Labour and National on level-pegging in latest poll

A new poll has Labour and National level-pegging on 39 per cent support with New Zealand First and the Greens in a tight battle to be the third largest party.

The 3 News/TNS opinion poll has Labour losing a point since last month's poll to sit on 39 per cent while National has gained three points to register the same level of support.

This poll gives NZ First 7 per cent support, down from 11 per cent in last month's poll.

The Greens remained steady on 6 per cent.

ACT was on 1.6 per cent support, United Future was on 1.4 per cent and the Maori Party on 2.2 per cent support.

Translated into seats in Parliament, both Labour and National would each have 49 seats.

NZ First would have nine seats, the Green Party eight seats, the Maori Party three seats, United Future two and the Progressives would get one seat.

This would give an overhang of one seat, creating a new Parliament of 121 MPs. The figures are based on the Progressives, United Future and Maori Party each winning one electorate seat each.

ACT, registering below the 5 per cent threshold needed to get MPs into Parliament without winning an electorate, would be gone.

The don't know/undecided vote in today's poll was unchanged on 12 per cent.

Some 3 per cent of those questioned said they would not vote.

In the popularity stakes, Prime Minister Helen Clark increased support as preferred prime minister from 33 per cent last month to 37 per cent support in this month's poll.

National Party leader Don Brash also increased his support as preferred prime minister from 16 per cent last poll to 20 per cent support in today's poll.

NZ First leader Winston Peters was preferred by 14 per cent (down one point).

Former National Party leader Bill English, Justice Minister Phil Goff, Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons and Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia each registered 1 per cent support in the preferred prime minister stakes.

Questioned on how they were performing, 62 per cent believed Miss Clark had performed well while 41 per cent felt the same about Dr Brash.

The poll, of 1000 voters, was carried out between July 21-27.

It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 per cent.

- NZPA