April 03, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in New Zealand are in favour of signing a free trade deal with China, according to a poll by DigiPoll published in the New Zealand Herald. 44.7 per cent of respondents support the agreement, while 32.4 per cent oppose it.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in New Zealand are in favour of signing a free trade deal with China, according to a poll by DigiPoll published in the New Zealand Herald. 44.7 per cent of respondents support the agreement, while 32.4 per cent oppose it.

Labour party leader Helen Clark has acted as New Zealand’s prime minister since December 1999. In the September 2005 ballot, Labour elected 50 lawmakers to the 121-seat House of Representatives, and assembled a coalition government with the Progressives. United Future and New Zealand First agreed to support the administration in confidence and supply votes for three years.

Clark is due to travel to China and sign a bilateral free trade deal with the Asian country on Apr. 7. On Apr. 1, New Zealand’s prime minister said the treaty will be of both commercial and strategic importance to New Zealand, declaring, "Seen in the broader context, it’s a strategic agreement—it is acknowledging on our part that China will be, in my lifetime, the world’s biggest economy."

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose New Zealand signing a free trade deal with China?

Support	44.7%
Oppose	32.4%
Not sure	22.9%

Source: DigiPoll / New Zealand Herald
Methodology: Interviews to 750 New Zealand eligible voters, conducted from Mar. 6 to Mar. 27, 2008. Margin of error is 3.6 per cent.