Labour leader Chris Hipkins says tonight's 1News Verian poll shows the Government isn’t “resonating” with New Zealanders, but Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he’s more interested in delivering outcomes than poll results.
New Zealand First, again polling above 5% after falling below that threshold in the last poll in April, simply says: “Who’s winning now?”
The 1News Verian poll released tonight shows the coalition Government would retain power if an election were held today.
April’s poll had had them facing the exit if those results had been repeated at an election.
National is up two points tonight, Labour down one, as is the Green Party. The ACT party is steady, New Zealand First up two, and Te Pāti Māori down 1%.
Luxon said he did not “get too caught up in polls” but said it was a tough time for New Zealanders at the moment.
“We’re working incredibly hard as a Government to make sure we deliver for them.
“For me, polls can be whatever they are, the reality is we have to keep working hard for the New Zealand people.”
He said people were doing it tough as a “hangover” from the last Labour Government.
“I’m very serious-minded about what we’re doing.
“I think the public understood that we inherited a really bad set of finances. We’re working really hard to make sure that we can generate savings out of government spending, get those investments to the frontline services and importantly to give people tax relief to help them deal with this cost of living crisis.”
He said the Government would be rewarded for its work on the economy, law and order, health and education at the next election in 2026.
“That’s why we enter politics, to actually deliver for our fellow citizens.”
‘Not a government that is really resonating’ - Hipkins
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the poll’s overall message was that the governing parties were polling at or less than what they got on election day last year, while some Opposition parties were increasing their vote compared to the election result.
“This is not a government that is really resonating with New Zealanders, and even after all of the coverage that they got out of the Budget, they didn’t see a significant lift in their support.”
Of dropping below 30%, Hipkins said “you’re talking about one percentage point”.
“And it’s in one poll, so I’m not going to lose a lot of sleep over that.
“But we did hear the message from New Zealanders at the last election, that they voted for change, and that means that we need to change as well. We’re in that process at the moment.”
He said the party would be “in very different shape” heading into the next election compared to what it was at the last election.
‘Who’s winning now?’ - Peters
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said despite “gaslighting from the New Zealand mainstream media” his party was tracking so well that “you guys look like you’re going to fail for the umpteenth time”.
“Can’t you add up? Who’s winning now?”
People are ‘pretty forgiving’ - Swarbrick
Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the poll showed New Zealanders cared about the issues the Greens campaigned on - “that is, of course, people and planet”.
She said it was important not to look at a poll in isolation but observe trends in them.
Given the Greens’ torrid experience of 2024 so far: shoplifting charges and a resignation by Golriz Ghahraman, questions over migrant exploitation with Darleen Tana, an outburst in Parliament by Julie Ann Genter, the sudden death of Efeso Collins and a cancer diagnosis for Marama Davidson - Swarbrick said New Zealanders were “pretty forgiving people”.
She said what they cared about was “whether the work actually gets done”.
“That’s what we come to work to do every single day.”
She said the team had “stuck together” through thick and thin, in challenging times.
Govt ‘setting up the ruck retaining possession’ - Seymour
ACT leader David Seymour said it was a steady result for ACT as it had been “heads down, working through the winter like a lot people”.
“I think people see that ACT is adding value in the coalition, and the coalition Government is dealing with very tough challenges. It’s going to be a long winter on a lot of fronts, but we are working through the problems.”
Asked why the coalition parties’ results had only regained the ground it lost in the last poll, he said the Government inherited “huge negative momentum” from its predecessor.
“We’re now turning that momentum around.”
“I don’t think a lot of stuff is changing for people generally, we are in a turnaround job where you’ve got to solve problems, absorb a lot of negative momentum the Government inherited. But over time, the actions that we take, I believe will reduce crime, will get inflation under control, will allow people to breathe again financially and will unite New Zealand from a lot of the division the previous government left in identity politics.”
He said as that work progressed, voters would reward ACT for it.
“This Government has taken a hospital pass, but don’t worry, we’re setting up the ruck retaining possession, and forward momentum usually follows that.”
Of his position as preferred prime minister, he said it was the “normal kinds of fluctuations that you get - sometimes it goes up a few points, sometimes it goes down”.
“ACT in the last five years has become wildly popular, way beyond the fears of our worst enemies and way beyond the dreams of our greatest supporters.”
‘Part of the political scene forever’ - Ngarewa-Packer
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the poll showed her party was consistent and steady.
“We’re here, seriously, to be part of the political scene forever. Particularly with this Government, it’s really important that you have a party like Te Pāti Māori.”
She said the poll’s result shouldn’t give the Government “any sense of confidence”.
“I don’t have a political sense of the public - what I do have is a political sense of Māori and what I am seeing and hearing is the frustration that this Government does nothing to deliver for Māori, it doesn’t see any transformational solutions coming from Māori. In fact, what it does - despite a million of us identifying as Māori - they’re still putting us into one big pool, of the ‘New Zealand’ pool.”
Of Te Pāti Māori’s 1% drop in the poll, Ngarewa-Packer said polls weren’t “necessarily indicative of Māori”, tended to fluctuate and the party’s barometer of success was whether it could activate its community, which she said it could.
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