'Bugger the polls!'

But let's face it, we can't help ourselves from looking every time a new one comes out.

This far out from an election, it doesn't matter much which mob has, in theory, got its nose in front, and yet, the Hound struggles to believe that, according to the Curia poll, the left-of-centre bloc is polling stronger than the other mob so soon after sending the country to the bottom of the OECD economic rankings.

The old 'right way, wrong way' indicator has swung into the red too, suggesting that for PM Luxon and friends the honeymoon is over and the people want to see material improvements, particularly in terms of the economy and cost of living - easily the priority issues, according to this poll.