How popular is the prime minister?

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says losing some of her popularity is the result of taking on serious challenges in Government.

Ardern’s preferred prime ministerial polling dropped two times in the last two Colmar Brunton/

Surveys, from 51 per cent in April not long after the terror attack to 41 per cent in July.

Right-wing commentator Matthew Hooton has also suggested her favourability rating has dropped 16 points in Labour’s internal polling, but this has not been confirmed. She remains well ahead of National leader Simon Bridges.

In a conversation with Stuff Ardern said that the reality of governing would lead to making decisions some people didn’t like.

‘‘When it comes to the personal ratings what I equally accept is that when you are in Government and taking on big challenges and difficult conversations and hard debates there are going to be people who disagree with you,’’ Ardern said.

‘‘We are not going to make progress on some of these big difficult issues unless we are willing to confront hard conversations.

‘‘If you simply govern just to maintain popularity it probably means you are not taking some of those big issues on.’’

Ardern’s government has moved on the controversial issues such as abortion and climate change and has ploughed money into mental health, which she describes as one of the longterm challenges facing New Zealand.

But her government has maintained the status quo on other contentious policy areas, such as the age that superannuation starts and New Zealand’s lack of a capital gains tax.

The prime minister is generally seen as the saviour of her party after she lifted it from polling in the low-20s just two years ago when Andrew Little was leader.

Her ascension to the leadership saw the party itself shoot up in the polls and won it an election result that made governing with NZ First and the Greens possible.