It's come two months too late for the National Party, but in the first One News Colmar Brunton poll since the election National has taken a clear lead over Labour.
However it's not all good news for party leader Don Brash who now has a potential challenger on the horizon in the form of John Key.
When parliament resumed it was shocked and united after the sudden death of one of its leading lights, Green Party co-leader Rod Donald.
But the amnesty wasn't going to last and National was soon on the attack with deputy leader Gerry Brownlee taking on the governor general over Helen Clark's unusual governing arrangements.
The grouping was on display for the world to see at the Apec meeting in South Korea with Winston Peters' first foray as foreign minister representing a government he claims he doesn't officially belong to.
And there was also coalition confusion at home as United Future swung in behind calls for tax cuts while Michael Cullen brushed the calls aside.
"Every three years you get this ideological burp from Treasury," Cullen says.
So where does this leave the parties? The poll shows National ahead on 44% - five points up on election night. Labour is on 40%, still one better than on polling day.
The Greens, perhaps buoyed by fond memories of Donald, are up two points to 7% while New Zealand First is down one to four. The Maori Party is steady on 2%, United Future is down a point to one and Act is close to its election night result on 1%.
While the assessment of the government's performance hasn't changed much, when it comes to economic prospects there's been a huge shift with just 24% confident about the economy. But more than half of those polled are now pessimistic about the future - a 23 point jump since the question was asked before the election.
In the leadership stakes Helen Clark is down one but still well in front on 39% but Brash takes a big fall, down six to 24%. Winston Peters drops back a point to five.
Brash has struggled to outshine his finance spokesman on the domestic front, while Clark has taken on international challenges, including lending prime ministerial weight to the successful rugby world cup bid. But the big move is National's rising star John Key who makes his first appearance on five percent. And that could make Brash nervous about a future leadership challenge.
But for now the challenge is on Labour as it struggles with its supporting parties United Future and New Zealand First.
