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Labour’s Rino Tirikatene looks set to retain Te Tai Tonga, but support for the party in the huge southern seat has plummeted.
A Curia Research-Whakaata Māori poll put Mr Tirikatene on 36 percent, with Te Pāti Māori’s Tākuta Ferris on 25 percent and 18 percent undecided.
Labour was set to take just 31 percent of the party vote, down from 59 percent in the 2020 election.
Excluding undecided voters, Te Pati Māori has improved by Te Pāti Māori support improved 12 points to 18 percent, National was at 9 percent, and the Green Party came in at 14 percent, its best showing so far in a Māori electorate.
Cost of living was the overwhelming issue among poll respondents at followed by health and the economy.
A total of 500 registered voters were polled by landline, mobile and online with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 per cent.
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