New Zealand Labour leader Chris Hipkins' approval rating has plummetted since the 2023 election. (Ben McKay/AAP PHOTOS)

Almost one year since losing office, New Zealand Labour leader Chris Hipkins has plunged further, with the support of just 12.6 per cent of Kiwis as preferred prime minister.

Mr Hipkins led New Zealand from January 2023, taking over from Jacinda Ardern before defeat at the October poll.

He decided to stay on as leader, citing as an inspiration Helen Clark, who lost the 1996 election before winning three terms to become one of the party’s most revered figures.

On Tuesday in parliament, Mr Hipkins conceded his personal figures were poor.

“I’d love to be more popular,” he said.

“I’ve had a lower profile this year, as you would expect, in the first year after a general election.

“We knew that the first 18 months you know of being in opposition was going to be the most difficult to keep our profile up and to keep our numbers up.

“We know what our target is … the next election.”

Mr Hipkins said he didn’t dispute the credibility of the poll – conducted by pollsters Curia on behalf of the right-wing wastewatch group the Taxpayers Union – but said it was an “outlier”, with others affording him more support.

However, in the past four months, no public polling has put Mr Hipkins close to conservative prime minister Chris Luxon as Kiwis’ preferred leader.

Mr Luxon polled 32.7 per cent support, while his National-led government would retain office based on the party vote in the Curia poll.

National polled 39 per cent, with its coalition partners ACT registering nine per cent and NZ First on seven per cent for a comfortable working majority.

In contrast, Labour was at just 27 per cent, unable to reach a majority with other parties of the left, the Greens (11 per cent) or the Maori Party (five per cent).

“People generally will give the government the benefit of the doubt if they’ve just voted for that government,” Mr Hipkins said, shrugging off the poll.

Mr Hipkins will seek answers from the party’s counterparts in the United Kingdom, travelling to Liverpool this weekend to attend the annual UK Labour conference, following Sir Keir Starmer’s monster election win earlier this year.

The affable sausage roll-loving leader, known universally as “Chippy”, said he had “a lot of energy” for the job and vowed to stay on and win in 2026.

“When I look at what this government are doing, taking the country backwards, it makes me more committed to stay on and fight,” he said.