A TVNZ poll released on Monday night is the first in months to suggest Labour may not be able to govern alone if they were voted in for a second term in the upcoming New Zealand Election.
The poll indicated a single point drop in popularity for the Jacinda Ardern led government – taking them to 47 per cent – while the National Party saw a two point increase, leaving them still trailing at 33 per cent.
Opposition Leader Judith Collins, however, seized on the increase, saying “I think people can see that the centre right is coming up and the centre left and the far left are going down”.
She also said a vote for Labour would subsequently be a vote for the Greens Party, as the poll suggested their support might be needed to get Ms Ardern into government.
The slight drop in popularity meant Labour fell two seats short of the 61 required to form a majority government.
Ms Ardern refused to explain what role the minor party might play, and whether a Greens MP would be appointed as her deputy.
“These are just not negotiations I would ever enter into before we’ve even had election day, that would be extraordinarily premature,” she said.
“I’m much more focused on campaigning to earn the right to govern.”
New Zealanders will head to the polls on October 17.
