Judith Collins says she will not stand down as leader if National loses the election.
Collins was fending off the bad poll blues on Sunday as the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll shows National is on 29.6 percent up 4.5 points.
"We're getting a very good vibe on the ground," she told Newshub.
In fact, after her strongest week yet on the campaign, Collins is in a fine mood. She's digging in for the long haul, telling Newshub she will not resign if National loses the election.
"Certainly not," she said, adding that she will "absolutely" stay for another term.
Even if National is under 30 percent on election night, Collins said she will "certainly not" stand down as leader.
It may not be up to her - as Collins well knows it's often disgruntled MPs who make that call, and Collins once set 35 percent in a poll as her sacking point as leader.
"People know we've been through some difficulties," she said.
It's the understatement of the century. The National Party has had a mare, and its mega tax cut election bribe wasn't the game-changer the party needed it to be.
Newshub asked Collins if the message got lost in the myriad of fiscal holes in its alternative budget.
"It doesn't matter," she said. "The fact is, it's all about people will get $3000 in their pockets."
But despite holding an outright majority on Newshub's poll, Labour leader Jacinda Ardern isn't banking the votes.
"We haven't had an MMP election deliver those kinds of results before, which is why of course we are not complacent, campaigning every day for a strong mandate," Ardern told Newshub.
But she is allowing herself time to pat and ponder how much simpler life could be on her own.
"It will make it easier for us to progress with our recovery plan for the economy," she said.
Though unlike Collins, Ardern is not carving out time for leadership ambitions beyond this election.
"It would be very premature to think about anything other than that," she said.
On the latest preferred Prime Minister numbers she probably could.
- Ardern is still meteoric on 53.2 percent but the post-COVID-19 shine has dulled - she's down 8.8 points.
- Collins is on a reasonable 17.7 percent up 3.1 points.
Collins seems confident she can turn things around for National.
"Our polls are obviously different from what you've got," she said.
She's counting on picking up the undecided voters.
"We've got another few weeks to go and I'm going to work for every single vote."
The problem is, so is Ardern.
The latest Newshub-Reid Research poll was conducted between 16-23 September 2020, and 1000 people were surveyed - 700 by telephone and 300 by internet panel. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
