Will's Word: Coalition Government clings on

Time for a vibe check. The latest RNZ-Reid Research Poll is in, and it looks like the coalition is still holding on.

A bit of a plot twist frankly, given most recent polls have had the opposition out in front. But if you take a closer look under the hood, National, ACT, and NZ First are scraping together just enough to cling on.

It probably helped that this poll dropped after a decent news cycle for the Government.

Luxon was in India engaging in free trade yarns, while Winston Peters was in Washington catching up with Marco Rubio.

A bit of positive media coverage can do wonders eh?

National and NZ First are probably breathing a sigh of relief after weeks of ACT Party-led headlines, whether it was the troubled school lunch programme or the Treaty Principles Bill.

Yet, this isn’t exactly a pop-the-champagne moment for the coalition either because Labour is still gaining ground, which is remarkable given opposition parties tend to struggle to remain relevant or get any media attention.

Then again how much of that is down to Labour’s own doing, and how much of it is simply people just not happy with the direction the current Government is taking us in?

And then there’s the good ole question of whether Luxon or Hipkins are the right people for their respective jobs.

Latest RNZ-Reid Research political poll. Photo/RNZ

The preferred PM numbers for both are pretty damn uninspiring.

But then you could argue that in a world where politics is increasingly dominated by chaotic, polarising figures like Trump and Putin, maybe a bit of boring and beige leadership is exactly what New Zealand needs right now.

Stability over spectacle, as they say.

All up, it was a poll that gave us a good sense of the country’s mood at the moment, but is hardly a political revolution or dramatic shake-up which I for one have an appetite for, how about you?