As Jacinda Ardern soars in New Zealand elections, ethnic Chinese voters look to her opponent

Although the incumbent prime minister leads in polls by double digits, her support among Chinese Kiwis is at a paltry 26.5 per cent

The group’s pro-business stance largely aligns with the aims of the National Party, whose focus is on rebuilding New Zealand’s economy

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National Party leader Judith Collins, right, is the favoured candidate among ethnic Chinese voters by a 52.2 per cent to 26.5 per cent margin over incumbent Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, left. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 5:00am, 12 Oct 2020Updated: 12:52pm, 12 Oct 2020

Barring a massive upset, New Zealanders will return Jacinda Ardern as prime minister by a wide margin when they vote in parliamentary elections this weekend.

Buoyed by widespread praise of her handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Ardern has led the polls by double digits for months – putting her centre-left Labour Party within reach of a rare outright majority in the country’s unicameral parliament.

For most Chinese-New Zealanders though, Ardern, a self-described progressive who became the world’s youngest female head of government following her election in 2017, will be their second choice when voting takes place on October 17.

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern casts her vote ahead of general elections

In an opinion poll carried out in August by Trace Research, 62 per cent of ethnic Chinese voters said they favoured the centre-right National Party, known for its pro-business and law-and-order positions, compared with just 21 per cent for Labour and single-digit support for a smattering of minor parties.

In a head-to-head match-up between the major party leaders, 52.2 per cent of respondents preferred Judith Collins, the lawyer-turned-politician who leads the National Party, compared with 26.5 per cent for Ardern.

Nonetheless, nearly three-quarters of respondents – who included ethnic Chinese born in New Zealand, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia – said they were satisfied with the Labour government’s response to the pandemic, which has seen the country record just 25 deaths from Covid-19 and won plaudits at home and abroad.

As Jacinda Ardern soars in New Zealand elections, ethnic Chinese voters look to her opponent

Although the incumbent prime minister leads in polls by double digits, her support among Chinese Kiwis is at a paltry 26.5 per cent The group’s pro-business stance largely aligns with the aims of the National Party, whose focus is on rebuilding New Zealand’s economy

Although the incumbent prime minister leads in polls by double digits, her support among Chinese Kiwis is at a paltry 26.5 per cent

The group’s pro-business stance largely aligns with the aims of the National Party, whose focus is on rebuilding New Zealand’s economy