KEY POINTS:
Maori voters still favour Labour for their party vote and back Helen Clark as prime minister against National's John Key, an opinion poll released tonight shows.
In previous MMP elections Maori voters have overwhelmingly supported Labour on the party vote, but this year the Maori Party is campaigning to capture it.
The Maori TV/Baseline Consultancy poll of 420 Maori voters on both rolls showed 52 per cent would give their party vote to Labour, 20 per cent to the Maori Party and 15 per cent to National.
New Zealand First and the Greens both rated 5 per cent, while United Future and ACT received less than 1 per cent support.
Miss Clark was preferred prime minister by 38 per cent, while Mr Key and NZ First leader Winston Peters were both on 10 per cent.
Less than 5 per cent chose Maori Party co-leaders Pita Sharples (4 per cent) or Tariana Turia (3 per cent) as their preferred prime minister.
Of the voters questioned, 70 per cent thought Miss Clark was performing well or very well, while Mr Key gained 36 per cent.
Most of them - 53 per cent - thought National was likely to choose the Maori Party as a coalition partner ahead of ACT, the Greens or NZ First.
And if NZ First was the only party National could make a deal with, 69 per cent thought Mr Key would do it despite his stated refusal to work with the party after the election.
The poll was conducted between September 18 and 28. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 per cent.
- NZPA
