Nat support gushing away : Poll

Ardern now highest any PM has scored in poll’s history

Judith Collins has failed to stop the bleeding for the National Party, with Labour taking an even more commanding lead in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll — less than two months out from the election.

National has fallen to a low of 25.1 per cent in the first public poll since Collins took over as leader from Todd Muller on July 14.

The party was on 30.6 per cent the last time the poll was conducted in May — a number that effectively ended Simon Bridges’ tenure as leader.

Labour is now at 60.9 per cent (up 4.4 per cent — the highest it has been in the Newshub-Reid Research poll) and would be able to govern comfortably alone with 77 seats.

Collins is 14.6 per cent as preferred Prime Minister and pales behind Ardern on 62 per cent.

The poll of 1000 people, conducted between July 16-24, has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent.

Collins and National’s deputy leader Gerry Brownlee both described the result as a “rogue poll”.

“These numbers aren’t even in the same ballpark as our internal polls, other public polls and the hugely positive public response to our leader Judith Collins,” Brownlee said.

“Even with the most rigorous methodology, one in 20 polls will always be a rogue and this is clearly one of them.”

Act has overtaken New Zealand

First for the first time in Newshub’s poll — Act is at 3.3 per cent up 1.5 points, NZ First is down 0.7 points to 2 per cent.

According to the poll, the Greens, on 5.7 per cent, would have seven seats in Parliament. If Act leader David Seymour could retain the Epsom seat, Act would have four MPs.

The poll comes after a tumultuous few weeks in New Zealand politics.

Labour minister Iain LeesGalloway was sacked last week for an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer — only days after National MP Andrew Falloon was sacked for sending a pornographic image to a teenager.

Police are investigating after it emerged he sent other images to at least five women.

After Bridges was rolled by Todd Muller, the new National leader resigned after fallout from his handling of the Hamish Walker Covid-19 patient leak scandal.

Walker has also resigned after admitting leaking the information to journalists.

In May, the National Party plummeted to 30 per cent in the first public poll since the Covid-19 crisis took hold.

As preferred PM, Ardern was then at 59.5 per cent — up 20.8 points on the last poll and the highest any Prime Minister has scored in the poll’s history.

National’s worst election result was in 2002 when then leader Bill English led the party to 20.93 per cent of the vote.

Meanwhile, Labour has selected Palmerston North Deputy Mayor Tangi Utikere for the electorate soon to be vacated by Lees-Galloway.

Utikere will square off with National’s candidate, 18-year-old William Wood, in the electorate.