Newshub poll: The Opportunities Party is on the rise

The Opportunities Party (TOP) is building on their lead over the other minor parties, with 2 percent of the vote in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll.

That's a 1.2 percent rise since the last poll in March - which had the party on 0.8 percent.

TOP leader Gareth Morgan said it's good news but the party is still far off from the 5 percent it needs to make it into Parliament.

"I was in a cab today and the guy had never heard of us, so we've still got a long way to go," he said.

Newshub poll: The Opportunities Party is on the rise
Photo credit: Newshub

TOP has just finished its second national road tour and Mr Morgan said most of the audience members found out about them through word of mouth.

"That's how we built TradeMe," he said. "No advertising, the whole thing was totally viral. You just say to yourself well if the product's any bloody good they'll turn up."

TOP is polling well ahead of the Government's support parties - the Māori Party, ACT and United Future.

Speaking about Labour's polling, Mr Morgan said the party needs to step up its game to be able to compete with National at the election. He said Labour claims to have a fresh approach but "It's like yesterday's reheated veges."

He supported Green co-leader Metiria Turei's recent admission of beneficiary fraud. "I've come across in our gigs a lot of beneficiaries who are in big trouble…I've had people with their children at our gigs crying," he said.

"Witch hunt welfare puts enormous stress on vulnerable people…in terms of where her guts are, where her heart is, I agree with her."

Mr Morgan called New Zealand First leader Winston Peters a "fiscal flake".

"It's very easy to go town by town and promise people things but the obvious question is where is the money coming from?"

The Newshub-Reid Research poll was conducted July 20-28. 1000 people were surveyed, 750 by telephone and 250 by internet panel. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

Newshub.