National’s support has dropped, according to a new poll, and Labour’s has increased as the gap between the two parties closes.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was down five percentage points to 27.7% in the preferred PM rankings and Labour leader Chris Hipkins jumped 4.3 points to 16.9%.

It comes amid protest action against the Government’s decision concerning the redevelopment of Dunedin Hospital and its progression of fast-track consenting legislation.

The Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll for October showed National support dropping 4.1 percentage points to 34.9% – its lowest result in 15 months from the polling outfit.

Labour’s 30.3% result was up 3.6 points on the last poll in September.

The Green Party dropped slightly, 0.6 points, to 10.4%. Act was up almost one point to 9.7%. New Zealand First had a similar increase to 7.6% while Te Pāti Māori fell two points to 3%.

One thousand people responded to the poll, which had a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.

The poll, collected between October 3 and 7, would mean National dropping four seats to 44, Labour gaining five to 38, Greens being down one to 13, Act up one to 12, NZ First up one to 9 and Te Pāti Māori remaining on 6.

Together, National, Act and NZ First had dropped two seats from the last poll to 65, while the other three parties collectively would get 57.

That would require National and Act to join with NZ First to form a government.

In the preferred PM stakes, Luxon and Hipkins were followed by Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick (9.9%, up 2.7 points) and NZ First leader Winston Peters (8.4% up 1.7 points).

Also included were former PM Dame Jacinda Ardern, current Act leader David Seymour and the two Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

Declining support for National comes after a mass protest of the Government’s decision to review the planned build for a new hospital in Dunedin.

Luxon, while in Dunedin after severe flooding, was hassled by upset locals after the Government claimed the cost of the project would blow out to near $3 billion and it needed to be re-evaluated.

The Government had also made announcements relating to its fast-tracking consenting legislation, detailing what projects had been approved for potential fast-track consenting.

The legislation was opposed by environmental groups, who feared how the developments would impact the environment.

Prime Minister: ‘I just don’t care’

Luxon briefly commented on the poll results while in Vientiane, Laos, for the East Asia Summit.

When asked about National’s drop and Labour’s rise in the poll, Luxon said: “Whether we go up or down in the polls, as you know, I have the same position, which is I just don’t care.

“I’m focused on making sure I deliver for New Zealanders and we’ve got a plan – our plan is starting to work – and my job is to demonstrate to New Zealanders for 2026 that the country’s in better hands and is in a better place as a result of our Government.”

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.