Christopher Luxon says "we need to do better" but has again ruled out quitting after recording his worst-ever party vote result as PM in the 1News Verian poll.
Luxon, who also recorded his lowest-ever preferred PM rating at 16%, said he had no intention of stepping down despite the poll putting the coalition on track to lose power less than seven months out from November's election.
National fell four points to 30%, while Labour rose to 37% in tonight's poll.
Under the results, the left bloc of Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori would command 66 seats compared to 58 for the right, enough to form a government.
The results show if an election were to be held today, Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori would unseat the coalition. (Source: 1News)
"We're not where we want to be. We need to do better," the PM told 1News, repeating the phrase multiple times during an interview today.
"It's also a very challenging and volatile time for Kiwis, and I'm very focused on getting us through the fuel crisis."
Asked whether he had given any thought to resigning, Luxon said: "No, I'm focused on making sure I deliver strong economic management and a stable coalition for New Zealand that gets Kiwis through this current crisis."
When pressed on whether any result could prompt him to stand aside, he declined to answer directly. "Well, what I'm focused on is making sure that I provide strong economic management and a stable coalition for New Zealand."
Asked about National's internal polls, of which he has previously cited in public, Luxon said: "Well, I don't comment on the polls. I'm just saying to you, we acknowledge that we need to do better, and there's more for us to do as a team".
He dismissed reports of MPs organising against him.
The results of the 1News Verian poll show that if an election were to be held today the left bloc would knock the coalition out of power. (Source: 1News)
"I speak with them all the time," he said, adding he had been with colleagues at events over the weekend and had their "full support". On reports of backbenchers leaking against him, Luxon said: "I just say I have the support of my caucus."
The poll of 1010 eligible voters was taken between April 11 and 15.
'Luxon fighting to keep his own job' - Labour
Asked what a Labour-led government would mean, Luxon said it would be "chaos".
"They would ruin and put a wrecking ball through our economy. They would just be spending more, taxing more, borrowing more," he said. Hipkins rejected that characterisation, saying the National-led coalition had made the economy worse.
He said the results reflected a country fed up with the Government's direction.
"Christopher Luxon is fighting to keep his own job when he should be fighting for the jobs of New Zealanders," he said.
"Changing the person at the top isn't going to change the fundamentally wrong direction that the National Party is taking the country in."
He rejected suggestions Labour had peaked too early, saying he wanted the party's support to keep climbing towards at least 40% before the November 7 election.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said voters should look past the leadership question. Her party was steady on 11% in the poll.
"Clearly, New Zealand is itching for a change of government, and I think the question for all of us now is, do we want a government of real change?" she said.
"Every single member of that Government has chosen to increase inequality in this country," she told 1News. "I'm not really interested in a rearranging of the deck chairs."
Asked why the Greens weren't higher, she put it down partially to the media.
"Inside our media landscape, we do tend to have a presidentialised style of presenting the elections. I think that's why New Zealanders need to understand that there's also far bigger questions for us than which Chris we want to be prime minister"
Swarbrick opined the cost of living was the key reason behind the Government's decline in the poll. "New Zealand's cost of living is going through the roof, and they can see that this Government has taken its hands off the wheel and said, c'est la vie, good luck."
'Maybe Luxon has some faults, so do you and I' - Seymour
Coalition partner ACT dropped two points to 7%.
Party leader David Seymour said the party had been "up in three polls this month and down in one, so I guess all together, we're having a good month".
When asked, he rallied behind Luxon, describing him as "the great uniter".
"He's united the National Party that was at each other's throats for four years. He's united a three-way coalition that's been very successful, and massive amounts of reform that I believe will pay off over time," Seymour told 1News.
"Maybe he has some faults. So do you. So do I. Let's focus on what's positive".
Asked whether Luxon should step aside, Seymour said: "Absolutely not. I think he's done very well in uniting his party and uniting the coalition, allowing all of us to get on with the work of fixing what matters."
