Episode description
Episode description
ACT has not only held onto the 10-fold increase in voter support it enjoyed last election, it's maintained a stable caucus and gained further traction. With polls anticipating an even bigger stable of MPs after October, the minor party is lining up for a potentially major say in the shape of the next government. In this week's Focus on Politics, Political Reporter Anneke Smith interviews the top six on the ACT Party's list, asking about their priorities for the power they could wield.
ACT's leader David Seymour (centre-right) is known to many New Zealanders; his MPs like Karen Chhour, Brooke van Velden and Nicole McKee (left-to-right) less so.
ACT has not only held onto the 10-fold increase in voter support it enjoyed last election, it's maintained a stable caucus and gained further traction.
With polls anticipating an even bigger stable of MPs after October, the minor party is lining up for a potentially major say in the shape of the next government.
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The results have also trended towards the National Party being able to form a government solely with libertarian ACT's support, meaning not just more MPs, but seats in Cabinet, i.e. coveted ministerial positions.
The mid-July 1News-Verian poll projected 46 seats for National and 15 for ACT, just reaching the 61-seat threshold for being able to form a majority government. Newshub-Reid at the end of last month had National and ACT with one further seat each. Most recently though, the Taxpayers Union-Curia poll had National with 44 seats and ACT on 17 - an even bigger proportion for the smaller party.
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However, that last poll also had New Zealand First returning to Parliament, and while National and ACT could form a government on those numbers, the margin is incredibly slim. ACT has also ruled out working with NZ First, which has been appealing to a similar voting base.
National has been careful to avoid alienating either party, and exactly how that shakes out will be a question that remains unanswered until after the election.
What seems clear is ACT is on track for expansion and a bigger role in decision-making than ever before.
Leader David Seymour has become a familiar face in New Zealand politics, but the other candidates aren't so well known.
Who are they? And what do they want to achieve in Parliament? …