The final Roy Morgan poll before the election has the National-led bloc ahead on 47.5%, compared with 44% for the Labour-led bloc.
National was on 26.5%, down 4.5 points, while Labour gained four points to 27.5%. NZ First was on 10%, ACT 11%, the Greens 15.5%, the Maori Party 1% and Opportunity 8%. Read more at Roy Morgan.
National: Is campaigning to flip Christchurch’s traditionally Labour-held Wigram electorate, with Tracy Summerfield hoping to capitalise on new boundaries and an open seat following Megan Woods’ decision to stand list-only. Leader Christopher Luxon said the election would be close but insisted that National’s economic plan was working. Read more at Newsroom, Chris Lynch Media.
Labour: Leader Chris Hipkins has suggested National was “happy to work with sexist people, misogynistic people, racist people” following Michael Laws’ comments about Opportunity MPs back in October. Hipkins also pledged that a capital gains tax would be the only new tax Labour introduced if elected. Read more at Newsroom, Farmers Weekly.
ACT: Leader David Seymour promised to tackle rural crime, reduce government spending and increase medicines funding. He also warned that a Labour-Greens government could weaken the dollar and increase living costs, while promoting ACT’s fiscal plan to save $22 billion over four years and reduce debt by $12.4 billion by 2031. Read more at Waikato Times, 1 News, ACT.
NZ First: Claimed credit for securing an extra $258 million for St John’s ambulance service through its coalition agreement. The party also pushed back against a hitpiece of its Botany candidate Craig Stobo after the media reported claims of his requests to combine private and official overseas travel while chairing the Financial Markets Authority. Read more at Winston Peters on X, NZ Herald.
Greens: Co-leader Marama Davidson has criticised National for receiving $499,000 in large donations, accusing wealthy donors of seeking political influence. The party have proposed a cap of $30,000 on political donations, a ban on corporate donations and a public register of lobbyists. Read more at Greens.
Maori: The party confirmed it would repeal the Fast-track Approvals Act, oppose regulatory relief provisions and reject proposed changes prioritising commercial development on conservation land. It would also consider repealing or amending the Planning Act and Natural Environment Act, while strengthening environmental protections and public participation. Read more at Scoop.
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