# Taranaki: engineering worker weighing the energy transition

NZ Election 2026 · Edition 4 · Voter profiles · R05

I work for an engineering firm in New Plymouth that serves the energy sector. I have a mortgage and worry about whether there will be steady local work over the next few years.

[Back to the study](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/4#situations)

| Measure | Value |
| --- | --- |
| questions written for them | 3 |
| answers collected | 23 |
| AI assistants | 4 |
| asked from, and nationally | New Plymouth |

## 3 questions, each written as this voter would ask it

### PF158: Jobs and unemployment

I work for an engineering firm in New Plymouth that serves the energy sector. I have a mortgage and worry about whether there will be steady local work over the next few years. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What practical plans do parties have to sustain engineering and energy-sector jobs in Taranaki, and how much of each plan is funded rather than an aspiration?

[Read the captured answers](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/4/questions/b0c070e8-88fd-4168-91f7-ee5c4904b6dc.md)

### PF159: Fuel and energy

I work for an engineering firm in New Plymouth that serves the energy sector. I have a mortgage and worry about whether there will be steady local work over the next few years. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties differ on gas, renewable energy and industrial investment in Taranaki, and what evidence is there about the implications for local workers?

[Read the captured answers](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/4/questions/ac928349-e28b-413f-b7ea-25c0221163ef.md)

### PF160: Education and childcare

I work for an engineering firm in New Plymouth that serves the energy sector. I have a mortgage and worry about whether there will be steady local work over the next few years. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. If work in Taranaki's energy sector changes, what would parties offer experienced workers who need to retrain or use their skills in a different industry?

[Read the captured answers](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/4/questions/8b2421bf-af0a-48c6-ab5d-fa44a29e9aca.md)

## Which parties AI put in front of this voter

Of the 23 answers this voter received, 16 left out at least one of the six parties in Parliament. Te Pāti Māori was named least often, in 7 of 23.

| Party | Answers | Total |
| --- | --- | --- |
| National | 23 | 23 |
| Labour | 23 | 23 |
| Greens | 23 | 23 |
| ACT | 20 | 23 |
| NZ First | 21 | 23 |
| Te Pāti Māori | 7 | 23 |
| Opportunity | 4 | 23 |

## What AI said about each party on this voter's issues

Each row is one of this voter's issues. Each column is a party. The number shows how often the party came up in the answers to this voter. The coloured line under it shows whether what the AI said about the party was positive, neutral or negative.

Toggle assistants on or off to compare them, and click any number to see more detail about the responses.

| Topic | Party | Recommended or named answers | Collected answers | Positive claims | Neutral claims | Negative claims | Mixed claims |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jobs and unemployment | National | 8 | 8 | 18 | 29 | 6 | 2 |
| Jobs and unemployment | Labour | 8 | 8 | 16 | 25 | 11 | 11 |
| Jobs and unemployment | Greens | 8 | 8 | 14 | 29 | 10 | 5 |
| Jobs and unemployment | ACT | 6 | 8 | 15 | 28 | 10 | 1 |
| Jobs and unemployment | NZ First | 8 | 8 | 13 | 31 | 5 | 5 |
| Jobs and unemployment | Te Pāti Māori | 2 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Jobs and unemployment | Opportunity | 3 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 1 |

| Topic | Party | Recommended or named answers | Collected answers | Positive claims | Neutral claims | Negative claims | Mixed claims |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fuel and energy | National | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel and energy | Labour | 7 | 7 | 6 | 25 | 4 | 3 |
| Fuel and energy | Greens | 7 | 7 | 4 | 25 | 3 | 4 |
| Fuel and energy | ACT | 7 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel and energy | NZ First | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel and energy | Te Pāti Māori | 3 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| Fuel and energy | Opportunity | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

| Topic | Party | Recommended or named answers | Collected answers | Positive claims | Neutral claims | Negative claims | Mixed claims |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Education and childcare | National | 8 | 8 | 20 | 19 | 3 | 4 |
| Education and childcare | Labour | 8 | 8 | 19 | 23 | 1 | 4 |
| Education and childcare | Greens | 8 | 8 | 16 | 23 | 2 | 5 |
| Education and childcare | ACT | 7 | 8 | 17 | 20 | 4 | 1 |
| Education and childcare | NZ First | 7 | 8 | 13 | 20 | 2 | 1 |
| Education and childcare | Te Pāti Māori | 2 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Education and childcare | Opportunity | 1 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |

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

Adds Opportunity and precise funding assertions

The refreshed Taranaki response replaces Te Pāti Māori with Opportunity and adds precise survey, battery and energy-capacity assertions. It labels Labour’s offer budget-allocated co-funding while also discussing a future platform, without clearly proving which appropriation already exists. The crucial distinction between regulatory permission, a party pledge and funded local work therefore remains unresolved in the answer. No actual engineering job pipeline is measured.

Gemini: “The direct government funding component is relatively low; the strategy uses state policy and consenting levers to unlock private corporate capital.”

[Read the answer](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/3/questions/b0c070e8-88fd-4168-91f7-ee5c4904b6dc.md) · Answer ID: 1fe02e8f-9294-4e5e-9937-6ac8e6567f11

Gemini: “| **Budget-Allocated Co-Funding:** Contains specific tagged funds (e.g., $160M four-year packages for batteries/electrification), though dependent on private uptake.”

[Read the answer](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/4/questions/b0c070e8-88fd-4168-91f7-ee5c4904b6dc.md) · Answer ID: 7f883159-357b-4c81-a982-3f8f34d2d4c3

## Where the answers to this voter came from

The websites each assistant drew on when it answered this voter, and what kind of publisher they are. Pick an issue to see the websites for that question.

### ChatGPT

| Website | Answers with this website recorded |
| --- | --- |
| reuters.com | 6 |
| beehive.govt.nz | 4 |
| greens.org.nz | 4 |
| labour.org.nz | 4 |
| mbie.govt.nz | 4 |
| national.org.nz | 4 |
| energyresources.org.nz | 3 |
| act.org.nz | 2 |
| budget.govt.nz | 2 |
| engineeringnz.org | 2 |

### Gemini

| Website | Answers with this website recorded |
| --- | --- |
| electrification.co.nz | 4 |
| whichparty.nz | 4 |
| powercompare.co.nz | 3 |
| nzbrands.ai | 2 |
| energyresources.org.nz | 1 |
| greenpeace.org | 1 |
| opportunity.org.nz | 1 |

### Google AI Mode

| Website | Answers with this website recorded |
| --- | --- |
| rnz.co.nz | 4 |
| taranakichamber.co.nz | 3 |
| facebook.com | 2 |
| newsroom.co.nz | 2 |
| beehive.govt.nz | 1 |
| elections.nz | 1 |
| hansard.parliament.nz | 1 |
| labour.org.nz | 1 |
| opunakecoastalnews.co.nz | 1 |
| phcc.org.nz | 1 |

### AI Overviews

| Website | Answers with this website recorded |
| --- | --- |
| newsroom.co.nz | 5 |
| powercompare.co.nz | 4 |
| rnz.co.nz | 4 |
| whichparty.nz | 4 |
| electrification.co.nz | 3 |
| taranakichamber.co.nz | 3 |
| youtube.com | 3 |
| 1news.co.nz | 2 |
| facebook.com | 2 |
| greens.org.nz | 2 |

A website counts once per answer, however many times the answer used it. Counts come from the sources recorded with each answer: 23 of this voter's 23 answers have at least one. Publisher shares count website-and-answer associations; they are separate from answer counts.

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