Mega strike: 65% of public on side of strikers, new polling suggests

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

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The majority of the public are in support of teachers, nurses and health workers walking off the job in Thursday’s mega strike, new polling suggests, as politicians bicker over who is at fault and the politicisation of the industrial movement.

Talbot Mills Research, which also does Labour’s internal polling, found 65% of the 464 asked were in support of the mega strike, a quarter (25%) were opposed, and 10% were unsure.

Supporters of the strike were also more likely to be opposition party supporters.

Those polled were asked: “As you may be aware a ‘mega- strike’ is planned for Thursday the 23rd that will include around 100,000 teachers, nurses, and other health workers. How strongly do you support or oppose that strike action?”

The poll was taken between October 16 to 21.

While the sample size is smaller than usual party support polling, which is generally 1000, the support or opposition to the strike was broken down to suggest positions of people who support coalition parties and those who support opposition parties.

Of coalition supporters, 49% supported the strike and 44% opposed. Of opposition party supporters, 80% supported and 9% opposed.

Those polled were also asked about whether the prime minister’s view or the union and the union members’ view of the strike more closely matched their own.

“Prime Minister Christoper Luxon has criticised the strikes and says unions are prioritising politics over patients and parents, while unions and their members say that they have been forced to take strike action by a government that isn’t listening or properly funding public services.

“Whose view is closest to your own even if not exactly right?”

Thirty percent chose Luxon’s, 57% chose the unions’ and the members’, and 13% were unsure.

Between coalition voters, 50% said Luxon’s view was closest to their own and 39% said the view of the union and their members. Of opposition voters, 17% said Luxon’s view, and 71% said the union’s view.

The survey was conducted online of 464 nationally representative voters in New Zealand. The maximum sampling error at the 95% confidence level was ± 4.6%.

Speaking to the mega strike on Monday, Luxon said it was “absolutely tragic” for children missing out on school, for parents being “mucked around” and for patients who would have care delayed.

“I think it's deeply politically motivated. I appreciate the unions are very close with Labour. I get it. They don't like our government. I get it.

“But actually, they're not serving their members well, and I don't think they're actually serving the kids, the patients and the parents of New Zealand well.”

Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds on Tuesday said the Government had “clearly shown where their priorities are, and it's not for the doctors, nurses or other health care workers or teachers or else - why would they be coming here on Thursday to strike?”

Asked about the high level of striking under Labour, Edmonds said, “Yes… and we came to negotiation, came back to the table, and we found agreements, so strikes are a normal matter of politics… This is a mega strike, however, it's an organised mega strike.”