The centre left has taken a battering, while the right has come out strong and could govern alone, a TV3 poll has shown.
In the preferred Prime Minister rankings, John Key has moved up to 43.2 per cent, while Labour leader David Shearer dropped from 12 to 8.9 per cent, followed by Winston Peters at 6.2 and Russel Norman at two per cent.
Mr Shearer also lost popularity according to a TVNZ poll, in which 13 per cent named him preferred Prime Minister, down from 14 per cent in May.
"I don't think anything's gone wrong - polls go up and down," he told 3 News.
Political commentators said the ranking wasn't Mr Shearer's fault.
"Shearer's problem is that he also has a front bench that's not firing. He can't do everything," former Labour minister and Waipareira Trust chief executive John Tamihere told TVNZ's Q+A.
"Secondly they're restructuring the whole party, thirdly he's succeeded after 19 years of Clark and co, and fourthly you've got a prime minister that is over a whole range of breaking issues," he said.
Shearer's progress was slow, but "he is beginning to grow into the job", said Dr Raymond Miller.
Party rankings in the 3 News poll showed National moving up to 50.6 per cent, Labour was down to 30.8, Greens 11.2, NZ First 3, Conservative Party 1.7, Maori Party 1.6, Mana Party 0.2, and Act at 0.1 per cent.
Prime Minister John Key said the poll showed voters were reacting to action taken by the Government.
"I think the public is responding to the fact that the Government's actually getting on and doing things, and this is a time where the country needs leadership. We need to make decisions and they're seeing action from the Government," he told TV3.
- Abby Gillies of APNZ
