Latest poll delivers morale boost for National-coalition Government
Another political poll has delivered a morale boost for the National-coalition Government.
A Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll published yesterday afternoon showed the coalition parties – National, ACT and NZ First – had the required support to form Government, if an election were to be held. The next election will be held in 2026.
The poll provided the Government a more favourable outcome than the result of a 1News-Verian poll published last week, which showed the coalition parties lacked sufficient support to form Government as NZ First lacked sufficient support to re-enter Parliament.
The Taxpayers’ Union poll, taken from Sunday to Tuesday this week, placed National at having 37.3% of the public’s support, ACT at 9.4%, and NZ First on 5.5%.
All told, this would equate to 66 seats in Parliament. National and ACT would require NZ First to continue governing, if these results were replicated at an election.
Labour was at 30%, the Green Party at 10.2%, and Te Pāti Māori on 3.1%. Together the centre-left bloc would have 56 seats.
Overall the poll showed, after more than five months in power, limited shift in support for the Government parties from the October 2023 election night.
But the result was positive for Labour compared with the previous Taxpayers’ Union poll.
The party’s support increase 4.3 percentage points compared with the previous poll, while the Green Party’s support dropped 4.4 percentage points. The poll, which had a maximum margin of error of 3.1%, was taken in the aftermath of another saga for the Green Party.
Green MP Julie Anne Genter, Rongotai, faces possible reprimand from Parliament’s powerful privileges committee after last week crossing the floor in the House to loudly chastise National minister Matt Doocey – inappropriate behaviour she has apologised for.
While the Government parties have yet to meaningfully shift the dial on their public support, according to numerous polls, it would be encouraged by the outcome of one question polled on.
Of those surveyed, 45.1% said they thought the country was “heading in the right direction”, an increase of 6.2 percentage points compared with last month’s Taxpayers’ Union poll. This was also greater than the percentage of people who thought the country was headed in the wrong direction, at 42.6%.
The lobby group said it was the first time since February that voters polls had a net positive view of the direction the country was headed.