KEY POINTS:
The Labour Party is confident it can bounce back from a poll result that puts it 23 points behind National. The Fairfax Media-Neilsen survey gives National 55 per cent of the party vote, its best result since Labour returned to government in 1999.
A Labour spokesperson said yesterday it was clear there was much work to be done.
"We have had a solid start to the year. There have been no stunts, just a lot of policy rolled out and we are getting on governing.
"The National Party hasn't released any policy but has instead been saying different things to different groups. This will catch up with them when they eventually say what their programme is."
The poll also recorded a sharp drop in leader Helen Clark's popularity. Clark scored 29 per cent as preferred prime minister, against 44 per cent for John Key.
The National leader was pleased but realistic about the poll. "There's no room for complacency," he said. "It's far from a foregone conclusion."
According to the telephone poll of 1088 people, the Greens would be the only minor party to return to Parliament through the party vote, with 6 per cent support.
NZ First got 3 per cent, the Maori Party 2 per cent and Act 1 per cent.
