Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ popularity plummets in first post-election polls

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has been dealt a fresh blow, with a new poll showing his popularity plummeting nine points to 18 per cent in the most recent Taxypayers’ Union-Curia poll.

National leader Christopher Luxon only once polled as low as that since he became leader of the National Party in December 2021. That was in January 2022 when he polled 18 per cent.

Luxon has risen four points to 33 per cent. Incumbents traditionally enjoy a bump in the preferred prime minister poll, while opposition leaders tend to struggle.

Other popular leaders include Act’s David Seymour on 4 per cent, which was unchanged from the last poll

Popular Green MP Chloe Swarbrick is up 0.2 points to 6.3 per cent, while NZ First’s Winston Peters is up 0.7 points to 5.0 per cent.

Unsurprisingly, support for the parties has not changed greatly since polling day.

National fell 1.1 points (compared to the election result) to 37 per cent, while Labour was up 1.4 points to 28.3 per cent.

Act fell half a point to 8.1 per cent, while the Greens were up 2.2 points to 13.8 per cent. NZ First was down 0.1 points to 6 per cent. Te Pāti Māori was up 0.3 points to 3.4 per cent.

This would give National 46 seats, Labour 25 seats, the Greens 17 seats, Act 10 seats, NZ First eight seats, and Te Pāti Māori six seats.

The combined seats for the three right of centre parties would be 64 seats is down three from the election result while the the combined seats for the left bloc would be 58, up three.

Most New Zealanders still think the country is on the wrong track, but the number is shrinking. A net 20 per cent of people believed the country was on the wrong track in November, a change of 10 points since October when a net 30 per cent of people thought the country was on the wrong track.

It is the best result since February of this year when a net 17 per cent of people thought the country was on the wrong track.

Thomas Coughlan is deputy political editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the Press Gallery since 2018.