Campaign diary: Jim going, going ... gone

FORMER LEADER ON THE BLOCK

Jim Anderton is still good for something in the Alliance. The party held a fund-raising auction on Saturday at its campaign launch and among the items on the block was the 2002 party membership card of the expelled ex-leader, with the word "cancelled" inscribed across it (it fetched $130). A bottle of Orapiu Grove cabernet merlot from the Waiheke Island vineyard part-owned by leader Laila Harre's husband, Barry Gribben, fetched $60.

Leaving nothing to chance, President Matt McCarten himself bid for the chance to be Laila Harre's campaign manager for a day in Waitakere, paying $205 to give party general-secretary Gerard Hehir one day off in the next four weeks.

A TAINUI FAIRYTALE

Mana Motuhake leader and the Alliance's Tainui candidate, Willie Jackson, has learned the art of simultaneous flattery and insult.

He suggested in his speech at the Alliance campaign launch that Labour's incumbent, Nanaia Mahuta, could become a "Sleeping Princess" for the whole election campaign and still be elected an MP from Labour's list.

Mahuta is already nicknamed "the princess" among Labour colleagues, being the niece of the Maori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu.

WHAT THE POLLS SAY:

The latest TV1/Colmar Brunton poll has Labour on 51 per cent, down two from the same survey a couple of weeks ago. National picked up three points to 30 per cent. Act reached the 5 per cent mark needed to get list MPs into Parliament. The Greens dropped slightly to 7 per cent while New Zealand First and the Christian Heritage Party hit the 3 per cent mark.

WHERE THE LEADERS ARE TODAY

* Helen Clark campaigns in Invercargill and Bluff.

* Bill English takes a walk up Auckland's Queen St with Pansy Wong.

* Greens co-leader Rod Donald visits Christchurch.

* Winston Peters holds a lunch-time public meeting in Matamata.

* Jim Anderton visits Airmaster Propellers in West Auckland.

* Laila Harre is also in West Auckland.

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