ONE News Colmar Brunton Poll: Feb 09 

Source: ONE News

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They have been in office for just over 100 days and already the country has given a big thumbs up to John Key's new National government.

The first ONE News Colmar Brunton poll of the year shows National rating twice as high as Labour, whose new leader Phil Goff is looking like the invisible man as he struggles to lift his party out of the doldrums.

Key can hardly put a foot wrong right now. The Prime Minister breaks his arm and it turns out to be a boost for charity with his plaster cast selling on Trade Me.

"I'm truly surprised it sold for 18-and-a-half thousand dollars but it does look like good value for money to me," Key said after the online auction.

Even when he got roughed up by two protesters at Waitangi on Waitangi Day, the overall signs were of racial harmony with National and the Maori Party's working partnership setting the tone.

In fact right now the National camp has everything to smile about.

Support for National has soared to 56%. Labour's rating is just half that, the party languishing on 28%. The Greens are steady on 6%, Act and the Maori Party both on 3%, and still 1% of people support New Zealand First.

If those results were translated to seats in parliament, National would have 70 seats, Labour 35 and the Green Party seven. Assuming electorate seats are held, the Maori Party would have five, Act four and United Future and the Progressives one seat each.

The transition of the Labour Party leadership from Helen Clark to Phil Goff was peaceful although that has not helped his profile.

In fact the former defence minister is missing in action as far as the battle for recognition goes.

Key is on 51% as preferred prime minister. Clark is not the Labour leader anymore but still rates 10%, well ahead of the actual leader Goff on just 6%.

The poll sampled 1,000 voters and had a margin of error of 3.1%.