Hipkins Popularity Falls as Labour Struggles and NZ Government Succeeds

Chris Hipkins popularity drops to a new low as Labour struggles. Meanwhile, New Zealand's government, led by Chris Luxon, continues to succeed.

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Chris Hipkins, the leader of New Zealand's Labour Party, is going through tough times. It’s been almost a year since he lost the prime minister position, and his popularity is dropping further.

A recent poll showed only 12.6% of Kiwis prefer him as their leader. This is a big fall from where he once stood.

Hipkins became New Zealand’s prime minister in January 2023. He stepped into the role after Jacinda Ardern’s departure. His leadership, however, faced a quick defeat in the October elections of that year. 

Hipkins chose to stay as Labour’s leader after the loss, taking inspiration from Helen Clark, a former leader who also lost but later won three terms.

In a recent session in parliament, Hipkins admitted that his support numbers were low. 

"I’d love to be more popular," he said, with a touch of honesty. He also mentioned that his visibility has been lower since the election loss, which was expected. 

"We knew the first 18 months in opposition would be the hardest. Keeping our profile and numbers up was always going to be a challenge," he shared. 

But Hipkins remains focused on the future, saying, "We know what our target is... the next election."

The poll that showed his low support was conducted by Curia, a polling company, on behalf of the right-leaning Taxpayers Union. 

Hipkins did not dispute the results but pointed out that this poll was an "outlier." Other polls, he said, have shown him more support, though none recently have placed him anywhere near his conservative rival, Prime Minister Chris Luxon.

While Hipkins is struggling to gain support, Luxon appears to be doing well. According to the same poll, Luxon enjoys 32.7% of the vote as the preferred prime minister. 

Luxon’s National Party, along with its coalition partners ACT and NZ First, would comfortably hold onto power if the polls were accurate. The National Party had 39% support, with ACT at 9%, and NZ First at 7%. Together, they would have a solid majority.

In contrast, Labour’s numbers tell a different story. The party is sitting at just 27%, far behind the National Party. Even with support from other left-leaning parties like the Greens (11%) and the Maori Party (5%), they wouldn’t be able to form a majority government.

Even with the low numbers, Hipkins isn't giving up. He believes voters still trust the government because it was recently elected.

"People will often give the government the benefit of the doubt when they’ve just voted for them," Hipkins said, brushing off the low poll numbers.

To strengthen his position and gain new insights, Hipkins will travel to the United Kingdom soon. He plans to attend the UK Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool. He hopes to learn from the success of Sir Keir Starmer, the UK Labour leader, who won a huge victory in the elections earlier this year.

Hipkins has had his struggles, but he’s still upbeat and full of energy. Known as "Chippy" and a fan of sausage rolls, he says he's ready for the challenges ahead.

"I have a lot of energy for the job," he stated, adding that he is committed to staying on and winning in 2026. "When I see this government taking the country backward, it makes me even more determined to stay and fight," he said passionately.

As Hipkins looks to the future, his journey to regain popularity may be an uphill battle. But with his eyes set on the 2026 election, he’s not ready to step down just yet. His story is far from over, and time will tell if he can make the comeback he hopes for.