Summarised by Centrist
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has overtaken Christopher Luxon as New Zealand’s preferred prime minister, according to the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll.
The Taxpayers’ Union called the results “more bad news” for the coalition government, warning that unless it delivers meaningful economic growth, support will continue to slide.
The poll, conducted 2–4 March, shows Labour up 2.8 points to 34.1%, surpassing National, which rose 1.7 points to 33.6%. The results indicate a leftist government could be formed, with Labour, the Greens, and Te Pāti Māori projected to secure 62 seats, while the centre-right bloc lags at 58 seats.
Among smaller parties:
- The Greens dropped 3.2 points to 10% (losing four seats).
- ACT fell 2.3 points to 7.7% (down two seats).
- NZ First slipped 1.3 points to 5.1% (down two seats).
- Te Pāti Māori gained 2.1 points to 6.5% (up two seats).
This marks the first time since the election that Hipkins has led Luxon in the preferred prime minister rankings. Hipkins rose 3.1 points to 20.7%, while Luxon dropped slightly to 20.3%. Winston Peters ticked up to 8.6%, David Seymour slipped to 5%, and Chlöe Swarbrick fell to 4.8%.
Luxon’s net favourability fell to -10%, while Hipkins sits at +4%. Seymour’s -28% rating is the worst among party leaders, while Peters sits at -1%.
The public’s mood remains pessimistic, with 48.9% believing New Zealand is heading in the wrong direction, despite a slight improvement.
Read more over at The NZ Herald and RNZ
