KEY POINTS:
The latest Roy Morgan political poll shows support for both Labour and National slightly down although National has a 14-point lead over its rival.
The poll, published yesterday, puts support for Labour down two points to 34 per cent while the National Party is down one to 48.5 per cent support.
In this poll, the Green Party's vote was up 2 per cent to 8.5 per cent while support for New Zealand First was down 0.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent support.
Act was on 1 per cent (down 0.5 per cent), the Maori Party on 2 per cent (up 0.5 per cent), United Future was on 1.5 per cent (up 1 per cent) and the Progressive Party was on 1 per cent (up 0.5 per cent).
Polster Gary Morgan said National leader John Key and his party would be pleased with the position they were in.
The poll sampled 1000 voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 per cent.
On the weekend, TV One's Colmar Brunton poll had National on 52 per cent with Labour on 36 per cent support - giving National a 16 point lead.
In its May poll, National was on 56 per cent and Labour 31, a 25 point gap.
Asked about the Colmar Brunton poll, Prime Minister Helen Clark said the trend - which had shown Labour clawing back ground on National - was positive.
She believed the gap between National and Labour was less than that shown in the Colmar-Brunton poll, which she said seemed to consistently favour National. She also believed Labour's July 1 policies - KiwiSaver, 20 hours free early childhood education and cheaper doctors visits - would take time to sink in. The poll sampled 1000 voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 per cent.
UMR Research's June quarterly report said the past three months had seen National's lead over Labour increase from 14 per cent in April to 16 per cent by late June. That 16 point gap was the largest lead National had had over Labour since September 1996.
At the end of the last quarter, National had had a 7 per cent lead, making its lead by the end of June significant, the report said. National had started the second quarter polling at 49 per cent and ended the quarter on 50 per cent.
Labour was polling at 35 per cent in April and ended the quarter at 34 per cent. The Greens ended the quarter on 8.5 per cent support, NZ First 2.8 per cent, Maori Party 2.1 per cent, United Future 0.9 per cent and ACT 0.8 per cent.
The UMR poll surveyed 750 people and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 per cent.
- NZPA
