New Zealand Labour party support rises, NZ First remains kingmaker - polls

By Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand’s main parties will not be able to form a government without the support of the populist New Zealand First Party, according to two new polls released on Wednesday, which also saw a rise in support for the governing Labour Party.

In the Oct. 14 vote, the centre-right National Party, led by Christopher Luxon, is expected to emerge as the largest party with 34% of the vote, while Chris Hipkins' Labour Party is sitting on 30% of the vote, the Guardian Essential poll showed.

However, the poll showed neither a right bloc of National and right-wing ACT or a left block of Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Maori have sufficient support to gain more than 50% of seats. The poll indicates that New Zealand First will hold the balance of power.

A Newshub-Reid Research poll also released on Wednesday similarly found the populist party set to play kingmaker come election day. The poll also recorded a slight jump in support for Labour and a dip for the Nationals, who polled at 27.5% and 34.5%, respectively.

New Zealand elects lawmakers using a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system that has made coalitions the norm since it was introduced in 1996.

Earlier polls gave the centre-right bloc of National and the ACT Party a larger proportion of the vote, although most recent polls put NZ First in position of kingmaker.

Both Labour and NZ First have ruled out working together after the election, so the right block will need to form a coalition or partnership with NZ First to form a government.

While Luxon said he is prepared to talk to NZ First after the election, National Party’s campaign chairman Chris Bishop warned earlier this week of the “very real and growing possibility” that a deal between National, ACT and NZ First is impossible to reach and a second election is needed.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Stephen Coates and Gerry Doyle)