Opposition performance statistics Q3 2012

The Q1 2012 stats have the details on methodology.

First looking at the parties, the average for Labour and Green MPs is 13 press releases and NZ First MPs 10 releases.

For media stories Labour is 16, Greens 15 and NZ First 14. In terms of PQs Labour averages 78, NZ First 43 and Greens 33.

For press releases, the five top MPs are David Shearer, Russel Norman, Winston Peters, David Parker and Hone Harawira.

The MPs who have done the least releases are Shane Jones (none ), and Rajen Prasad and Denis O’Rourke (one each).

For news stories, the top five MPs are David Shearer, Winston Peters, Russel Norman, Lousia Wall and Gareth Hughes.

The MPs with the least news stories (as indexed by Google News) are Raymond Huo , Tracey Martin and Asenati Taylor on one each.

For PQs, the top five MPs are David Cunliffe (519), Darien Fenton (225), Chris Hipkins (212)). While PQs are a good resource that MPs should use, I think 519 over 90 days is getting excessive. Each PQ can cost $100 or so of staff time answering it, so $50,000 worth in a quarter is a bit over the top.

Eight Opposition MPs have not asked a single written PQ this quarter.

This shows the output of each MP compared to the median. The simple average is just that. The weighted average applies a weighting of 1/2 to news stories, 1/3 to press releases and 1/6 to PQs. Also to discourage abuse of PQs, the maximum number of PQs counted is 12 time the median, or 200% weighted.

So overall the top of the league table goes to Opposition Leader David Shearer, which is as expected. Second is Winston Peters, then Russel Norman and David Cunliffe.

Down the bottom of the league table is is Rajen Prasad whose activity is 12% of the median. Next lowest is Richard Prosser and Kris Faafoi at 18%.

Note that of course these stats are quantitative, not qualitative. Just because an MP is being reported in the media, doesn’t mean it is positive publicity.

This shows the rankings over the three quarters since the election. Thee top three have not changed much. Cunliffe has shot up this quarter. Down the bottom, Rajen Prasad seems to occupt bottom spot on a permanent basis. Press releases and PQs are for other MPs! Prasad was Labour’s top ranked new candidate in 2008, being given a list ranking of 12.