Auckland millionaires spend thousands to influence election

Two Auckland millionaires are opening their chequebooks in last-minute bids to influence the election result - in opposite directions.

Internet security entrepreneur Selwyn Pellett, whose company Endace is worth $70 million on the London Stock Exchange, placed a full-page advertisement in yesterday's Herald urging voters to "do the right thing - tick left".

His advertising, being repeated tomorrow, will cost him $24,000.

But property developer John Sax will spend at least as much on opposing advertisements in newspapers from Auckland to Invercargill tomorrow listing how MPs voted on civil unions, prostitution and a Care of Children Bill which would allow girls to have abortions without telling their parents.

He will not endorse any party. But most National, NZ First and United Future MPs voted against all three bills, whereas most Labour and Green MPs voted for them. Act MPs were split.

Mr Pellett, 48, speaking from Bali where he was on holiday yesterday with his wife and daughter, said he had voted for right-wing parties all his life but now felt Labour had a vision for New Zealand's future which National lacked.

"Labour wants to use new technology to lift the standard of living of all New Zealanders. National has an entrenched position in what is essentially a commodity-driven economy."

Mr Pellett left for two years in Singapore in 1999, under National, and returned to a "completely different" country under Labour in 2001.

"I started two companies. I couldn't believe how much support we got from government agencies. It was not the handouts, it was the coaching, advice, help and encouragement. And eventually, when we got more successful, there was some focused input in handing out cash."

Mr Sax, 50, said he would not disagree with Mr Pellett on economics. "I think Labour has done an excellent job of economic management," he said. "But when it comes back to social policy it's quite different. When you look at the voting records there's a very different ideological agenda."

Two weeks ago Mr Sax launched a campaign, For the Sake of Our Children, to try to halt the trend towards broken families.