I'm optimistic, Clark says after grim polls

Prime Minister Helen Clark with Oscar Temaru, the newly elected President of French Polynesia, yesterday. Picture / Fotopress

Prime Minister Helen Clark says she is optimistic about her election chances despite two polls over the weekend that showed National maintaining its lead over Labour.

A One News/Colmar-Brunton poll last night showed National on 42 per cent support -- down one point from the same poll last month. Labour is on 39 per cent, down two points from last month.

The poll follows a similar Fairfax New Zealand/ACNielsen poll on Saturday which put National on 42 per cent support and Labour on 37 per cent.

However, Helen Clark told TV One's Breakfast show today: "I remain very optimistic about the election. I look at those results and we're averaging what we won with in 1999. That's a good platform to go into the campaign with."

She said the One News/Colmar-Brunton poll also showed economic optimism and confidence in the Government's performance was up and she retained support for preferred Prime Minister.

And she turned the attack on National's yet to be released tax policy.

"We're going to come to the point where this election will be a test to the National Party's credibility. Because if you are going to give every New Zealander a tax cut it has to come from somewhere -- most likely sources are to cut health and education spending and to borrow."

She said mortgages would be hit by increased interest rates -- for example someone with a $150,000 mortgage would have to pay an extra $29 a week if interest rates went up one percentage point.

However, National's finance spokesman John Key told Newstalk ZB its tax cut proposals had been checked and approved by leading economists. He said Helen Clark was scaremongering.

When asked about possible coalitions, the Prime Minister repeated her support for United Future, Jim Anderton's Progressive Party and The Greens.

"I am getting feedback with people very concerned about ... the instability of New Zealand First/National Party coalitions -- been there done that. It was not a good experience for people," she said.

- NZPA