New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has signalled a campaign tone shift to "fight back" after a shocking poll result showed time running out on his government. Eight weeks before polling day, Labour crashed to its lowest result in a TVNZ poll in six years, recording just 29 per cent support. In contrast, the Chris Luxon-led opposition National party bumped up to 37 per cent, putting it firmly in a position to form a government with libertarian party ACT. "We'd like to be higher," Mr Hipkins said, even claiming underdog status despite their incumbency. To many observers, Labour appears to be sleepwalking to opposition with a series of ministerial blunders, combined with a deteriorating economic environment headlined by the current recession. Including Dame Jacinda Ardern, who left politics in April, nine ministers have left office through retirement, scandal, demotion or poor health this year. It is also unclear what Labour wants to achieve in a third term. One of National's central charges - that Labour is out of ideas - is ringing truer after a pair of announcements essentially co-opted opposition policy. After pressure from Deputy Opposition Leader Nicola Willis' private members bill to offer flexible paid parental leave, Labour has pledged to raise partner's leave. Education Minister Jan Tinetti has also announced a new curriculum that will standardise the teaching of maths, reading and writing - a key National talking point for months. Ms Willis said the government looked "increasingly all over the place". "They can't decide whether they're against our ideas or for our ideas, whether they're Labour or National-light. It depends on what their polling tells them from one day to the next," she said. Speaking as he entered Labour's weekly caucus meeting, Mr Hipkins encouraged journalists and Kiwis to give National's policies more attention. "National is ahead in the polls. With that will come the scrutiny of their policies which they haven't been subjected to yet," he said. "Christopher Luxon seems to be telling people they can have a whole lot of extra stuff and tax cuts and not increased government borrowing. That simply doesn't add up." Mr Hipkins, a congenial bookish Wellingtonian, is a career MP who doesn't mind a parliamentary scrap, but is yet to apply the blowtorch in his campaigning. That is set to change, with Mr Hipkins promising a "vigorous" election without being nasty. "We're going to be fighting back," he said. "There's always a tension between being positive and scrutinising your opponents and they've been scrutinising us very vigorously over the last six months. "I'd say they've been relentlessly negative about the government and we haven't been as negative or as critical about their approach and maybe we should be a little more. While Labour is eight points behind, Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson took great delight in reminding journalists of their extraordinary turnaround to win office. "I was here in 2017. Eight weeks out we were 24 per cent and the National party was 47 per cent," he said. "Now we're 29 per cent and they're 37 per cent. A four per cent swing and this could go either way." At that election, Labour replaced battling leader Andrew Little with Dame Jacinda at this point in the campaign. Can Labour do it without Jacindamania? "We are confident. We're strong. Chippy is on fire. We're ready," Mr Jackson insisted. Australian Associated Press