---
title: "Hawke’s Bay — homeowner concerned about flooding"
publisher: "Onsomble Limited"
publication: "NZBrands.ai"
edition: 1
collected_on: "2026-10-05"
html_url: "https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/voters/r04/"
---

# Hawke’s Bay — homeowner concerned about flooding

Edition 1 · answers collected 5 October 2026.

[Read on NZBrands.ai](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/voters/r04/)

We own a home on the Heretaunga Plains in Hawke's Bay and have school-age children. Flood risk, insurance and the cost of protecting our home are major concerns for us.

This is a designed voter situation, not a representative sample or a finding about everyone in that group.

## What they asked

### PF154 · Climate and disaster resilience

We own a home on the Heretaunga Plains in Hawke's Bay and have school-age children. Flood risk, insurance and the cost of protecting our home are major concerns for us. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties compare on long-term flood protection and recovery support for Hawke's Bay, and what would their plans mean for households on the Heretaunga Plains?

Study-assigned priority: Major. This is a design assumption, not a measured preference. Reason: The specified household is directly exposed to flood risk.

[Read the captured answers (Markdown)](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/questions/5006aeff-8b4b-47b5-bc99-35be472d0190.md)

### PF155 · Infrastructure and local services

We own a home on the Heretaunga Plains in Hawke's Bay and have school-age children. Flood risk, insurance and the cost of protecting our home are major concerns for us. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. Which Hawke's Bay flood-protection works are already funded or underway, and which are still future options or election promises? Who is responsible for delivering each?

Study-assigned priority: Major. This is a design assumption, not a measured preference. Reason: Delivery and funding matter more than an announcement alone.

[Read the captured answers (Markdown)](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/questions/c8bd20cc-0524-4152-b20f-1b6d66939b4b.md)

### PF156 · Housing

We own a home on the Heretaunga Plains in Hawke's Bay and have school-age children. Flood risk, insurance and the cost of protecting our home are major concerns for us. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do parties propose for homeowners in flood-prone places who face insurance problems or may need to relocate, and do any proposals specifically address Hawke's Bay?

Study-assigned priority: Major. This is a design assumption, not a measured preference. Reason: Insurability and relocation could determine whether the household can stay.

[Read the captured answers (Markdown)](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/questions/13d95e20-8126-4eae-b924-11588c1cc0f7.md)

### PF157 · Tax and public spending

We own a home on the Heretaunga Plains in Hawke's Bay and have school-age children. Flood risk, insurance and the cost of protecting our home are major concerns for us. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How would parties share the cost of flood protection between central government, councils and affected homeowners, and what are the trade-offs for our family?

Study-assigned priority: Secondary. This is a design assumption, not a measured preference. Reason: The household could face both national and local costs.

[Read the captured answers (Markdown)](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/questions/ba8bbe4a-4c4c-49f7-b143-40a6bd7c0195.md)

## Which parties AI put in front of this voter

Of the 32 answers this voter received, 31 left out at least one of the six parties in Parliament. Te Pāti Māori was named least often, in 3 of 32.

| Party | Answers naming party | Answers collected |
| --- | --- | --- |
| National | 22 | 32 |
| Labour | 20 | 32 |
| Greens | 15 | 32 |
| ACT | 17 | 32 |
| NZ First | 12 | 32 |
| Te Pāti Māori | 3 | 32 |
| Opportunity | 12 | 32 |

## Issue by issue

## Climate and disaster resilience

| Party | Answers naming party | Answers on issue | Share | Positive claims | Neutral claims | Negative claims | Mixed claims |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| National | 8 | 8 | 100.0% | 13 | 29 | 7 | 6 |
| Labour | 8 | 8 | 100.0% | 14 | 33 | 3 | 2 |
| Greens | 7 | 8 | 87.5% | 12 | 30 | 0 | 4 |
| ACT | 6 | 8 | 75.0% | 7 | 23 | 4 | 5 |
| NZ First | 6 | 8 | 75.0% | 4 | 25 | 2 | 2 |
| Te Pāti Māori | 2 | 8 | 25.0% | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Opportunity | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |

