There was no post-Budget bump for Labour in tonight’s 1 News Colmar Brunton poll, taken in the days after last Thursday’s Budget.<\/p>\n
The poll had Labour on 46 per cent, down three points since the last poll in March.<\/p>\n
National was on 29 per cent – up two points and nearly over the 30 per cent barrier again.<\/p>\n
The Green Party was on 8 per cent, down one point and Act was on 9 per cent – up one point.<\/p>\n
The M\u0101ori Party stayed on 2 per cent.<\/p>\n
Judith Collin’s ranking as preferred Prime Minister was on 9 per cent.<\/p>\n
However, Collins’ approval ratings had plummeted to minus 19 (the difference between those who rated Collins as performing well and performing badly).<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had jumped up again in the preferred Prime Minister ranks to 48 per cent.<\/p>\n
Act leader David Seymour’s stocks were also on the rise: he was up two points to 6 per cent – very close to Judith Collins. It was Act’s highest party poll result in the poll since 1999.<\/p>\n
Christopher Luxon had also ticked up a bit more to 3 per cent, and former leader Simon Bridges was at 2 per cent.<\/p>\n
Green MP Chloe Swarbrick was next on 2 per cent.<\/p>\n
1 News also asked Ardern if she would do another term – a question Ardern brushed off, saying she was only one year into a new term and the media were already asking about the next election.<\/p>\n
The 1 News Colmar Brunton poll tonight was taken after Labour delivered its first Budget of the parliamentary term last Thursday.<\/p>\n
The headline item in that was lifting benefit payments by up to $55 a week over the next two years as Ardern moved on her promise to try to reduce child poverty.<\/p>\n
It was criticised by some for offering little to low or middle-income earners – but defended by Ardern for delivering to those who most needed it.<\/p>\n
Labour has not dropped below 61 seats in any poll since election night.<\/p>\n
It is also the first 1 News poll since the transtasman bubble kicked off, and comes amiduncertainty around whether vaccine supply dates could impact on the vaccination rollout.<\/p>\n
National will be keenly watching to see if its ongoing claims that the Government has a “separatism by stealth” agenda are having any traction.<\/p>\n
The last 1 News Colmar Brunton poll in March had Labour on 49 per cent, National on 27 per cent, the Greens on 9 per cent, Act on 8 per cent and Te Paati M\u0101ori on two per cent.<\/p>\n
As preferred Prime Minister, Ardern was on 43 per cent in the March poll \u2013 down 15 points from the post-election December poll.<\/p>\n
Ardern was still well ahead of National Party leader Judith Collins, who was on 8 per cent.<\/p>\n
New National MP Christopher Luxon is also now appearing in the preferred Prime Minister stakes at around 2 per cent support in both polls – Luxon has long been tipped as a potential leader for the National Party.<\/p>\n
A Newshub Reid Research poll 10 days ago had Labour at 52.7 per cent (up slightly on its election result) and National at 27 per cent (also up a bit).<\/p>\n
In the preferred PM stakes, Ardern polled at 48.1 per cent (down 4.5 percentage points); Judith Collins was at 5.6 per cent (down 12.8 percentage points).<\/p>\n
Former PM John Key was higher than Collins on 6.7 per cent, while backbench MP Christopher Luxon was on 2.4 per cent.<\/p>\n