Prime Minister John Key and Northland candidate Mark Osborne meet Finn, 7, and Heath Botica during a walkabout in Kerikeri while protest veteran Penny Bright malkes her views known in the background.
Prime Minister John Key and Northland candidate Mark Osborne meet Finn, 7, and Heath Botica during a walkabout in Kerikeri while protest veteran Penny Bright malkes her views known in the background.
Prime Minister John Key has been leading a final push to save National from what could be its first defeat in Northland since 1966 with a whistle-stop tour of the Bay of Islands today.
Two polls in the past week have put National candidate Mark Osborne about 20 points behind NZ First leader Winston Peters.
Mr Key cut short his visit to Japan in a last-minute bid to save the party from electoral embarrassment, heading straight from the airport to Dargaville yesterday and to Paihia and Kerikeri today.
His reception in the National-friendly territory of Kerikeri was warmer than in the Kaipara, where many people were not shy to tell him they were giving their votes to Mr Peters.
Even people who took the Prime Minister to task over the state of the Far North's roads today said they would still vote for Mr Osborne.
One woman told Mr Key her children a missed a flight from Kerikeri airport due to flooded roads, and a flooded bridge on State Highway 1 meant it was sometimes impossible to get to Kawakawa Hospital.
That bridge, over the Otiria Stream at Moerewa, is not on the government's "Ten Bridges" programme.
Another passer-by, Owen Kingi, raised concerns about National's support for one side in the dispute over Ngapuhi's Treaty settlement.
Like yesterday Mr Key was trailed by veteran protester Penny Bright, who was calling for greater transparency over the departure of former Northland MP Mike Sabin and a halt to the TPPA trade deal. She was joined by TPPA opponent Robert Hoyle from Hamilton.
Most of the people Mr Key met, however, just wanted a photograph.
He also visited a kiwifruit packhouse, New World and a honey factory before winding up the campaign at the Pear Tree Restaurant.
NZ First leader Winston Peters was mobbed by well-wishers in Kerikeri today, including steam sawmill worker Willie Pedro.
Meanwhile, Mr Peters is having a marathon of day of the hustings, campaigning in virtually every corner of the far-flung electorate.
Starting in Whangarei he travelled to Kaiatia, then to Coopers Beach, Mangonui, Kerikeri and Paihia. When he stopped in Kerikeri for coffee he was treated like a visting rockstar with a stream of people wishing him luck and wanting to be photographed with him.
He planned to wind up his campaign with visits to Wellsford and Mangawhai.
Under electoral law, his Force for the North bus, which doubles as an election billboard, has to be hidden away by midnight tonight.
List MP Chris Bishop, Prime Minister John Key and Northland candidate Mark Osborne talk to media at a kiwifruit packhouse in Kerikeri.
Earlier in the day, at LD Packers, Mr Key admitted National held off on making more new promises for Northland because of concerns about the way they would be portrayed.
Early on in the campaign, National announced it would upgrade 10 single lane bridges and Mr Key said more announcements were expected. However, none have followed other than a re-announcement of rural broadband policy.
Mr Key said he had pulled plans for some other promises, but would deliver them after the byelection. He blamed the media.
"On balance we decided there were a few things we wouldn't announce - we're just going to do them after the byelection."
That was because of concern the media "would mischaracterise it", he said.
"If I turn up, you say I'm desperate to win. If you don't turn up, you say I'm ignoring the Far North. When we announce policies on infrastructure you say we're trying to bribe people, and if we don't you say we don't care. That's politics."
The ten bridges policy was derided as 'pork barrel' - an attempt to persuade voters by throwing money at the byelection.
In the 3News Reid Research Poll this week, about three quarters of voters agreed it was a bribe. Mr Key said there would be 'promises' around New Zealand, including Northland. Some would be in the Budget in May.
He said the current poll gap was on local issues rather than a vote of no confidence in National. He did not believe National had let down the people of Northland, but said more could be done and the discontent was a result of "decades and decades" of Northland being behind Auckland.
Mr Peters' campaign has been based on "sending them a message" and Mr Key said National had heard that message.
"The people of Northland are ambitious and want Northland to do better. We hear that message loud and clear. We are not naive about it, we have to share resources right around the country - it can't just solely be about Northland."
