National will not build houses for first-home buyers, meaning the policy is a clear difference with a Labour-Green Government.

Prime Minister John Key says the poll result is not a sign the current system is failing.

"We don't think it's necessary because that's 100,000 homes over 10 years," he says.

"We're going to build 100,000 homes under our programme in about 3.5 years."

Labour would fund the KiwiBuild programme with a revolving loan that is repaid once the houses are sold.

Leader Andrew Little says the result vindicates the policy and is proof it's not only popular, but Kiwis believe it's one of the best solutions to the crisis.

"People do expect when we do have a crisis of the nature we've got - a shortage of houses across the country - that if the private sector can't do it, then the Government needs to step in and lead a building programme," says Mr Little.

Greens co-leader Metiria Turei is also welcoming the result, saying it flies in the face of the Government's vehement opposition to a mass-scale house-building programme.

"National will not do it because they are so fixed in their ideology," she says.

"I mean, they just launched a billion-dollar fund which had nothing to do with building new homes. They have no new ideas and I think that's why they're failing."

The poll of 1000 people was taken between July 22 and August 3 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

Newshub.