29 Sep 2023

Jellybean poll: Tight race in ACT stronghold Epsom electorate

From Checkpoint, 5:55 pm on 29 September 2023

It has been an ACT Party stronghold for nearly 20 years, but this year six candidates are campaigning for Auckland's Epsom electorate seat.

The Epsom electorate includes the suburbs of Parnell, Remuera, Mount Eden, Newmarket, some of Greenlane and - of course - Epsom itself. 

So Checkpoint did a poll to find out which way locals were leaning - a poll much sweeter than the rest. 

We asked residents to put a jellybean in the jar of their preferred candidate - a red jellybean for Labour's Camilla Belich, green for the Greens' Lawrence Xu-Nan, black for NZ First's Tanya Unkovich, yellow for David Seymour and blue for National's Paul Goldsmith. 

First stop was Greenwoods Corner on Manukau Road. 

One local voting for David Seymour told RNZ he was doing a good job: "I know David, I've met him on a number of occasions... he's a nice guy, very personable."

One woman voting for Labour said it was because "Labour has a heart".

Next stop was outside the KC Loo Fruit Centre on Mount Eden Road, where things got underway with a blue jellybean for National's Paul Goldsmith. 

The man voting blue said he was not necessarily voting because of Goldsmith, but because he wanted National to win the election. 

"Just really based on the current state of the economy, I think the National Party is the right party to bring us back to not having inflation the way it is and house prices coming down." 

Another person who voted for the Greens' Xu-Nan said: "I'm so confused with National and Labour." 

One man voting for NZ First's Tanya Unkovich said he was not happy with the government at the moment. 

The final stop was at Remuera New World. 

One businesses owner said Seymour's promises to crack down on crime meant he had his vote: "I've been affected by the crime recently a lot, it's a nightmare for any small businessman." 

RNZ's results showed:

  • ACT on top at 38 percent. 
  • National on 36 percent. 
  • Greens on 12 percent.
  • Labour on 8 percent. 
  • NZ First on 4 percent. 

As for whether the results will come true, time will tell in about two weeks, 14 October.