KEY POINTS:
3.54pm: Something to declare
National's energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee has defended himself against accusations he should have declared he had shares in Contact Energy. Mr Brownlee had asked questions and given speeches which related to Contact and wider energy policy, the left wing Labour Party linked Standard website said. Mr Brownlee owned shares in the company at the time and should have disclosed them, the website said. Mr Brownlee disclosed the shareholding when the MPs register of pecuniary interests came into force in 2006.
3.48pm: Cheaper car registration in the pipelines
Labour says its planned changes to the ACC scheme would see car registration costs drop by $80 by next year. Helen Clark and ACC Minister Maryan Street have released the party's policy in Motueka this afternoon. They say Labour would introduce an immediate law change to push the full funding of residual claim accounts back from the planned 2014 deadline to 2019. Ms Street says it is becoming increasingly clear the 2014 date, together with the increased cost of claims, will place too high a burden on the public. The result will mean lower payments on some ACC levies, including a drop by an average $80 for the cost of registering a vehicle. That is due to come into effect by the middle of next year.
3.10pm: United talks social policies
United Future MP, Judy Turner, said today her party's social policy would have the effect of "knocking the rough edges" off National, the party it has agreed to support after the election.
"National is often regarded as cold-hearted, tight-fisted and downright mean when it comes to dealing with the less well off," she said.
"It will be United Future's job to ensure that help and resources get to those in greatest need and with as little bureaucratic interference as possible."
3.00pm: Labour acknowledges Maori Party 'deal-breaker'
Helen Clark made a significant concession on TV's Sunrise programme this morning when she said she could see no problem with Labour supporting the entrenchment of the Maori seats, writes Audrey Young in today's election column.
Last week the PM repeatedly avoided answering in the affirmative after Tariana Turia said entrenchment would be a "bottom line" for any party that wanted the support of the Maori Party.
2.40pm: Lock 'em up and throw away the Key
The other day we reported how Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons' plan to arrive in town by rail, to reveal her party's regional transport policy, came unstuck when the trains weren't running in Wellington that morning.
She had to take a bus in the end.
The same gremlins struck National Party leader John Key and entourage in Canterbury today, reports our man on the campaign trail, Patrick Gower.
They were scheduled to launch the Nats' corrections policy outside the bleak grey walls of Rolleston Prison. However, the (in)famous Canterbury nor-wester sprung up with some ferocity during the morning, forcing a move into the less dramatic environs of the Christchurch Courthouse in Victoria Square.
Earlier, Key was shown around the Air NZ factory, where there was a photo op. as he sat in the pilot's seat of an Air NZ jet. Prior to that, he spent the morning reading to the littlies at the The Rabbit Patch Pre-School. "Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there were two leaders, Helen and John ...."
1.47pm: Working towards rehabilitation
National leader John Key says his party would boost the number of prisoners learning industry-based skills and double those receiving intensive drug and alcohol treatment.
"At present, 43 per cent of all prisoners, and 65 per cent of those under 20, re-offend within a year of release, and we must do more to change that," Mr Key said.
"It's a waste of taxpayer money to let these people serve their time without challenging them to change their behaviour - only to release them and then throw them back into prison again when they re-offend."
12.31pm: Nats attack Labour's health system legacy
The National Party's Health spokesman, Tony Ryall, says Labour still can't get the basics of New Zealand's health system right.
"The country woke this morning to read the tragic story of Anita McCall, who died as a result of complications during surgery - but only after waiting 13 months to see a specialist because her records were lost in the system," he said.
"People are falling through the cracks in our health system. Today's tragic story follows strong criticism from the Health and Disability Commissioner last week. With more than 12,000 health bureaucrats, New Zealand should be doing better than letting patients disappear from the health system."
12.16pm: Fishing up the past
Herald reporter Paula Oliver says Helen Clark is on her way to Talley's fisheries in Motueka. There she will meet Peter Talley, the owner, then speak to staff in the canteen. In an interesting footnote, Peter Talley is one of the business people identified in Nicky Hagar's book, The Hollow Men, as a large contributor to the National Party. So it's possible the PM will get a warmer reception in the canteen, than at head office.
10.29am: Leaders head south
Labour leader Helen Clark is spending the day in Motueka visiting a local factory, the town's high school and speaking at a community meeting. The township sits in the West Coast/Tasman electorate, the seat Labour's sitting MP Damien O'Connor may have wrested from him by National's Chris Auchinvole. Today's visit is seen as a sign of the importance for Labour of holding on to the seat. National Party leader John Key will be in Christchurch visiting a preschool, a prison and the city's mayor, Bob Parker.
9.54am: Greens to launch arts policy
The Green Party will launch its arts, cultural and heritage, and broadcasting policies at the Imperial Hotel in Auckland this evening. Green Party Arts Spokesperson Metiria Turei says the arts play an important role in New Zealand's economic as well as cultural development so it's vital to support, enhance and grow the sector.
"Our arts culture is an integral aspect of our national identity. Investing in the arts is a win-win situation on both social and economic grounds." Mrs Turei says she is excited by the strong Maori aspect of the policy, support for the promotion of Maori art, language and culture, and mechanisms for supporting artists in their careers.
9.15am: Debate highlights disagreements on how to manage economy
The televised debate for the leaders of the minor parties is being described as an interesting exercise in how politicians may or may not work together. The leaders of the Greens, New Zealand First, Act, United Future and the Progressive Party lined up for the discussion on TVNZ last night. Political commentator Richard Griffin says Act leader Rodney Hide seemed to be largely out of step with the others when it came to discussions on the economy. He says the other leaders believed the ideas Mr Hide was putting forward to fix the financial crisis would not work.
- NEWSTALK ZB, NZ HERALD STAFF, NZPA
