PremiumOpinionOpinion byThomas CoughlanPolitical Editor·NZ Herald·7 Sep, 2026 07:35 AM6 mins to readThomas Coughlan, Political Editor at the New Zealand Herald, loves applying a political lens to people's stories and explaining the way things like transport and finance touch our lives. Labour leader Chris Hipkins speaks to a packed Business Canterbury crowd at Te Pae convention centre, Christchurch, last month. Photo / Anna Heath. THE FACTS:Labour polled 25.9% in the Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll, its worst result in some time. The poll showed the coalition retaining power. Poor polling has recently led to leadership drama in National.There are no two ways about it, Labour’s result in today’s Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll is dreadful. It polled 25.9%. Let’s give that number some context.
The first major round of speculation about Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s leadership this year occurred when news leaked to the
