Grant Robertson is the most popular choice for deputy prime minister in a Labour-Green government.
Grant Robertson is the most popular choice for deputy prime minister in a Labour-Green government.
A new NZ Herald-Kantar Vote 2020 poll asked who should be Deputy Prime Minister in a Labour-Green or a National-Act Government - and there is one favourite of each side who is streaks ahead.
While Labour Party deputy leader Kelvin Davis was busy campaigning in his electorate in the FarNorth last weekend, Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson were touted as the party's dynamic duo in a campaign rally in Wellington.
Davis and Robertson are the two most popular figures voters wanted when asked who should be Ardern's Deputy PM if Labour and the Greens formed the next government, according to the new poll.
But it's not a tight contest: 36 per cent chose Robertson, the Finance Minister, and only 14 per cent chose Davis.
The clear favourite for the role in a National-Act Government, according to the poll, is also not the No. 2-ranked MP for the major party - Act leader David Seymour has more than twice the amount of support
than Gerry Brownlee has.
The poll did not ask about a scenario where NZ First was part of the next government, and current Deputy PM Winston Peters was not an option in poll questions.
At Labour's campaign rally on Sunday, Ardern and Robertson were likened to salt and pepper, or cornflakes and milk.
Asked if he wanted to be Deputy PM, Robertson said: "That's not a question for me."
Ardern said she wasn't going to make any decisions on roles or portfolios until after the votes had been counted.
She has given the same answer when asked if either of the Green co-leaders James Shaw or Marama Davidson could be Deputy PM.
Shaw was just behind Davis on 13 per cent in the poll, while Davidson was the least preferred option listed - on 8 per cent.
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Herald political editor Audrey Young has written about the thorny Deputy PM issue for Labour, saying Kelvin Davis' rise to the No. 2 ranking in 2017 was "political expediency".
Young said Davis did not enjoy the role of Acting PM, nor was he good at it, but if he wanted the role in a Labour majority government, no one would move against him.
Robertson as Deputy PM was a far more popular choice (51 per cent) among voters aged 60 and over than among those aged under 29 (24 per cent).
Davidson was more popular among voters aged under 40 (13 per cent), and also among females (11 per cent) than among males (6 per cent).
The clear favourite for the Deputy PM role under a National-Act Government was Seymour on 39 per cent support, well ahead of Brownlee on 16 per cent.
National leader Judith Collins said during the second leaders' debate that Seymour would make an excellent Deputy PM.
"David Seymour is a principled person in my experience and he and I have worked together before. I'd rather have him any day than what Miss Ardern has had," Collins has said.
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Seymour told the Herald he was encouraged by the poll result.
"It's very kind of the respondents in that poll. But my instinct is that I'd negotiate a lot harder for better policy, and my own position as DPM is the last thing I'd negotiate for."
He wasn't ruling it out, though.
"It's certainly an option but our negotiating priority will be policy, rather than positions."
Former leader Simon Bridges was the least preferred option on 12 per cent. He was more popular among male voters (15 per cent) than female voters (10 per cent).
Act has been riding high in recent polls, while the Greens have been hovering just above the 5 per cent threshold needed to return to Parliament without winning an electorate seat.
In both of the governing scenarios, about 30 per cent of voters didn't know or said "none of the above".
Almost one in five respondents - 18 per cent - said they wanted neither Seymour, Brownlee or Bridges to be Judith Collins' Deputy PM, a sentiment that was stronger among women (21 per cent) than men (15 per cent).
The poll was conducted from October 7 to 10 and asked 1000 voters. It has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent.
