Greens unfazed by poll drop, vow to keep pushing government

Despite a fall in the latest 1News poll, the Green Party says it remains focused on holding the coalition Government to account because people are “tired”.

The 1News Verian poll of 1007 eligible voters, conducted late last month and released on Monday, shows the left bloc losing two seats, dropping to 58. The governing parties maintain a majority, while National rises to 36 per cent and Labour to 35 per cent.

The ACT Party climbed to 10 per cent, strengthening the right bloc, while Te Pāti Māori sits at one per cent. The Greens fell four points to seven per cent.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Green MP Teanau Tuiono says the poll results are not a cause for concern.

“The polls bounce around. Who knows how these things work and how they'll shake out. It’s really important for us to keep doing the work, putting our heads down and keep pushing this government. Highlighting all the different things, all the terrible things I think that they're doing to our people,” Tuiono says.

He cites workers’ rights as an example, saying that a forthright bill would override a Supreme Court ruling that confirmed Uber drivers are legally employees, granting them rights such as holiday pay, sick leave, and minimum wage protections.

Lalogafau Mea'ole Keil (right) is one of the Uber drivers who won their case in the Supreme Court. Photo/Supplied

The case was brought by four drivers, including Sāmoan driver Lalogafau Mea’ole Keil and found that Uber tightly controlled drivers’ work and could no longer classify them as independent contractors.

“When I talk to people, especially when I talk to workers because that's one of my portfolio areas, they are tired of being continuously attacked by this government. At the end of the day, what we want is for people to be able to have good lives, put food on the table and keep the lights on,” Tuiono says.

The Greens are also keeping pressure on ministers over environmental issues. Tuiono says questioning Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones during Scrutiny Week over the Our Marine Environment 2025 report, which found New Zealand’s coastal waters are warming 0.19 to 0.34 degrees Celsius per decade - 34 per cent faster than the global average.

Listen to Teanau Tuiono’s full interview below.

“So, pushing him there, and I've asked him questions before in the House about that as well. That's what we need to do,” Tuiono says. “You might not like climate change or believe in it, you might be fully in the pocket of industries, but these things are happening and you need to do something about it,” Tuiono says.

The 1News poll also shows rising economic optimism, with 42 per cent of respondents expecting improvement over the next year, though 30 per cent remain pessimistic. Tuiono believes the public wants the Government’s “feet on the fire”.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told 1News the results give him confidence in the country’s future. Labour leader Chris Hipkins welcomed his party’s boost, saying he is encouraged by the increase.

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones raised concerns about fish "heading to Te Waipounamu". Photo/RNZ/Mark Papalii

ACT Party leader David Seymour says their rise reflects growing public support for ACT’s position while Te Pāti Māori’s drop suggested, in his view, a lack of clear purpose.

RNZ reports that Jones pointed towards the shift of fisheries resources toward Te Waipounamu reflects a drift south that he has “seen in [his] lifetime”. He argues the movement likely reflects changing ocean conditions rather than an immediate cause for fishery closures.

Jones told the Primary Production select committee the Government will seek “smart regulatory responses” to manage fish stocks as species’ ranges shift, rather than impose what he called burdensome restrictions on industry.