The minor party’s steady climb in recent surveys threatens to vex what once appeared an easy route to victory for the right in Saturday’s election, after months of polls showed governing Labour languishing. Led by the maverick, veteran lawmaker Winston Peters, New Zealand First recorded 8.2% in October’s poll – which includes undecided voters in its total – up 2.2 points from September’s survey, and the party’s strongest showing of any major poll this year. Since September’s poll, support stalled for centre-right National, the main opposition party, which recorded 34% of the vote, 0.5 points down from last month. The centre-left Labour party lifted 3.4 points to 30.3%, an 11th-hour boost after months of persistent slumps in the polls. And the final polls in 2005 had National 5 points ahead of where it ended up and Labour 3 points behind.
