Support for Jacinda Ardern has dropped in the preferred prime minister stakes to her lowest result since 2017 in the first major political poll of the year.
Labour and the prime minister have taken a hit in the new 1News Kantar poll, but could still form a government with the Greens.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Last night's poll saw Labour drop 1 point to 40 percent, while the National Party were up 4 points to 32 percent. ACT has dropped three points to 11 percent and support for the Green Party remains unchanged at 9 percent.
Under these numbers, a Labour/Greens government would be possible.
Ardern fell 4 points to 35 percent in the preferred prime minister question, with National leader Christopher Luxon up 13 points to 17 percent, while ACT leader David Seymour's numbers fell from 11 percent to 6 percent.
In the previous Colmar Brunton poll in November, Labour got 41 percent, National got 28, ACT got 14, the Greens got 9 percent and the Māori Party was at 1 percent.
Colmar Brunton merged with London-based data analytics firm Kantar's Australian arm in 2020, with the Colmar Brunton brand being phased out at the end of last year.
Chris Luxon told RNZ National's result was a "positive and encouraging start".
"We've really got a lot of work to do ahead of us ... it's a good start, but we've got to keep the momentum up.
"The way we do that is by making sure we are opposing the government strongly as we've been doing over rapid antigen testing and other things, but most importantly, actually proposing ideas to take the country forward."
The gap between the left and right was closing, which Luxon said was "fantastic".
"It basically says to me that it's game on, it's really a question of over the next year, can we demonstrate to New Zealand people that we've got the ideas and the plans to take the country forward? Can we build that confidence and trust with them? And if we do that job, well, they'll start to view us as an alternative government-in-waiting, and then in 2023, we'll be in great position."
As for the results of the preferred prime minister stakes, Luxon said it was "early days".
David Seymour. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
ACT leader David Seymour said the party was still registering "record levels" of support.
"To be the third most popular party on 11 percent and able to be a major participant in a change of government, I think that's a very attractive option to people who are worried not only about changing the government, but also those who want to change the direction as well."
Seymour was asked if the dip in support for ACT was due to National's bump in the poll.
"I don't think that ACT has done anything negative that gives people a reason not to vote for the party. Obviously, when another party changes its leader, there's always a honeymoon period. But at the end of the day ... people will look at election time, what is the best way forward for our country? And can this particular party offer positive practical solutions? I think ACT has a very good story to tell on those fundamentals."