Poll to PM: Don't sell our assets

Prime Minister John Key. Photo / APN

Voters do not like National's plans to sell shares in Air New Zealand and other state assets but they are not abandoning the party, a Herald-DigiPoll survey shows.

The party's popularity has not been dented despite a large majority of voters opposing one of its main policy planks for the election in six months - a partial sale of some state assets.

With 54.4 per cent support from decided voters, National has kept its commanding lead over Labour, which is on 33.7 per cent.

If the poll were converted to an election result, National would be able to govern alone without needing any of its present support parties, Act, the Maori Party and United Future.

Prime Minister John Key has a huge lead in the preferred prime minister poll with 67.7 per cent support, ahead of Labour leader Phil Goff on 11.9 per cent.

The new Mana Party's leader, Hone Harawira, appears on the preferred prime minister list for the first time with 1.6 per cent support, slightly ahead of Act's new leader, Don Brash, on 1.2 per cent.

Mr Key outlined his state assets policy in January, when he proposed selling up to 49 per cent of state-owned energy companies Mighty River Power, Meridian, Genesis and Solid Energy and reducing the Government's 75 per cent shareholding in Air New Zealand.

It is now firmly cemented into Budget forecasts - plans to turn the $16.7 billion deficit into surplus in four years are based on the asset sales raising $5 billion to $7 billion.

Opinion in the poll was more evenly divided over the Budget changes to the KiwiSaver scheme, which has 1.7 million savers.

The changes will halve the Government's contribution, increase minimum contributions by savers and employers and tax the employers' contribution.

Asked about the changes to contributions, 48.3 per cent of those polled disapproved and 40 per cent approved.

But perhaps one of the reasons National has maintained its huge lead is that a majority of people don't feel worse off, despite a strong Labour campaign on the cost of living.

Almost 60 per cent of people felt their financial situation had improved (9.2 per cent) or was much the same (50.1 per cent).

If the ratings were translated into an election result, National would win 67 seats, Labour 42, and the Greens 7 (assuming United Future and Act retained their electorate seats and the Maori Party kept four).

The polls suggests that Act's support has risen since Dr Brash ousted Rodney Hide as party leader last month - from 0.9 per cent five months ago to 1.7 per cent now.

But with that rating, Act would have only two MPs in Parliament.

The full party vote results (with December 2010 results):
National 54.4 (52.4)
Labour 33.7 (37.2)
Greens (5.5 (5.3)
NZ First 2.7 (2.5)
Maori Party 1.5 (1.2)
Act 1.7 (0.9)
United Future 0 (0)
Progressives 0 (0)

8.1 per cent of the 750 people polled on the asset sales question were undecided or refused to answer. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.6 per cent