Almost half of New Zealanders support the expulsion of the Russian Ambassador Georgii Viktorovich Zuev, the latest 1News Kantar Public Poll suggests, as the war in Ukraine rages on.

Those polled were asked, some people have called for the Russian Ambassador in New Zealand to be expelled in response to the war in Ukraine. Do you support or oppose the idea of expelling the Russian Ambassador?

Support 47%

Oppose 26%

Don’t know/Refused 27%

The groups of voters who were more likely than average (47%) to support the expulsion were people aged over 55, National supporters and New Zealand Europeans, those more likely than average to oppose the expulsion (26%) were ACT supporters, Māori, men aged 35-54 and people with a household income between $100,001 and $150,000.

There have been more than 600 Russian war crime suspects identified by Ukraine in the International Criminal Court's largest ever investigation, with thousands of Ukrainian civilians reportedly killed in the ongoing conflict.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that expelling the Russian Ambassador "does sit amongst the suite of options that sits in front of every country”.

"It is on the table as a potential prospect, it is not a decision we have taken at this stage. We do have our own people in Russia, they're able to provide support to New Zealanders who are in-country."

On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said there are various considerations around diplomatic representation.

“We also want to continue our diplomatic representation in Russia and obviously there would likely be a tit-for-tat situation there.

“We continue to keep that diplomatic representation question under observation but for now, we’re confident that the measures we’re taking show very strongly that we oppose Russia’s invasion and we’re supporting the people of Ukraine.”

National leader Christopher Luxon has continued to push the Government to expel the Russian ambassador to New Zealand, in April saying it would send a “really strong signal”.

“We said on day one the time for diplomacy was over, that it was finished and there was no intention for a diplomatic resolution to this."

The Russian Ambassador Georgii Viktorovich Zuev was called into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Minister Nanaia Mahuta in February.

Between May 21-25, 2022, 1002 eligible voters were polled by mobile phone (501) and online (501). The maximum sampling error is approximately ±3.1%-points at the 95% confidence level. The data has been weighted to align with Stats NZ population counts for age, gender, region, education level and ethnic identification. The sample for mobile phones is selected by random dialling using probability sampling, and the online sample is collected using an online panel.