Source : Perth Now news
It’s still all to play for in the New Zealand election, with the latest polling pointing to an ultra-tight contest.
The TVNZ-Verian poll released on Tuesday night shows National and Labour in a statistical dead heat, on 29.5 and 28.8 per cent, days from the November 7 election.
With help from support partners ACT and NZ First, the right bloc leads the left, but neither side would be able to command a majority.
The key to the election remains new teal force Opportunity, which crashes into parliament with 6.2 per cent, and as the likely kingmaker.
Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong has pledged to try to deal with the party who wins the most seats, but most analysts see them as a more likely for the left.
Prime Minister Chris Luxon also says his National party won’t partner with them, and this week, Labour leader Chris Hipkins told AAP he believed Labour had more policy alignment with Opportunity than National.
However, Opportunity is no sure thing, polling just 1.2 per cent above the required five per cent threshold to enter parliament.
The race is so close that heavyweights from a former era are joining the fray.
Three-term Labour prime minister Helen Clark issued a video aimed at undecided voters, telling them National should be punished for its economic mismanagement.
“If something isn’t working you change it and things aren’t working in New Zealand right now,” she said.
Her successor, National prime minister John Key has also popped up urging a vote for his centre-right party, particularly in close-run seats.
Right-wing parties ACT and NZ First are engineering a split vote campaign that could boost the overall seat count for the right bloc, but at National’s expense.
Should that succeed, a string of key National figures will miss re-election, including Finance Minister Nicola Willis, Defence Minister Paul Goldsmith, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Speaker Gerry Brownlee.
That high-profile campaign has garnered plenty of press in recent weeks, but on the TVNZ poll numbers, may not be gathering steam.
ACT was on 10 per cent, and NZ First on eight per cent, both down two.
The Greens continued their run of good polling results, charting 16, while the Maori Party was on 0.6 per cent.
Mr Luxon is shading the preferred prime minister count, with 23 per cent support to Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ 19.
