Peters rallies troops in Red Square

Winston Peters addressed a lunchtime crowd in Red Square yesterday. Photo / Andrew Warner

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is confident the party will overtake polling predictions when voting closes next week.

Mr Peters made his last public address in Tauranga yesterday with just over a week until the country decides the future government line-up.

More than 150 people gathered in Red Square despite the rain and Mr Peters said the party expected between 150,000 to 180,000 people to party vote nationwide.

He scorned media-based polls and said he would "shred them up" and suggested people could eat them for dinner with eggs, sugar and a touch of golden syrup.

Mr Peters revisited the party's key policies, focusing on New Zealand's economy, unemployment and immigration.

The Bay of Plenty Times yesterday revealed Immigration New Zealand was investigating a potential case of exploitation.

It said Fijians lured to work in Bay kiwifruit orchards were alleged to have received vastly inferior pay and living conditions than were promised.

Mr Peters referenced the case during his public stand-up and discussed the party's immigration policy.

"We must make our diversity a source of strength not division or contention. That is why we have always argued for a sensible and responsible immigration policy.

"That means instead of having the doors wide open, New Zealand First will limit the intake of migrants to levels that do not add to unemployment and do not exert a downward pressure on pay and wages."

NZ First would take the skilled migrants the country needed, not record levels of immigrants, he said.

"Massive immigration is why the real average wage has been virtually static for years - half the workforce got no pay increase last year.

"If you're one of the 140,000 unemployed New Zealanders then our immigration policy will help you get a job."

Mr Peters' wanted to see more New Zealanders in "first world" jobs earning "first world" wages in order to support themselves and become independent from the state.

Tauranga NZ First candidate Clayton Mitchell believed many people were yet to vote and some were yet to decide.

"There are a lot of undecided people out there. I think people are waiting to see what happens in these last few days."

Vandals in office attack

A campaign photo of Winston Peters was smeared with kiwifruit.

Margaret Wilson was confronted with the mess when she arrived yesterday morning to open the New Zealand First's Tauranga office in Cameron Rd. New Zealand First's Tauranga candidate Clayton Mitchell's first thought it was retribution to him revealing allegations of Fijians being duped after being lured to work on kiwifruit orchards in the Western Bay.

However, the neighbouring cafe had banana smeared over its windows so it seemed less likely to be a revenge attack, said Mrs Wilson.

The kiwifruit was smeared over the picture of Mr Peters and the poster advertising his campaign rally in Tauranga's Red Square yesterday - nearly the whole lower part of the office window, she added.

- additional reporting John Cousins