Labour delivers knockout

By ANNE BESTON

As the Alliance surveys the wreckage of an election-night defeat that swept it from Parliament, the party could be about to implode further with Mana Motuhake leader Willie Jackson pondering a future under a new Maori party banner.

Alliance leader Laila Harre was beaten by Labour's Lynne Pillay in the key Waitakere electorate by 2091 votes. The seat was a political lifeline because the party fell well short of the 5 per cent needed for seats under MMP, winning just 1.24 per cent of the party vote.

Mr Jackson said while he was disappointed he lost his bid to take the Tainui seat ahead of Labour's Nanaia Mahuta, he believed the seat could have been won if the Maori parties had pulled together.

Talk of Mana Motuhake being part of a new Maori political movement had been going on for months, he said.

"I have certainly been challenged by people in my party and in other parties in terms of Mana Motuhake splitting off," said Mr Jackson. "I've resisted that because I've felt I've had to be loyal to the Alliance, but we are going to have a national hui of Mana Motuhake in the next six weeks and we'll discuss those issues."

Mr Jackson said he would call all Maori political parties together before the end of the year, but he wanted to discuss things with his Alliance colleagues.

"I think we just have to be realistic about things, see if we are going to move forward on the same waka and if we don't, then we don't, that's life."

Ms Harre would not say unequivocally whether she would stay as Alliance leader but was confident her leadership was not under threat.

"I am the leader of the Alliance and that position is not under review as far as I know. Who else would do it?" she said.

The election was the completion of "a very difficult period for the Alliance" and it was time for the party to sit down and plan its priorities for the next three years.

The election results were "hugely disappointing" for the centre-left.

"I think some people are going to have to reflect on some of the decisions they have made," she said. "I think Jim Anderton would be a good place to start.

"I think he has to think about the impact of his decision on the overall position of the centre-left, his decision to attack and attempt to destroy the Alliance, it cost Labour votes, it cost us votes and it cost him votes."

Two polls in the dying days of the race to win Waitakere accurately picked the winning margin, but one got the names the wrong way round.

Ms Pillay worked as an organiser for the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union which commissioned a ConsumerLink poll in the final week.

It gave Ms Pillay 33 per cent of the vote with Ms Harre second on 25 per cent and National's Marie Hasler third on 24 per cent.

The final results were Ms Pillay 36.2 per cent, Ms Harre 27.5 and Ms Hasler 20.

But the controversial poll done by Ms Harre's husband, Dr Barry Gribben, a few days before the ConsumerLink poll, picked the margin between the front-runners but should have put Ms Pillay's name where Ms Harre's was.

That poll put Ms Harre out in front on 27.5 per cent, Ms Pillay on 19.4 and Ms Hasler on 18.9.

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