NZ First returns to Parliament under latest 1News-Verian poll

National has gained in the latest 1News-Verian poll, but all other parties currently in Parliament have lost support or stayed steady.

NZ First would also barely scrape back into Parliament on the poll’s numbers – but National and ACT would not need their support to form a government.

• National: 39 percent, up 2 points (49 seats, up 1)
• Labour: 28 percent, down 1 points (35 seats, down 2)
• Greens: 10 percent, down 2 points (13 seats, down 2)
• ACT: 10 percent, down 3 points (13 seats, down 4)
• NZ First: 5 percent, up 1 points (7 seats, up 7)
• Te Pāti Māori: 3 percent, steady (3 seats, steady)

This result would give National and ACT a combined 62 seats, still able to form a government.

However, it’s still a decrease of three seats for the right bloc compared to the previous 1News-Verian poll in mid-August – with ACT dropping four seats, the largest dip – with most of that change soaked up by NZ First.

Chris Hipkins, the incumbent, saw a two-point increase in the preferred prime minister stakes – but not as large as that of Christopher Luxon, up three points. It puts them on an even keel: both on 23 percent.

Preferred prime minister:

• Christopher Luxon: 23 percent, up 3 points
• Chris Hipkins: 23 percent, up 2 points
• David Seymour: 5 percent, down 1 point
• Winston Peters: 4 percent, up 1 point
• Chlöe Swarbrick: 1 percent, down 1 point
• Nicola Willis: 1 percent, down 1 point
• Jacinda Ardern: 1 percent, down 1 point
• Grant Robertson: 1 percent, up 1 point

Respondents who refused to answer or were undecided accounted for 10 percent of responses, a decrease of 2 percentage points from the previous poll, but these were excluded from the party vote and preferred prime minister results.

The poll surveyed 1002 eligible voters between 9 and 12 September, and was weighted for demographics, with a margin of error of 3.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence interval. Full results and poll results here.

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