New Zealand’s ruling coalition leads poll two months ahead of election

WELLINGTON – New Zealand’s three-party ruling coalition is on course to win a second term in office at a general election due in two months’ time, according to a new opinion poll.Support for the centre-right National Party, which has endured a tumultuous few weeks involving an unsuccessful leadership challenge against Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, slid 2 percentage points to 29 per cent, the Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll showed on Sept 7.The coalition’s two smaller parties moved in opposite directions.The populist New Zealand First fell 0.7 point to 8.4 per cent, while the libertarian ACT Party rose 3.2 points to 10.5 per cent. Taken together, the three parties would hold 64 seats in the 120-member Parliament, meaning they would be able to form a government.The poll, which surveyed 1,000 people last week, found the opposition Labour Party fell 1.9 points to 25.9 per cent – its weakest result in more than two years. The survey ahead of the Nov 7 ballot shows both major parties – National and Labour – struggling to win over voters.National has lost support as high living costs and rising interest rates erode its credibility on the economy after pledging to revive growth, while Labour has failed to persuade voters that it offers a compelling alternative.That disillusionment is driving voters to smaller parties, which could play an outsized role in deciding who forms a government.The Sept 7 poll showed the Greens gained 3.8 points to 13.9 per cent.The centrist Opportunity Party, which has registered as high as 9.5 per cent in other polls, drew just 4.5 per cent – below the 5 per cent threshold needed to enter Parliament. BLOOMBERG