{
  "id": 10539868,
  "title": "NZ election poll watch: minor parties gain as Labour and National slide",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/nz-election-poll-watch-minor-parties-gain-as-labour-and-national-slide",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T21:30:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/nz-election-poll-watch-minor-parties-gain-as-labour-and-national-slide-292993"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Six weeks before the November 7 election, a recent 1News Verian poll revealed a shift in public support. National and Labour experienced declines in their popularity, while minor parties saw an increase. The Greens had the highest poll percentage at 16%, marking a record high for them. ACT's support also rose by two percentage points, reaching 11%. NZ First followed with a 9% increase, while Opportunity dropped by two percentage points to 6%. Te Pāti Māori, a minor party, slightly improved to 1.2%. The combined vote for the right (National, ACT, and NZ First) remained ahead of the left (Labour, Green, and Te Pāti Māori) by a three-point margin. If Opportunity fails to secure a seat and drops below the 5% threshold, the right would likely secure a majority. Nevertheless, Te Pāti Māori could still be elected to parliament with its 1-2% support in Māori electorates, even if it does not meet the 5% threshold in other polls. Polls conducted since July have consistently shown the right holding a lead or deficit against the left, with the most recent four polls (Curia for the Taxpayers’ Union, Freshwater, Anacta, and Verian) all indicating a three to six-point right lead.",
  "summary": "Despite gains for the Greens and slumps for Labour and National, the overall left-right balance remains largely unchanged.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}