National, Act could govern, latest poll indicates

WELLINGTON: National and Act New Zealand could work together to form a government based on the results of a new political poll.

Last night’s 1News Kantar poll, taken from September 17 to 21, shows National with 37% support, the same result it received in August. Labour was up one percentage point on 34%.

Act New Zealand was on 9%, down two, and the Green Party was unchanged on 9%.

New Zealand First was unchanged on 3% and the Maori Party unchanged on 2%.

NationalAct could govern alone with 61 seats, while Labour, Greens and the Maori Party would secure only 59 seats, based on these results.

National leader Christopher Luxon said the party had made ‘‘tremendous progress’’.

‘‘Here we are being able to form a government on the back of these results.’’

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern is still comfortably ahead in the preferred prime minister stakes, steady at 30 percentage points — the same number she received in August.

Mr Luxon has dropped one point to 21%.

Act leader David Seymour is also down one point — to 4% — as the preferred next PM, followed by Winston Peters (2%) and Chloe Swarbrick (1%).

When voters were asked who they would want as PM if they could only choose between Ms Ardern and Mr Luxon, Ms Ardern came out on top on 47%, with Luxon on 41%.

Ms Ardern was up one point from a similar poll in March, while Mr Luxon dropped four points from his 45% six months ago.

Thirteen percent of those polled said they did not know who they would vote for.

This latest poll was taken in the aftermath of the Queen’s death and the end of the Covid19 restrictions.

The last 1News Kantar poll in early August had National and Act being able to form a government with 62 seats out of 120, ahead of Labour and Greens with 55 seats between them and the Maori Party with three seats.

In the last Kantar poll, National had 48 seats, Labour 44, Act 14, the Greens 11 and the Maori Party 3.

Two different polls soon after had National and Labour virtually neck and neck, but two polls in early September had National stretching ahead.

In the previous Kantar poll, Jacinda Ardern was preferred as Prime Minister by 30% of respondents, Christopher Luxon had 22% support and David Seymour 5%. —