People spend their day at the "Valle Nevado" ski center, east of Santiago, in the Los Andes mountain range, June 16, 2007.
People spend their day at the "Valle Nevado" ski center, east of Santiago, in the Los Andes mountain range, June 16, 2007. The Chilean and Argentine Andes are a long way to go for a ski vacation for most, but 2014 might be the year to make the trip way south as an expected "El Nino" weather pattern raises hopes of abundant powder. Although not on the scale of the Alps or Rockies, an increasingly impressive string of Andean resorts host modern facilities, relatively uncrowded slopes, and high-quality ski schools. Picture taken June 16, 2007. REUTERS/Stringer REUTERS/Stringer

Labour leader David Cunliffe has regretted going on a skiing holiday if he had known about the poor poll results of his party. He said he has decided to focus on Labour's major policies. Reports said that Cunliffe appeared to stay away the animal testing policy of Labour.

The Labour leader has been criticised for the party's bad poll results and his involvement in a leadership spat. Coming from a caucus, Cunliffe said the party did not criticise him for his decision to take a holiday last week but with the information that he had now, he would never have gone on a skiing trip.

According to a Herald Digipoll survey, Labour had 26.5 per cent while male voter support dropped to 24 per cent. Cunliffe said Labour was amending its campaign strategy which will focus more on major policies.

The Labour party has been performing poorly even in previous polls. In a March survey, it was not surprised when it dropped under 30 per cent in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey. On March 18, Labour dropped to 29.5 per cent, while Prime Minister John Key's National Party rose to 50.8 per cent. The Greens jumped from 2.3 per cent to 13.1 per cent.

Support for Labour and Greens when combined will total 42.6 per cent. The Labour party, led by David Cunliffe, has slumped below the 30 per cent mark for the first time since Mr Cunliffe assumed leadership. His election six months ago was meant to increase New Zealanders' support for the party. However, based on poll results, the move may have backfired.

Prime Minister John Key's popularity has gained by 4.6 points to 66.5 per cent with high hopes for the National party. According to Mr Cunliffe, he was no longer surprised by the poll since Labour has gone through a couple of challenging weeks. He said the party expected to take a hit but now they were ready to move on.

Mr Cunliffe mentioned that Labour is doing its own survey and continues to record the people's support in the mid-30s range.

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said he isn't reading too much into the National party's favourable results. He remarked that it was just another poll and there's still a lot to do to meet the people's expectations.