Clark turns away from attacks

By VERNON SMALL and HELEN TUNNAH

Helen Clark has dropped her attacks on potential coalition partners and is promising a week of positive campaigning as polls show she is unlikely to win an absolute majority.

In the past week the Prime Minister has attacked the Greens for having "fantasy policies" that would cost jobs, said Labour was "once bitten, twice shy" of relying on New Zealand First, and accused the Alliance of making up a poll that showed Laila Harre ahead in the key Waitakere seat.

But despite Labour newspaper advertisements that have continued to attack NZ First leader Winston Peters and the Greens, Helen Clark backed off yesterday.

"I'm not really interested in discussing any other party this week. I'm focusing on Labour's programme, Labour's record, Labour's leadership and the job we can do for New Zealand," she said during a campaign stopover in Lower Hutt.

She also withdrew claims that a poll in Waitakere conducted by Alliance leader Ms Harre's husband, Barry Gribben, had been made up.

Dr Gribben had contacted her yesterday.

"I accept Barry's word that they did a poll. I just don't think the result really bears out what's happening on the ground."

But Helen Clark did not apologise for her comments.

She said the Alliance had claimed last week that they had a poll which put them ahead in Tainui. But a DigiPoll survey of the Maori seats had shown Labour well ahead in Tainui.

Helen Clark said she did not believe, despite yesterday's Herald-DigiPoll survey, that there was a possibility the centre-right could form the next Government.

"What people are focusing on is a Labour-led Government and they are starting to think, 'Well, what will the configuration be'."

The snap poll showed Labour down six points to 40.8 per cent. Together National, Act, NZ First and United Future would have won 60 seats in the 120-seat Parliament.

United Future leader Peter Dunne, whose support jumped to 6.6 per cent, has said he is prepared to negotiate with Labour or National to form a Government.

Yesterday, Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons sought to re-establish her party as Labour's natural coalition partner.

Green support has slumped from a high of 11.3 per cent in last Wednesday's Herald-DigiPoll to just 6.9 per cent in yesterday's survey, behind both NZ First and Act and only just ahead of United Future.

The same poll also showed Labour support has fallen to just under 41 per cent, making it more likely that Labour will have to talk coalition deals after the election.

The Greens have said they would enter a formal coalition only if their support base was significant, around 10 per cent.

Ms Fitzsimons said yesterday that Labour voters would prefer a deal with the Greens rather than NZ First or United Future.

"Helen has created the idea that Labour and the Greens couldn't possibly work together and I think that has contributed to the polls.

"In fact, that's nonsense. Labour and the Greens have worked together over the last three years. We can work together again."

She said the Greens' tactics this week would be to get their core policy messages on health, education and the family to voters.

A New Zealand Election Study tracking of poll results suggests the Greens' slide in the polls has followed last week's release of Nicky Hager's book claiming GM corn had been grown in New Zealand.

Full news coverage:
nzherald.co.nz/election

Election links:
The parties, policies, voting information, and more

Ask a politician:
Send us a question, on any topic, addressed to any party leader. We'll choose the best questions to put to the leaders, and publish the answers in our election coverage.