## Infrastructure and local services

| Party | Answers naming party | Answers on issue | Share | Positive claims | Neutral claims | Negative claims | Mixed claims |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| National | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Labour | 2 | 8 | 25.0% | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Greens | 1 | 8 | 12.5% | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ACT | 0 | 8 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NZ First | 0 | 8 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Te Pāti Māori | 0 | 8 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Opportunity | 0 | 8 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Housing

| Party | Answers naming party | Answers on issue | Share | Positive claims | Neutral claims | Negative claims | Mixed claims |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| National | 6 | 8 | 75.0% | 11 | 16 | 9 | 4 |
| Labour | 5 | 8 | 62.5% | 7 | 16 | 5 | 4 |
| Greens | 4 | 8 | 50.0% | 10 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| ACT | 6 | 8 | 75.0% | 1 | 19 | 3 | 1 |
| NZ First | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 7 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| Te Pāti Māori | 1 | 8 | 12.5% | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Opportunity | 6 | 8 | 75.0% | 7 | 16 | 1 | 0 |

## Tax and public spending

| Party | Answers naming party | Answers on issue | Share | Positive claims | Neutral claims | Negative claims | Mixed claims |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| National | 5 | 8 | 62.5% | 3 | 9 | 5 | 1 |
| Labour | 5 | 8 | 62.5% | 7 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| Greens | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| ACT | 5 | 8 | 62.5% | 2 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| NZ First | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Te Pāti Māori | 0 | 8 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Opportunity | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |

## Asked from Hastings

The same question, word for word, asked nationally and from Hastings. For this voter's main question, 2 of the 4 assistants named a different set of parties.

| Assistant | Parties named nationally | Parties named from Hastings |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ChatGPT | ACT, NZ First, Labour, Greens, National | ACT, NZ First, Labour, Greens, National |
| Gemini | Labour, Greens, National | Labour, Te Pāti Māori, National |
| Google AI Mode | ACT, NZ First, Labour, Te Pāti Māori, Greens, National | ACT, NZ First, Labour, Opportunity, Greens, National |
| Google AI Overviews | ACT, NZ First, Labour, Opportunity, Greens, National | ACT, NZ First, Labour, Opportunity, Greens, National |

## How the assistants handled this voter’s main question

The Heretaunga Plains question leads ChatGPT to describe a specific flood scheme, rivers and who might bear future costs. It explicitly warns that uncosted or uncommitted material is not a guaranteed outcome. That is more concrete than a general national discussion of climate adaptation.

Gemini and AI Mode largely present competing philosophies of central-local cost-sharing, property rights and public intervention. AI Overviews describes a preference for engineering and local drainage. The useful distinction is between a party's broad stance and a funded measure that applies to a particular protection area.

Suburb, flood category, insurance status and relevant scheme are not provided. The family's concern therefore cannot be converted into a promised reduction in premiums or a particular protection level. ChatGPT's invitation for a more precise area is appropriate, but the research reports only the first answer and does not supply a real household's identifying details.

ChatGPT

> For a household on the Heretaunga Plains, the important distinction is that the 2026 election is not really about whether there will be flood protection—the region already has a major system—but who pays for the next generation of protection, how much risk government is prepared to underwrite, and what happens if insurance or engineering protection becomes uneconomic.

[Full captured answer](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/questions/5006aeff-8b4b-47b5-bc99-35be472d0190.md)

Gemini

> For families living on the Heretaunga Plains in Hawke’s Bay, the intersecting pressures of flood risk, surging insurance costs, and the financial burden of community and private protection are critical issues. Following the severe lessons of Cyclone Gabrielle, the policy approaches of New Zealand’s political parties offer distinct visions for how long-term flood resilience, regional recovery, and adaptation costs will be managed.

[Full captured answer](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/questions/5006aeff-8b4b-47b5-bc99-35be472d0190.md)

Google AI Mode

> Living on the Heretaunga Plains with school-age children means that managing long-term flood resilience, regional infrastructure, and household costs (like council rates and soaring insurance premiums) is a critical kitchen-table issue. As the 2026 General Election approaches on 7 November 2026, political parties offer distinct ideological frameworks for handling climate adaptation, central-local government cost-sharing, and disaster recovery.

[Full captured answer](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/questions/5006aeff-8b4b-47b5-bc99-35be472d0190.md)

Google AI Overviews

> Political parties in the 2026 New Zealand general election offer sharply contrasting approaches to long-term climate adaptation, funding, and flood protection.

