WELLINGTON, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Support for New Zealand's two main political parties has slipped, while New Zealand First has surged into double digits, according to a new political poll on Monday.
The survey of 1,003 eligible voters conducted between Feb. 7 and 11 showed the ruling National Party down two points to 34 percent and the opposition Labor Party down three points to 32 percent.
The Green Party rose four points to 11 percent, New Zealand First gained one point to 10 percent, ACT increased one point to 9 percent, and Te Pati Maori (the Maori Party) edged up to 2 percent, according to the latest 1News Verian poll.
Based on these results, the governing National-ACT-New Zealand First bloc would hold a comfortable 65-seat majority over the left bloc's 59 seats, it said.
In preferred prime minister ratings, National leader Christopher Luxon, the current prime minister, and Labor's Chris Hipkins tied at 20 percent, with New Zealand First's Winston Peters on 10 percent, the poll showed.
Voters rated the coalition's overall performance at an average of five out of 10, with optimism about the economy also declining. ■