The National Party is unlikely to win the September election unless they introduce fresh new policies, according to two political commentators.
It comes after Parliament rose yesterday, officially kicking off the election campaign.
With the election campaign kicked off political commentator Thomas Pryor told TVNZ1's Breakfast he doesn't expect to see "too many major policy initiatives" from the Labour Party, calling it "smart politics".
"Stay above the fray to essentially trade off the good job the Government has done in responding to Covid," he said.
The National Party, however, will "desperately try and get in on the economy and the track record in, it appears, building roads."
Commentator Josie Pagani agreed, telling Breakfast a seeming lack of new policies from Labour "could backfire on them".
"It could look a little bit entitled, a little bit like 'I'm above the election and we're just going to focus on governing,'" she said.
"All it would take is for, let's say, some people to escape from isolation from Covid or an outbreak of Covid, for that wage subsidy to stop on September the 1st and ... that could backfire on them.
"We should be talking about some kind of new deal plan that makes us feel like we've got some way out of this."
Ms Pagani said the opening could be advantageous for National.
She said, however, that while the National was off to a good start with new leader Judith Collins, the party's focus on infrastructure was "all a little bit bland" with "no zing".
Mr Pryor agreed, saying while there was a "huge opportunity for National," it's expected to be "an uphill battle".
He said for the party to win, Ms Collins "is going to have to give the campaign of her life".
"Every day, from now on, she's going to have to be on form and she's going to have to get hits against [Jacinda Ardern], against Labour."
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