Maori candidates force coalition u-turn

Tariana Turia

Polls showing declining support for the Maori Party have caused division among senior party members.

The Herald understands lobbying by party candidates via a conference call on Monday was the catalyst for a u-turn by the party in announcing that coalition talks with the National Party were impossible.

Co-leader Tariana Turia announced after National's treaty policy release in Whangarei that the party could not work with National, and would do all it could to keep it out of Government.

As late as the weekend Mrs Turia had refused to respond to comments by National leader Don Brash, who said the parties did not have enough policy in common to warrant coalition talks. He also pledged to scrap the Maori seats.

A senior Maori Party member who did not want to be named said refusing to distance the party from National played into the hands of Labour's message that a vote for the Maori Party was a vote for National.

The source said two factions had emerged, with one led by Mrs Turia confident the party could win support in both the constituency and party votes.

This faction believed the party could attract the party vote of sympathetic non-Maori if it did not declare potential coalition partners.

However, the source said a "substantial decline" in party support in almost all polls and a "significant decline" in the constituency vote had forced the party's candidates to act.

In a Maori Television/TNS poll released last night, co-leader Dr Pita Sharples was just 6 percentage points ahead of sitting Tamaki Makaurau Labour MP John Tamihere. The same poll in July had Dr Sharples ahead by 38 percentage points.

In the party vote, Labour surged to 55 per cent of the 350 polled, ahead of 25 per cent for the Maori Party.

Dr Sharples said he missed Monday's conference call so could not comment.

Mrs Turia could not be reached for comment.