Paula Bennett has hit back at her party's plummeting polling.
The results of the latest Newshub-Reid Resarch poll were released on Monday, and things don't look good for the Opposition.
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- Tova O'Brien: Simon Bridges' trifecta from hell
For the first time in the 12-year history of the poll (believed to be the country's most accurate), Labour is more popular than National at 47.5 percent to 41.6 percent.
It's a devastating nosedive for the party, but National's deputy leader is already in damage control mode.
"Over 41 percent while just over a year into opposition is doing pretty well in my book," she tweeted in response to Newshub's Political Editor Tova O'Brien.
"We will improve as the realisation of a failed KiwiBuild, higher taxes and rents under this Government continue to play out. Always room to improve but all things considered I'm proud to be a Nat."
That's despite polling showing Labour needs just one seat more to govern alone.
In a follow-up tweet, she denied AAP journalist Karen Sweeney's suggestion that the National's internal polling "must be rough".
Twitter users were largely sceptical of Ms Bennett's relentless optimism, although there were some messages of support.
"Forty-one percent is oblivion and you know it," wrote user @NZdrama_llama.
"You keep singing the same old tune, even though the trend is downward - sure stick to the plan," wrote @Colin_R_Gale.
Some opted for a more visual response, one user posting an image of the National Party logo on fire while another shared a photo of doomed passengers onboard the Titanic.
The poll is bad news for Ms Bennett's boss. Just 21.9 percent of voters said Simon Bridges is performing well, and more than twice as many think he's performing poorly.
He's also down in the Preferred Prime Minister poll, falling 3.9 percent to just 5 percent - lower than Judith Collins who has shot up to 6.2 percent.
The only other Leader of the Opposition to poll so low was Phil Goff, who scored 5.1 percent in the 2010 Reid Research poll.
Newshub.
