a brief suspension of reality. This year, it also arrives with the revelation that New Zealanders are worried about money, don’t like Elon Musk, and yearn for past politicians.

Those insights come from the latest The Post/ Freshwater Strategy poll with Infrastructure New Zealand which surveyed voters on topics ranging from preferred prime ministers to economic confidence and social issues.

And while the results show some familiar and serious anxieties, there is at least one thing that voters broadly agree on: Which politician would make the best Santa Claus.

But just who that is, and who else Kiwis think deserves extra pudding, a holiday, or a spot on the naughty list, will have to wait. Before we get to the fun stuff there’s, well, everything else.

Because when you strip away the novelty questions, the nation’s mood looks far less festive. Relieving the cost of living is a top priority for 56% of voters, while healthcare (50%) and jobs/unemployment (28%) remain top concerns.

As for who voters are trusting to bring that relief, the balance has well and truly shifted. A Labour- led government is leading National by 15 points on managing household pressures, and also seen as better positioned to handle healthcare and jobs/unemploymentwhile also dominating on environmental and housing issues.

It’s a dramatic swing, wrote Andrea Vance this week, noting that in the August 2023 poll, ahead of the last election, National held a 23-point lead over Labour on cost of living.

And as for who’s been good, bad, or gets the vote for the red-and-white suit? Apologies, not yet. Before Santa arrives, voters have a few more thoughts on the parties, their leaders, and the state of the country they’re steering.

Labour’s Chris Hipkins remains the preferred prime minister, leading Christopher Luxon 45% to 39%, although Luxon has gained 3 points since the October poll. The number of voters rejecting both candidates has dropped to 10%, suggesting more people are settling on who they would rather see in charge.

Meanwhile, more than half of of voters (52%) think the country is heading in the wrong direction, down slightly from October, while 33% believe it’s on the right track. Blame-wise, 25% hold the National-led coalition government responsible for the current economic state, followed by 21% pointing to the previous Labour government.

But the Reserve Bank doesn’t escape either, with 9% of voters holding it responsible, up three points, while global events such as the pandemic, international markets and geopolitical conflicts seen as playing a smaller role.

And there we are. While other journalists have to pore over and analyse those serious poll results, this one gets to announce the important ones: Santa, pudding, and the naughty list. Sure, the questions might sound silly but they’re really about temperament, trust, and who voters think deserve a rest.

Asked who they would choose if New Zealand were to directly elect a president, voters gravitated toward familiar figures. Former prime minister Jacinda Ardern tops the list on 16%, Winston Peters follows on 12%, and Luxon comes third at 11%.

Harking back further, John Key and Helen Clark take the next two places, and although Auckland mayor Wayne Brown manages just 1%, he still edges out Debbie Ngarewa-Packer who got no votes at all.

While NZ presidencies may be hypothetical, Christmas judgement is anything but. The poll’s Nice and Naughty list delivers a roll call of good boys and girls, as well as those who may well wake up to empty stockings on the big day.

Because we’re NZ, the nice list is topped by a rugby player: Ritchie McCaw, of course. My own analysis is that the former All Blacks captain remains the national shorthand for decency, humility and doing the job without fuss; the sort of man we imagine helping carry chairs after the school prizegiving.

Next up is Ardern, again, and third is Taylor Swift. Analysis-wise, in a tough year the latter has become something closer to an emotional support pop star: reliable, prolific, and unlikely to pick a fight at the barbecue.

The naughty list, by contrast, is where things get a little spikier. It’s topped by Prince Andrew and Elon Musk - a pairing that needs no analysis- followed by ACT leader David Seymour and Prime Minister Luxon, another pairing that perhaps speaks for itself.

But where the naughty list is about punishment, the next result involves something else entirely: extra pudding.

Asked which politicians deserve a second helping this Christmas, voters’ top three were Hipkins, Peters, and Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. Do any of them actually like Christmas pudding? Who knows, but one person definitely not being offered more is Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi. Would he want it anyway? Doesn’t matter.

While Luxon might have to eat a Marmite sandwich instead of more pud, he has been chosen by voters both as the leader most deserving of a summer break and the one more likely to work through it. He leads both Peters and Hipkins in these rankings, though one in four voters don’t believe any leaders, of any party, actually need a holiday.

Luxon is also seen as most likely to break his new year’s resolutions by January 2. Taken together, the results give an impression of a prime minister who may well take his laptop to the beach, two days after promising he won’t.

But finally we’re ready for the final, and perhaps most revealing, festive question: who do voters think would make the best Santa Claus?

Reader, I can honestly say that delivering the news was a highlight. It may not be the sort of poll result every politician dreams of receiving, but it was at least good enough to merit a comment.

“We’re not ungrateful for the people’s judgement,” Winston Peters said. “And to everyone, have a very happy Christmas and a positive New Year.

“Take care of yourselves, and have a thought for all those, including the people providing essential services, who have to carry on working during the holiday period.”

And that, Aotearoa, is a wrap.

Freshwater Strategy interviewed n=1031 eligible voters in New Zealand, aged 18+ online, between 5-10 December 2025. Margin of Error +/- 3%. Data are weighted to be representative of New Zealand voters. The Post/Freshwater Strategy poll is funded by Infrastructure NZ.