He declined to blame National for the coalition's position. "I don't blame anyone. I just ask, how can we fix what matters each day? Save taxpayer money, cut red tape, boost prosperity, so that people can have a bit of money left at the end of the week."
On Labour's rise, Seymour said: "If people take a hard look at these guys, they have absolutely no plan to save money. They promise everybody they're going to spend it.
"They'll send us broke, and then we'll have an even bigger clean-up job."
NZ First leader Winston Peters, who climbed two points to 12% in the preferred PM rankings, was characteristically dismissive of the results. "You know what I think of these polls," he told 1News. "We're going to turn your polls into confetti."
Asked whether the prospect of the coalition losing power worried him, Peters said: "No, it doesn't. Why not? Because these polls are rubbish."
Peters, when asked about his party's packed out public meetings, said: "They want us to get back to the people's basics, the fundamentals – housing, health, education and the cost of living, power, pricing. Those are the things we're focusing on."
NZ First's support was steady between the February and April polls.
Surprise appearance from a new contender
For parties under the 5% MMP threshold, there was a new kid on the block as the Opportunity Party appeared on 3% — up 2% — with Te Pāti Māori steady on 2%.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the poll confirmed what her party had been hearing in communities across the country.
"There is a huge growing dissatisfaction with the leadership of this Government, with the decisions that it's making, how aloof this Prime Minister is to the pain that is going on in our communities," she told 1News.
She said Peters' rising rankings in preferred PM polling was not a sign of confidence.
"It's just a sign of frustration that people want change and someone who can really get the hurt that we're seeing out there in our communities".
On post-election coalition talks, Ngarewa-Packer warned Labour that her party's support would come with conditions.
"We've seen these big parties make promises to Māori all the time, then get into power and they forget the promises that they've made," she said.
Meanwhile, the Opportunity Party made gains, climbing from 1% to 3%, though the party would still need to reach the 5% threshold or win an electorate seat to enter Parliament.
Leader Qiulae Wong said the result reflected voter frustration with the major parties.
"There's been a lack of vision from all of the status quo parties about where we're going as a country. We need to be more ambitious about what we want New Zealand to be."
She added: "A wasted vote is with the status quo that we are all frustrated with, so a vote for any of the current parties is a wasted vote in my mind."
Wong said the party would be willing to work with anyone, and that its growing support base was coming from across the political spectrum. "A lot of them are people like me, who are young professionals that are worried about the future," she said.
"There are former Green voters and former National voters who are seeing what they like in Opportunity."
Parliament returns tomorrow. Luxon faces his caucus on Tuesday, where leadership speculation is expected to continue. Asked if he was confident he would still be National leader by the end of that meeting, he said: "Yes."
Full poll results
Party vote
Labour – 37% (up 5% since February)
National – 30% (down 4%)
Greens – 11% (steady)
NZ First – 10% (steady)
ACT – 7% (down 2%)
Opportunity Party - 3% (up 2%)
Te Pāti Māori – 2% (steady)
Don't know / refused to say – 9% (down 2%)
Seats in the House
Labour – 47
National– 37
Greens – 13
NZ First – 13
ACT – 8
Te Pāti Māori – 6
Total: 124
Preferred prime minister
Chris Hipkins – 19% (down 1%)
Christopher Luxon – 16% (down 4%)
Winston Peters – 12% (up 2%)
Chlöe Swarbrick – 6% (up 1%)
David Seymour – 4% (steady)
Chris Bishop - 2% (up 1%)
See the full poll results here
Between April 11 and April 15 2026, 1010 eligible voters were polled by mobile phone (500) and online, using online panels (510). The maximum sampling error is approximately ±3.1%-points at the 95% confidence level. Party support percentages have been rounded up or down to whole numbers, except those less than 4.5%, which are reported to one decimal place. The data has been weighted to align with Stats NZ population counts for age, gender, region, ethnic identification and education level. The sample for mobile phones is selected by random dialling using probability sampling, and the online sample is collected using an online panel. Undecided voters, non-voters and those who refused to answer are excluded from the data on party support. The results are a snapshot in time of party support, and not a prediction.
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