PM Chris Hipkins responds to poor poll results, claims of massive fiscal hole

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says it’s ‘game on’ for October’s election despite Labour continuing to drop in the polls.

Last night’s Newshub Reid Research poll found Labour had dipped 3.6 percentage points to 32.3 per cent, while National had bumped up 1.3 points to 36.6 per cent.

Combined with Act’s 12.1 per cent, the two right-leaning parties would get 63 seats and enough to form a majority in the 120-seat Parliament.

The Greens were up 1.5 points to 9.6 per cent. Te Pāti Māori was down 0.8 points to 2.7 per cent.

On those numbers, Labour would get 42 seats, the Green Party 12 seats and Te Pāti Māori three seats. Together this would put the left bloc on 57 seats.

NZ First, whose leader Winston Peters has ruled out working with Labour, was up 1.1 points to 4.1 per cent.

Speaking to media today at the site of a new public housing development in Auckland, Hipkins said he saw no clear winner in recent polls.

Instead, he said the country had been through a bit of a storm in recent times which was contributing to variability in the numbers.

He said Labour would be clear on its bottom lines closer to the election, and what the party would not be willing to shift on.

Winston Peters last year ruled out working with Labour in the next government. Photo / Alex Burton

Finance Minister Grant Robertson yesterday denied claims there was a hole in the Government’s revenue worth billions of dollars as it was confirmed public service chief executives met with Robertson yesterday, with discussion topics including the fiscal outlook and spending restraint.

Hipkins today rubbished those claims, saying they were “totally and utterly false”.

He said the pre-election fiscal update in September would give more information on the deterioration of the fiscal environment.

Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods also denied claims from the Act Party that she had refused to give up money from her portfolios in Government talks about reducing spending, saying Act was “just making assertions”.

“[It] is just wild speculation, there is no truth to that but I think embedded in those comments, we see what the priorities of a National/Act government.

“They do not value investment in housing and I think that people should see that Act is clearly laying out its agenda that once again, we will see divestment in our public housing, not investment.”

Despite the drop in party polling, Hipkins himself received a 0.6-point boost to 24 per cent as preferred prime minister in last night’s poll.

In contrast, National Party leader Christopher Luxon was down 0.5 points to 15.9 per cent.

When asked why the public appeared to prefer him to Luxon, Hipkins today said “I like to think I’m a likeable guy”.

The poll was taken between July 26 and 31, starting two days after former justice minister Kiri Allan crashed her car and resigned after being charged by police.

Newshub also asked respondents about how Hipkins had handled Allan’s resignation, with 53.5 per cent saying he handled it well and 19.5 per cent saying poorly, and 27.2 per cent saying they did not know.

The last Newshub Reid Research poll in mid-May had a Labour/Greens/Te Pāti Māori coalition reaching 61 seats - enough to form a government.

National and Act would only muster 59 seats, according to that poll. Labour was at 35.9 per cent, down 2.1 percentage points.

National was just behind on 35.3 per cent, down 1.3 points.

Act was largely unchanged on 10.8 per cent and the Greens were unchanged at 8.1 per cent.