Minor-party race heats up with new polling data
The minor-party race has heated up following results from the 1News Verian poll conducted on June 23, 2026. According to an article by Justin Hu for 1news, newcomer Opportunity scored a record rating of 4.6% in the survey.
ACT party response
David Seymour, leader and deputy prime minister of ACT, responded to his party sliding down one point to a 6% result in the poll. The article states that this slide marks ACT's lowest recorded result in a 1News Verian poll during this term.
Seymour brushed off the decline reported by the source.
Labour and National results
Labour fell by five points to finish behind National in the poll results. On projected seats, Labour would hold 64 seats compared to the coalition's 60 if Te Pāti Māori keeps its six electorate seats.
The combined vote for National and Labour was reported as 61%, which is described by the source as the lowest since 1996, the year of the first MMP election. The article notes that Opportunity knocked at a 5% threshold while both major parties recorded falls in the poll.
National slipped down one point to record 29%. This result is reported as its first result in the 20s for this poll series.
Left bloc government projection
According to the source, despite falling behind on vote share, the left bloc consisting of Labour, Greens, and Te Pāti Māori would still form a government based on the number of seats held in Parliament. The article states that on projected seats, the left bloc would hold 64 seats to the coalition's 60.
The source notes there could be a four-seat overhang if Te Pāti Māori keeps its six electorate seats.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon response
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon defended his leadership and framed the political choice. He stated that the alternative was "a big leap backwards to what we've seen before, which caused so much pain and suffering" according to the source context.
Luxon also commented on National slipping down one point in the poll results.