Poll: Which party leader Kiwis trust the most

Trust is crucial in politics, and a Newshub poll has revealed how much New Zealanders place trust in election forerunners Bill English and Jacinda Ardern. 

Both are standing firm on their honesty, with Ms Ardern telling Newhub that "trust and integrity is part of the job", while Mr English maintained that "you establish trust and credibility by being able to show that you can do what you said you can do".

When asked, "Who do you trust more?" nearly 43 percent of voters in a Newshub poll chose Ms Ardern, just ahead of Mr English, who's just shy of 42 percent. 

But when it comes to who has the better skill set to run the country, Mr English comes out on top with more than 54 percent - a big lead on Ms Ardern, who's on just 32 percent. 

The poll also shows a huge turnaround for Labour in the Power Rating - an overall look at how leaders are performing. 

For five years, Labour's leaders were performing below par, while National's were doing well. But as soon as Ms Ardern took over, she immediately overtook Mr English, and in the latest poll, she has the highest power rating in more than five years. 

But Mr English alleges Labour can't be trusted, accusing the party of an $11 billion hole in its budget. 

"[They] don't understand how basic fiscals work; they appear not have understood some very basic facets of how government finances work," he said. 

National says Labour has left $9.4 billion in apparent uncosted operational expenses, with an alleged double counting of tax worth $900 million. 

Add the other alleged errors of $1.4 billion and that's a hole National claims totals $11.7 billion. 

Labour refutes the claim, saying it's used a different method to calculate its budget, and that's caused confusion because it doesn't align with National's traditional formula.  

The attack on Labour's budget leaves Ms Ardern with a clear idea of what to expect in the Newshub Leaders Debate on Monday night. 

Newshub.