Party priorities in different pre-election New Zealand policy statements, 1984-2023

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pre-election policy statements are important because they reveal information about parties’ policies and intended post-election priorities. Content analysis data from election manifestos, webpages, television broadcasts, and leaders’ speeches reveal clear left-right differences between the dominant Labour and National parties at elections between 1984 and 2023, with the exception of 1990. Between 1993 and 1999 and since 2011 broadcasts and speeches by National have been more right-wing on a left-right summary dimension than National’s manifestos and detailed webpages. The reverse was usually true for the right-wing Act Party, while New Zealand First’s position varied more in broadcasts and speeches than in its print programme. No real pattern for left-right topics was evident for the other parties. However, references to the environment, indigenous rights, and foreign policy were higher in long print documents than in television broadcasts and speeches. In contrast, political authority references were relatively low in print documents. When using equivalent documents, the Green and Māori parties, followed by Labour, were usually most supportive of environmental protection and socially progressive policies. The results confirm the importance of using similar documents, insofar as is possible, when making comparisons. In addition, shorter documents may be more useful for understanding parties’ main priorities.