Who Do You Trust Now, NZ? 2007 Winners and Losers

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Media release
29 May 2007
Who Do You Trust Now, New Zealand?
2007 Winners and Losers

Trust comes with age and respect, according to the results of the 2007 Reader’s Digest Most Trusted People poll with Sir Edmund Hillary at 87 years, our most trusted person for the third consecutive year, followed by children’s author, Margaret Mahy at 71 years in second place and scientist and Olympian, Peter Snell at 68 years in third place.

Eight of the top ten most trusted people have been recognised for their athletic or sporting achievements, with former One newsreader, Judy Bailey rocketing to ninth place from 18 in last year’s poll.

Opera singers Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Dame Malvina Major, at 16 equal last year have taken a tumble this year, with Dame Kiri dropping to 32 following her legal spat with John Farnham and Dame Malvina
now in 21st place.

Trade-Me founder Sam Morgan, now he has sold his company, is down nine places to 30 equal and sailor Grant Dalton is up eight places to 30 as campaigning for Team New Zealand gathers momentum.

We love our firefighters and ambulance officers but want our kids to be doctors and veterinarians when they grow up. For the fourth consecutive year firefighters are our most trusted profession but as for a career choice for our children, a new category for 2007, they drop to tenth.

It seems we prefer to be married by celebrants, ranked at eight, rather than by religious ministers at 26; woe betide our children should they enter these professions, as we ranked celebrants at 34 and religious ministers at 25.

Politicians may be our least-trusted profession bottoming at 40 on the list, but rose to 28 as a career option for our children, as did lawyers at 28 rising to sixth place and accountants at 22 rising to eighth place.

When it comes to charities, we are less likely to trust those with a political, ideological or religious agenda. We ranked the Cancer Society as our most trusted charity, with SPCA second, Royal NZ Foundation
for the Blind at third, NZ Breast Cancer Foundation at fourth and Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, which this year celebrates its centenary, at fifth. Bottom was the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Our love affair with chocolate continues with Cadbury the top most trusted brand for the fourth consecutive year, followed by TipTop, Sanitarium, Fisher & Paykel and new entrant to the top five brands, Heinz Watties, edging out last year’s fifth top brand, Panadol, which dropped to sixth place.

ENDS
The Reader’s Digest Trust Survey is now in its seventh year. Independent market research company, the Leading Edge, conducted the online survey of a statistically representative sample of 512 adult New Zealanders
between 8-13 March 2007.

View the article online at www.readersdigest.co.nz

Kiwis and Aussies
How we measure up when it comes to trust?

* Sports rule. Our top ten most trusted people included eight sportspeople; in Australia sportspeople don’t feature until 15th place.

* Believe it! Third in the most trusted people in Australia is THE WIGGLES. In New Zealand our highest ranking entertainer is songbird, Hayley Westenra

* The Irwins. Last year Steve Urwin was ranked at 60. This year his daughter Bindi, aged eight years, is the sixth most trusted Australian with her Mum, Terri, at seventh.

* We still love royalty. Queen Elizabeth, a new entrant to the Kiwi poll comes in at 19th; in Australia she ranks 27th , down 11 from her 2006 placing.

* Chocolate. Cadbury is the most trusted brand both sides of the Tasman. In New Zealand Cadbury has been the most trusted brand for the last four years; in Australia for the last five years.

* Food lovers. Five of our top ten most trusted brands are food; while in Australia only three feature in the top ten.

* Professions. The order may change a little for the top seven most trusted professions but Kiwis and Aussies both love: ambulance officers; firefighters; nurses; pilots; pharmacists; doctors and veterinarians.

* We’re materialists. Both sides of the Tasman, we want our kids to be happy, but we also want them to be rich! We don’t trust lawyers and accountants, but we want out kids to enter these professions.

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