The latest political poll reveals a resurgence for coalition parties, particularly NZ First, which has now become the third most popular party. The Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll, released today, shows NZ First surpassing the Greens and ACT for the first time in 2021.
NZ First garnered 9.8%, a 3.2-point increase from the previous poll in June. Following closely behind, the Greens received 9.4%, up by 1.2 points, while ACT maintained its position at 9.1%.
National has reclaimed the top spot with 33.9%, a 0.4-point increase, while Labour has dipped to 31.6%, down by 3.2 points. Te Pāti Māori saw a slight increase to 3.5%.
According to the poll, the coalition parties would secure 65 seats, three more than the opposition’s 57 seats. The surge in NZ First’s popularity coincided with Winston Peters handing over the deputy prime ministership to David Seymour of ACT in May.
When asked about their preferred prime ministerial candidates, Christopher Luxon of National and Chris Hipkins of Labour received 19.7% and 19.6% of the votes, respectively. Winston Peters followed with 9.3%, Chlöe Swarbrick of the Green Party with 7%, and David Seymour with 5.7%.
Respondents identified the cost of living as the top concern at 21.6%, followed by the economy at 19.1% and health at 13.3%. The poll, conducted by Curia Market Research for the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union, has a margin of error of +/- 3.1% and surveyed 1000 adult New Zealanders through phone and online panel.
The results are weighted to reflect the voting adult population in terms of gender, age, and area. Approximately 7.9% of respondents were undecided on the party vote. Curia, a reputable pollster in New Zealand, has recently withdrawn its membership from the Research Association New Zealand (RANZ) industry body.