Mike's Minute: Labour has completely turned farmers off

As part of Fieldays, Federated Farmers have done the most interesting survey. 

It is a snapshot, like them all. But the numbers for one lot are so stark, alarm bells should be ringing. 

So, who would a farmer vote for? You would say National and you would be right. 

Broadly the farming community is conservative, always has been. 

That, partly, is because they are their own masters, they are hard workers, they are self-reliant, they are at the cutting edge of the economy, and they know how life works. 

So 54% said they'd vote for National and 19% said ACT. 

Here is where it gets interesting and/or alarming. 

8% said they'd vote for NZ First. They're the only party with farmers at about the same level as they are nationally. 

Labour is on 3%. How bad is that? Even with a margin of error, even with a massive margin of error, Labour should be shocked at that figure. 

Every party has their sweet spot, some parties more overtly so, e.g. the Greens and environmentalists, or communists. 

ACT have some upmarket urban liberals. New Zealand First having a provincial number higher than the city wouldn’t surprise me 

But National and Labour, as major parties should be, by their very nature are broad-based. After all, it is Labour and National, and Labour and National alone, that will lead any given Government on any given day. 

You have to at least have a half-decent level of support even in your weakest areas. 

Farming is particularly important, given we are a farming nation, the foreign receipts we get from the land and the value of our free trade deals. 

To have a major party so out of touch with such a large sector strikes me as being astonishing, if not embarrassing, if not unheard of. 

My suspicion is the current version of Labour is particularly unpalatable, and this is going to be their major issue next year. 

For all voters the damage done to the country is still fresh in most of our minds, but no more so than farmers. The climate obsession, special land area designation, Three Waters with Māori overreach, no gas, and more paperwork. 

Farmers hated it. A lot of us hated it. 

But in general polls Labour are competitive. On the land they are pariahs. 

At 3% that is a massive hill for Hipkins and co to climb between now and October next year. 

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