Brash rules out Maori Party as coalition ally

Don Brash has put the boot into the Maori Party, distancing National from potential coalition talks and instead painting it as Labour's sidekick.

Maori Party leader Tariana Turia has repeatedly said she would be happy to talk with any political party after the election.

She is wary that potential voters might turn their backs if they think the former Labour MP is still too tied to her old party, or that Maori Party MPs will simply give their votes to Labour.

The Tai Hauauru MP is also aware that overly friendly signals to Labour could allow the bigger party to take her support for granted, boxing her in and preventing her flexing some muscle during any potential coalition talks.

But Dr Brash appears unwilling to play along.

He told the Herald National would enter coalition talks with Act and the centrist parties, but "I don't think the Greens or the Maori Party, or the Progressives for that matter, are likely to be keen to talk to us. But I think any of the other three may be".

He raised the prospect of a "dangerous" Maori Party and Labour coalition Government, saying it would spell goodbye to "any hope of ending race-based separatism".

"Labour is preoccupied with the past and together with their friends in the Maori Party, they will keep New Zealand looking backwards, rather than moving forwards."

Mrs Turia said it was ironic "that you have got National pushing us into the Labour lap and Labour running around saying 'a vote for the Maori Party is a vote for National'."

The Maori Party had always said it was open-minded about who it talked to after the election and would not change its tune.

"We will work constructively with whoever our people direct us to."

Mrs Turia said Dr Brash's claims of "race-based privilege" were largely figments of his imagination.

This weekend's Marae DigiPoll found the Maori Party would sweep five of the seven Maori seats if an election were held today.

Results in the Maori electorate have a high margin of error.

But the polls had proved accurate in the past and reflected flaxroots reports.

She was appalled by Labour Party president Mike Williams' references to the Marae polls as "industrial-strength snake oil", but believed it signalled "we've certainly got them on the run".

View from the marae

* A Marae DigiPoll indicates that Labour's hold on the Maori seats is under threat and it might win only two of the seven, Tainui and Ikaroa-Rawhiti, held by Nanaia Mahuta and Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia respectively.

* Total party vote support among Maori voters on both general and Maori rolls was 48 per cent for Labour, 33.3 per cent for the Maori Party, 8.7 per cent for New Zealand First, 5.1 per cent for National and 3.3 per cent for Greens.

* On the Maori roll only, support for Labour and Maori Party is even on 42 per cent; NZ First 7.8 per cent, National 2.8 per cent, Greens 1.9 per cent, and Destiny 1.2 per cent.

* The survey of 1160 Maori voters from the Maori and general rolls was conducted from April 4 to 14. Questions on electorate candidates were put only to the 734 voters on the Maori roll.

* Because the sample of voters each electorate was about 100, the margin of error is 10 per cent and results are indicative only.