What The Poll Shows

The Curia poll that has been trumpeted as a big step forward for the National party should be given closer scrutiny than the headlines allow.

The novelty factor will always mean a boost for a new party leader – Judith Collins received a similar boost when she became leader. And the rise in the potential National vote has come at the expense of Act, with the result that the left/right balance has seen an increase in the advantage enjoyed by the centre/left parties.

Perhaps the greatest significance of the poll is that support for the Prime Minister is increasing – and that suggests that the public are now seeing the pandemic wood rather than the trees. Despite the constant publicity accorded by the media to those who see themselves as disadvantaged in some way or another by some aspect of the pandemic, New Zealanders seem to be recognising that the bigger picture reveals just how well we as a country (under our current leadership) have fared by comparison with the dire straits so many other countries have found themselves in.

The U.S., Australia, the U.K., and virtually the whole of Europe are struggling with case numbers, deaths, economic damage and social unrest whose like we can only imagine here in Godzone. Kiwi good sense tells us that, despite the constant stream of nit-picking criticism, we are facing up to and dealing with an unprecedented crisis in remarkably good shape. We can expect the polls to continue to reflect that level of good sense.