National has pulled ahead of Labour in the latest 1News-Kantar poll for the first time in more than two years, and could form a Government with Act if Te Pāti Māori fails to win an electorate seat and gets knocked out of Parliament. 

National has surged 7 points to 39 per cent to take the lead in the latest poll - the first since January. 

Labour has dropped 3 points to 37 per cent. It is the first time National has been ahead of Labour since February 2020, a month before the Covid 19 pandemic tore through the world and New Zealand was plunged into lockdown. 

National leader Christopher Luxon told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking this morning people wanted strong economic leadership and there was a sense that the Government had lost direction. 

"We've got some big challenges to work through - the cost of living is going to be a big one to work through in the next few years - but we've also got some massive opportunities out there in the world. 

"It's a pretty exciting future for this country. If we can just work our way through challenges and get focused on winning again would be great." 

He said National proposed common sense answers and was now seen as a viable government in waiting. It was important for people to see this country as a place of opportunity. 

He said he wanted the country to be a place where anyone could make their dream come true and a government that enabled this. It appeared we had collectively lost that ambition and aspiration. 

"We want the country to realise its maximum potential economically, socially, environmentally. 

"We want every individual, every five-year-old in this country to have a shot at whatever they want to do in life." 

Luxon said the world was taking off and New Zealand was still playing an "inward" game. 

On the proposed TVNZ-RNZ merger Luxon said he would reject the policy. Describing it as a "dog's breakfast", saying he had no idea why they were doing it and what they were trying to accomplish.