Campaign diary: Signatures in their thousands

From pledge card to Paintergate

Never let it be said that Helen Clark is a control freak. Yesterday, campaigning in Horowhenua, she checked out the plant that prints Labour's pocket-sized pledge card. The Prime Minister watched as a machine punched out thousands of the little blighters, ironically at the very time her integrity is being questioned over Paintergate. Cynical reporters pondered which machine was responsible for printing her signature.

Out of the closet

Winston Peters has pooh-poohed a claim by Matt McCarten in his new tell-all book that the New Zealand First leader once hid in a hotel wardrobe during a meeting with Jim Anderton. The book says Mr Peters jumped into the wardrobe when a waiter knocked during a private discussion about whether he would join the Alliance. But in a statement titled "McCarten McStaken", Mr Peters said the Alliance president's claim resulted from "further figments of an over-fertile imagination." Perhaps, he wondered, the wardrobe referred to was the same one where the Alliance held its meetings - "in which case there will be plenty of room".

Plugging in Act-style

Act was so proud that it was leading the charge into the world of e-politics by becoming the first party to livestream its press conferences on the internet. But viewers who hooked up to the web for the first broadcast were disappointed when nothing happened. Act called in technicians to check the equipment was working and the cables were connected. But still no pictures. It turns out the problem was that a technician had mistakenly plugged Act's live feed into the Civil Defence network in Parliament's basement.

On the mend

Retiring Labour MP Judy Keall is understood to be recovering well in Palmerston North Hospital after being seriously hurt in a car crash at the weekend. The Otaki MP, who has been replaced as Labour candidate by Darren Hughes, had an operation to repair a broken femur and remained in intensive care yesterday. Her husband has chest injuries but is expected home in the next few days.

What the polls say

The latest poll, commissioned by Wellington newspaper the Dominion Post, shows support for National in Wellington Central collapsing. At the last election, National gained 36 per cent of the party vote but was chosen by only 14 per cent of 300 voters surveyed by BRC Marketing and Social Research last week. The poll also showed that one in five of National's 1999 supporters would vote Labour this time. Labour's party support was 36 per cent, the Greens' 10 per cent, Act's 6 and NZ First's 3. Labour's Marian Hobbs won 32 per cent of electorate support compared with National's Hekia Parata on 15.

They said it:

* "Rod will give his last pair of braces to be in Government," - Winston Peters takes a poke at Green co-leader Rod Donald.

* "They are changing the face of New Zealand for ever. This is Asianisation by stealth," Mr Peters on refugee scams.

Where the leaders are:

* Helen Clark campaigns in Taupo.

* Bill English meets farmers in Masterton.

* Green co-leader Rod Donald is in Whakatane, Tauranga and Te Puke, his colleague Jeanette Fitzsimons at a Tauranga Grey Power meeting.

* NZ First's Winston Peters attends a political forum in Tauranga.

* Act's Richard Prebble has a public meeting in Taupo.

* The Alliance's Laila Harre is in West Auckland.

* Jim Anderton promotes the Progressive Coalition in Invercargill.

* United Future's Peter Dunne campaigns in Tauranga.

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