New Zealand PM Luxon rules out resignation after poll shock

WELLINGTON – New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on March 6 moved to quell speculation he’ll resign after a national poll showed sinking public support for his National Party, which he said still stood firmly behind him.

National dropped 2.9 percentage points to 28.4 per cent while the main opposition Labour Party rose 0.3 to 34.4 per cent, according to the Curia Market Research poll for the NZ Taxpayers’ Union published on March 6 in Wellington. 

The results mark a sharp slide from the 38 per cent National won in the 2023 election and, if replicated in the Nov 7 election, would likely deliver a change of government.

The poll – National’s weakest showing since 2020, when Mr Simon Bridges lost the leadership – fuelled speculation on local media that Mr Luxon may step down as soon as this weekend.

The prime minister, however, ruled out any leadership change in an interview with Newstalk ZB, downplaying the survey and saying National’s internal polling showed he still had support, without providing details.

“I would reassure you, if there was a problem, I would be doing something about it,” Mr Luxon said. “But we are long way away from what we saw being published in the TPU poll today.”

Mr Luxon has faced scrutiny over his leadership style and came under renewed criticism this week after struggling to articulate New Zealand’s position on US and Israeli strikes on Iran during a press conference March 2.

The poll of 1,000 eligible voters was conducted March 1 to March 3.

Mr Luxon and senior ministers are banking on an economic recovery in 2026 to persuade voters the government deserves a second three-year term. 

National governs with the support of the New Zealand First and ACT parties on the right, while Labour aligns with the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori on the left.

Based on the Curia poll results, the centre-left bloc would have a narrow one-seat majority in Parliament. BLOOMBERG