I must confess to have been a little surprised by the poll results. I'd expected National to have improved its position, given the floods and concerns about the cost of living. But Labour's back-pedalling on a number of unpopular or not well understood issues and Chris Hipkin's public demeanour seem to have tipped things a little in Labour's favour (or at least, it lost less than National). Tonight's announcement of increases to benefits and pensions will tip them further. But the difference between the two major parties is slight and is likely to jo-jo in coming months. The most notable change was increased support for the Greens, no doubt helped by increased climate crisis concerns.
