Labour leader Chris Hipkins plans to "absolutely go for it" on the campaign trail as Labour's poll results hit rock bottom.
Last night's Newshub poll has the party on just 26.8%, a far cry from the overwhelming majority it received at the last election.
If it were the outcome on election day, the party would be recording its worst result after a stint in government during the MMP era.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Hipkins took responsibility for the poor results, saying he plans to focus on turning them around.
"I accept that the polls are not where we need them to be. As leader, I’m responsible for turning this around, and that's exactly what I’ll be focused on over the next five weeks," he said.
"It’s been a difficult term of government for the Labour Party, and I accept that there is a mood for change, and we are also offering change.
While he acknowledged the results, Hipkins downplayed just how low his party’s numbers really were – insisting it’s still a "tight race".
"When you look at the bloc of the centre-left and the centre-right, it’s still quite a tight race.
"There is no question we need to get some votes back, but this election is not in the bag for anybody yet."
Hipkins believes that many Kiwis are unaware of the party’s flagship policies like free dental care for under 30s or GST-free fruit and veg, which is one reason why poll numbers aren’t as high.
"The policies we’re putting forward are quite different to the last election.
"When we talk about these things, people are concerned about those, so the campaign is going to be important this election."
He said that now "we've got to focus on turning this thing around".
When asked if he’d step aside should numbers continue to plummet, Hipkins said: "We have no plan B."
"We’re gonna absolutely go for it between now and polling day to really turn those numbers around."
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