As the official start to the election campaign commences, Facebook has just released insights on which election-related topics Kiwis are posting about, reacting to, commenting on and sharing the most.
"On Facebook, 2.9million Kiwis connect with the people, places and things that matter to them, and engage about the issues that they care about, which includes politics and government," says Mia Garlick, director of policy, Facebook Australia and New Zealand.
Overall, 690,000 people interacted with New Zealand election-related topics on Facebook since March, generating more than 5 million interactions (this includes original posts, reactions, comments and shares).
Who is the most talked-about politician?
In terms of political leaders, Winston Peters has dropped from being the most interacted-about political leader to fifth spot.
Bill English has moved from second to first, and Jacinda Ardern has entered the list for the first time, as have Metiria Turei and Gareth Morgan.
What is the most talked-about party?
The Labour Party is generating two-thirds of mentions of political parties, with Greens second and National third.
What do people most care about?
Budget-related topics were closely followed by social development topics which includes mentions of child welfare, unemployment and child poverty.
Mentions of social development topics have increased since Budget 2017.
Topics related to the economy (which includes mentions of jobs and earthquake recovery) were third most popular.
Surprisingly, immigration, health and environment related topics have all decreased in terms of mentions.
Social media presenter Aziz Al-Sa'afin wraps up the biggest trends of the day. Watch the video for the full interview.
