Labour on track with final NZ poll

Kiwis are set to hand Ms Ardern a second term as prime minister in Saturday's election according to a TVNZ poll released on Thursday night.

The Colmar Brunton poll has Labour on 46 per cent (down one), with National well behind on 31 per cent (down one).

Replicated in parliamentary seats, Labour would win 59 of the 120-seat parliament, meaning they would turn to existing governing partners the Greens for support.

The Greens and right-wing minority party ACT both scored eight per cent.

The poll was released an hour before the final of four leaders debates of the drawn-out election, in which Ms Ardern made the admission.

"I've been around politics long enough to know that if you don't successfully lead your party through an election, that it is time to move on and so that's what I would do," she said after the debate.

"My message would be that if people don't want to see me resign then to vote for Labour."

The Greens will take heart from the poll, rising two points to be well clear of the five per cent threshold parties need to win seats.

New Zealand First, polled three per cent, which if replicated on polling day would see the end of Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters' political career after four decades.

The Greens appear to have benefitted from a relentless focus from the Nationals on one of their core policies; a wealth tax.

The proposed tax would hit Kiwis with an individual wealth of more than $NZ1 million ($A929,100) - around six per cent of the population - asking them to pay one per cent of their wealth above that mark each year.

Opposition leader Judith Collins has screamed black and blue that Labour will adopt the policy.

"Labour have already promised to raise income taxes, but the wealth tax will be a point of pride for a Labour-Green government desperate to raise revenues to pay off its spending," Ms Collins said.

"Having sprayed money at short term solutions to the economic crisis, their wealth tax will be a way to pay off the debts they have racked up.

"National believes there is a better way to get our economy back."

Like many countries, New Zealand has engaged in massive stimulus spending to support citizens through the COVID-19 crisis, ruining its budgetary surplus.

Ms Ardern's response has been to propose a modest income tax hike on the top-earning two per cent.

The Labour leader repeatedly said the wealth tax would be a non-starter, claiming to have ruled it out "around 50 times".

Ms Collins' scare campaign has been given fuel by the Greens themselves, who want to use the wealth tax to alleviate poverty.

"We're going to put it up for discussion (and) we will continue to talk about why the wealth tax is important," co-leader James Shaw said.

Ms Ardern insists it's a non-starter.

"I've ruled it out because in our view ... now is not the time for experimental tax policy," she said.

Australian Associated Press