[Full captured answer](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/questions/5006aeff-8b4b-47b5-bc99-35be472d0190.md)

## Sources recorded against the answers

## ChatGPT

| Answers collected | Answers with sources recorded | Answers showing a link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 8 | 8 | 8 |

| Website | Answers with this website recorded |
| --- | --- |
| hbrc.govt.nz | 7 |
| greens.org.nz | 4 |
| labour.org.nz | 4 |
| national.org.nz | 4 |
| treasury.govt.nz | 4 |
| act.org.nz | 3 |
| beehive.govt.nz | 3 |
| environment.govt.nz | 3 |
| hastingsdc.govt.nz | 2 |
| hawkesbay.infocouncil.biz | 2 |

Publisher counts sum recorded website/answer associations; one answer can contribute to several websites and publisher types.

| Publisher type | Recorded associations |
| --- | --- |
| Party websites | 17 |
| Government | 26 |
| News | 6 |
| Comparison sites | 3 |
| Advocacy groups | 0 |
| Businesses | 0 |
| Social media | 0 |
| Other | 4 |

## Gemini

| Answers collected | Answers with sources recorded | Answers showing a link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 8 | 7 | 0 |

| Website | Answers with this website recorded |
| --- | --- |
| insurancebusinessmag.com | 3 |
| environment.govt.nz | 2 |
| hbrc.govt.nz | 2 |
| greens.org.nz | 1 |
| growregions.govt.nz | 1 |
| hbcoast.co.nz | 1 |
| nationalinfrastructure.govt.nz | 1 |
| phcc.org.nz | 1 |
| policy.nz | 1 |
| selectcommittees.parliament.nz | 1 |

Publisher counts sum recorded website/answer associations; one answer can contribute to several websites and publisher types.

| Publisher type | Recorded associations |
| --- | --- |
| Party websites | 1 |
| Government | 7 |
| News | 3 |
| Comparison sites | 1 |
| Advocacy groups | 1 |
| Businesses | 0 |
| Social media | 0 |
| Other | 1 |

## Google AI Mode

| Answers collected | Answers with sources recorded | Answers showing a link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 8 | 7 | 2 |

| Website | Answers with this website recorded |
| --- | --- |
| hbrc.govt.nz | 6 |
| rnz.co.nz | 3 |
| insurancebusinessmag.com | 2 |
| nzherald.co.nz | 2 |
| baybuzz.co.nz | 1 |
| beehive.govt.nz | 1 |
| elections.nz | 1 |
| environment.govt.nz | 1 |
| growregions.govt.nz | 1 |
| healthadvisory.co.nz | 1 |

Publisher counts sum recorded website/answer associations; one answer can contribute to several websites and publisher types.

| Publisher type | Recorded associations |
| --- | --- |
| Party websites | 1 |
| Government | 12 |
| News | 9 |
| Comparison sites | 0 |
| Advocacy groups | 0 |
| Businesses | 0 |
| Social media | 0 |
| Other | 4 |

## Google AI Overviews

| Answers collected | Answers with sources recorded | Answers showing a link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 8 | 8 | 2 |

| Website | Answers with this website recorded |
| --- | --- |
| rnz.co.nz | 7 |
| hbrc.govt.nz | 5 |
| nzherald.co.nz | 5 |
| whichparty.nz | 5 |
| environment.govt.nz | 3 |
| insidegovernment.co.nz | 3 |
| insurancebusinessmag.com | 3 |
| newstalkzb.co.nz | 3 |
| youtube.com | 3 |
| facebook.com | 2 |

Publisher counts sum recorded website/answer associations; one answer can contribute to several websites and publisher types.

| Publisher type | Recorded associations |
| --- | --- |
| Party websites | 4 |
| Government | 10 |
| News | 23 |
| Comparison sites | 8 |
| Advocacy groups | 1 |
| Businesses | 3 |
| Social media | 5 |
| Other | 11 |

## What this can and cannot tell you

One set of answers, from made-up voters, on one day.

Each question was asked once. AI assistants vary their answers, so a repeat run would differ in wording and detail. The location comparison shows that answers differed; proving that location caused the difference would need repeat runs and verified access locations.

The voters are designed situations, not a sample of New Zealanders. The study shows what the assistants said and lets anyone check it. It does not show whether anyone changed their vote, or why the assistants answered as they did.

We read all 32 voting-guidance answers and the case-study questions in full, and checked 17 statements. We have not read all 815 answers in full or checked every policy claim.

[Read the complete methodology](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/1/method.md)

## Publication and corrections

Published and funded by Onsomble Limited. NZBrands.ai takes no view on any party or policy.

[Independence](https://nzbrands.ai/about/independence/) · [Corrections](https://nzbrands.ai/about/corrections/) · [Contact](https://nzbrands.ai/about/contact/)