Labour 'needs Maori'

Prime Minister Helen Clark is warning against continued vote-splitting in the Maori seats, saying Labour's failure to win Maori electorate MPs could undermine its chances of governing.

She is sure that Labour this time will win most of the party vote from Maori electorate voters.

But she is worried that an electorate vote for the Maori Party would create an "overhang" - more than the usual 120 MPs - and increase the numbers needed for a majority.

"Not to have Labour Maori MPs could fundamentally weaken Labour's chances of going back into Government," she told the Weekend Herald in an interview.

"I think there is a real debate in Maoridom as to the wisdom of splitting votes."

Maoridom's desire to have a Labour Government returned would be "fundamentally undermined by Maori Party candidates winning seats because of that party's refusal to rule out supporting a National Government."

Last election, 48 per cent of voters in Maori electorates split their votes, giving their party and electorate votes to different parties.

An overhang is created when a party wins more electorate seats than it is entitled to under its nationwide party vote.

If the Maori Party won three per cent of the party vote nationwide, its last Herald DigiPoll rating, and co-leader Tariana Turia kept her Te Tai Hauauru, it would be entitled to four MPs in Parliament.

But if it won the same party vote but won all seven Maori seats, Parliament would have three extra MPs.

Under present polling, the return of Progressives leader Jim Anderton in Wigram is also classed an overhang - it is registering only 0.1 or 0.2 per cent in the polls - and together with the Maori Party overhang would create a 124-seat Parliament. That means Labour would need 63 votes to govern, rather than 61.

Helen Clark is urging Maori to give Labour both votes.