Little's preferred PM rating plummets to 5% in new poll — but overall the race is very tight
But overall, the contest remains tightly balanced after a month that saw the Todd Barclay and student intern scandals.
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Labour leader Andrew Little's preferred prime minister rating drops three points to 5% in the latest 1News-Comar Brunton poll — the lowest rating for an opposition leader for eight years as he equals the low hit by Phil Goff.
It also puts Mr Little below his deputy, Jacinda Ardern (steady on 6%) and below NZ First leader Winston Peters (up 4% to 11%).
National leader Bill English is down 3 points to 26%.
The poll was taken during a period that saw problems for both the main parties, as the Todd Barclay and student intern scandals washed through the media, and Shane Jones confirmed he would join NZ First.
But although TVNZ billed it on social media as "Both National and Labour take a hit after a turbulent month," in fact all parties' movement was within the poll's 3.1% margin-of-error.
And like other recent polls, it finds a close contest between the left and right blocs — or at least if NZ First sides with the left (perhaps they could put aside their differences aired today and bond over woollen carpet).
National (57 seats), ACT (1), UnitedFuture (1)and the Maori Party (2) would win 61 seats between them; Labour (33), the Greens (14) and NZ First (14) would be on the same total.
RNZ's latest poll-of-polls has National and its immediate allies on support that translates to 60 seats, or one short of a majority, leaving NZ First as king maker.
ABOVE: Colmar Bruton's latest survey. The poll was conducted between July 1 and July 5 with a sample size of 1007 eligible voters. The margin of error is approximately plus or minus 3.1%.
Staff Reporter
Mon, 10 Jul 2017
Mon, 10 Jul 2017
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Little's preferred PM rating plummets to 5% in new poll — but overall the race is very tight
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