ROSEMARY ABBOTT | National
MAN OF THE PEOPLE
It has been another average day for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, as he and his party’s popularity hit their lowest point in two years.
The latest 1News Verian Poll tonight has National at 34%, only just ahead of Labour on 33%, with Luxon only just ahead of Opposition leader Chris Hipkins as preferred Prime Minister.
But in a shock to political insiders, Leigh Hart, founder of the iconic Snackachangi chip brand has rocketed into the preferred Prime Minister polls with a formidable 4%. This jump is enough to make established politicians Luxon and Hipkins, both only on 20% and 19%, sit up and take notice.
We spoke to regular everyday Kiwis about the latest poll and why they thought the chip magnate has made such an impact..
“Leigh talks like someone you’d find at the local pub, genuine, approachable, and refreshingly unfiltered as well to be honest,” said Katie, 24, from Wellington.
“And he doesn’t sound like everything he says has come from an outdated ChatGPT model”.
From Dunedin, 38-year-old tradesman Dave Nixon shared: “At the end of the day, I reckon he gets what Kiwis want. No fancy talk. Luxon just seems a bit too polished and not quite real.”
Many of the people we interviewed were confused by the question, as they thought that the prime minister and the Snackachangi guy were in fact the same person.
True to Christopher Luxon form, he dismissed the poll with his usual sigh.
“The only poll that matters to me is the one they have on election day,” he said, brushing off questions about why his lead had dwindled and the Snackachangi chip guy was becoming increasingly popular.
He went on to say “What I will say is…” before reciting more AI-generated talking points.
More to come.
