Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Labour's poor showing in recent polls does not spell the end of her political reign, saying New Zealanders will vote on the issues that matter to them.
The Prime Minster answered with an emphatic "no" on Newshub Nation when host Simon Shepherd put to her the results could mean they won't win the next election.
"First of all because what most polls are showing is a neck-and-neck race, which is MMP government," Ardern said.
"There is a year before the election and you know why I am confident is because we are not asking New Zealanders to vote just on what we say but on what they have seen."
In the last Newshub-Reid Research poll in May Labour dropped to 38.2 percent against National's 40.5 percent.
It was the first time Ardern's government had fallen below 40 and even with the Green Party, who polled at 8.4 percent they wouldn't have enough to govern.
On the poll results National would have 51 seats and Labour 48, which if they sided with the Greens on 10 would leave them three seats short.
The polls paint a very different picture to the 2020 election when Ardern and Labour, fresh off a COVID-19 policy that had been the toast of the world, swept back into power. On that night Labour won 65 seats against a vanquished National Party's 33 seats.
Ardern told Newshub Nation 2020 the three years since then were far from normal.
"Next year will be a classic MMP election, Labour has won those tight elections before because we have campaigned on what New Zealanders care about."
She acknowledged the cost of living crisis will be the major factor in the 12 months to the next election, but there are other issues New Zealanders want results on.
"The most important issues New Zealand will be looking to next year is who is going to make sure I can access decent healthcare, education, who is going to ensure we have low unemployment and dignity of work for all.
"Who is going to focus on the cost of living and that will be us," Ardern said.
Ardern stopped short of saying what reforms Labour, if successful at the election, would bring in saying the main focus for the next 12 months was the cost of living crisis.
"What we have shown is that no matter what comes our way we will focus on issues New Zealanders care about so yes the cost of living but also housing, child poverty, mental health and climate change."
Rumours have been swirling Ardern may quit as Prime Minister either before the election or during the next term, should she win. But again she shut these down.
"I am not going anywhere," she told Newshub Nation.
