Maori Party backers split about coalition

Maori Party supporters are split down the middle on whether their party's coalition with the National Government has produced results. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Maori Party supporters are split down the middle on whether their party's coalition with the National Government has produced results, a new poll says.

Results came from a Te Karere digi-poll, which surveyed 1002 Maori voters on the general and Maori rolls by telephone between January 6 and 28, and included a question just for Maori Party voters, about a third of all respondents.

Of that group, 48.3 per cent thought the coalition had been beneficial while 45.7 per cent did not, while a further 6 per cent did not know. Other questions were for all Maori voters.

On the new bill to replace the Foreshore and Seabed Act only 23.6 per cent backed it, 38.7 per cent opposed it and 37.6 per cent did not know.

Asked if the Maori Party should support the new bill to become law 30.8 per cent said yes, 32 per cent said no and 37.2 per cent did not know.

In the first tranche of results released yesterday the poll found Maori voters preferred Labour (36.9 per cent) over National (16.8 per cent), but supported John Key as prime minister (26.8 per cent) over Phil Goff (6.4 per cent). Support for the Maori Party was 36.2 per cent.

Just over half the voters, 50.7 per cent, did not think the Government was heading in the right direction, while 39.3 per cent said it was.

The margin of error for the poll was 3.1 per cent.

- NZPA