Public mark Foreign Minister's report card - Poor to average

Winston Peters has failed to find favour with voters as Foreign Affairs Minister, with the latest Herald-Digipoll survey showing almost 40 per cent think he is doing a poor job.

The poll, done shortly after his United States visit and slanging match with journalists, saw just 17 per cent rate him as doing a good job. More than twice as many - 38.9 per cent - thought he was doing a poor job, and 34.9 per cent rated his performance average.

Mr Peters is overseas recuperating from a mystery illness contracted at an Asean meeting in Malaysia. He is expected back next week.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Helen Clark said the 38.9 per cent of people who said Mr Peters was doing a poor job was roughly the same as the percentage who supported the National Party.

"As far as the Prime Minister is concerned, he is doing a good job," the spokesman said. "Fifty-two per cent say he doing a good or average job, that's not bad 10 months into a ministerial career."

In the survey, released this week, National rated 46.4 per cent, a 7.7 per cent lead over Labour.

Peter Cozens, the executive director of Victoria University's School of Government, said asking people how they rated Mr Peters' performance was a a highly subjective question.

"You are asking people who are not informed. With the greatest of respect to the public of New Zealand, how on earth can they make a decision about that? Perception is one thing, performance is another."

Mr Cozens said half of Mr Peters' job involved working with diplomats here, while the rest of it was overseas, and no one was privy to that work. He believed Mr Peters had a good name in the local diplomatic community.