Maori Party claims 'outstanding' success after Turia wins

5.30pm

The Maori Party has claimed an "outstanding" success at this weekend's by-election despite an electoral system it says works against Maori.

Former Labour Minister Tariana Turia won a walkover victory in the Te Tai Hauauru electorate on Saturday night winning around 90 per cent of the votes cast.

The party's campaign organiser Matt McCarten, who had earlier said he would be happy with 5000 votes cast, said it was an "outstanding victory for Tariana and the Maori Party".

On Saturday there were 7454 votes counted on the day with more than a 1000 special votes yet to be opened, this represented a preliminary turnout of 32.9 per cent.

Mrs Turia picked up 6869 votes for a majority of 6681 down from her election night majority of 8657.

In the general election there were 14,438 votes cast and Mrs Turia gained 10,002 of them or 71.36 per cent of the vote.

The nearest of her five low profile rivals was Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party candidate Dun Mihaka with 188 votes and then Tahu Nepia who stood as an independent Ratana candidate with 173.

The campaign was marked by Maori Party anger over the lack of polling booths and effort from the electoral office to promote awareness of the campaign.

Mr McCarten said the odds were stacked against a significant turnout due to the lack of a real race and there only being 100 polling booths to cover the enormous electorate.

"It is an outrage. I know on the door knocks we were doing that there were a significant number of people who did not know where there polling booths were," Mr McCarten said.

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples was also unimpressed by the refusal of the electoral office to increase the number of booths as recommended by the Waitangi Tribunal.

Mr Sharples refused to say the system was racist but said it was "ethnocentric" and did not take into account the unique nature of the Maori seats and needs of Maori voters.

Mr McCarten was even more scathing of the accuracy of the electoral roll saying a thorough canvassing campaign had turned up major errors.

"It is a joke to say there are 26,000 people enrolled in the electorate," Mr McCarten said.

"We found one in four or one in five people were either not at the address as stated or worse still they were dead."

Mr McCarten said there should be an independent audit of the roll.

"It worries me greatly... when people die it should be automatic to move them from the roll."

Former Alliance MP and now media commentator Willie Jackson said he believed the Maori Party were crying wolf over the lack of polling booths.

"Personally, I wasn't worried about the Electoral Office's attitude. I think it was probably a good issue for the Maori party to have used over the last week for publicity."

Mr Jackson said the turnout and result was a real success for the fledgling party.

He predicted the Maori Party would bring in up to five MPs at the next election despite all that Labour would now do to attack them.

"This is a start, but they have a long way to go. I know from my chats with (Labour minister) John Tamihere that they will throw everything at them," Mr Jackson said.

"Tariana will be able to work with Labour despite what has happened and Labour will need her vote. Maybe not now, but they should be careful how they treat her, because they may need her after the election."

Mrs Turia and Mr Sharples were coy today about perceived differences over policy, the party's attitude to Labour and other fundamental issues.

Both were keen to stress unity.

"There is a real spirit of hope as well as unity which has been sadly missing amongst Maori people over the past two decades," Mr Sharples said.

Mrs Turia also played down policy differences.

"It is just as easy to bring the policy strands together as in a main stream political party. Because you also have a broad church there, people from different backgrounds, different beliefs," Mrs Turia said.

On Saturday night Mrs Turia told 1000 supporters at Wanganui's Memorial Hall that Maori would never have to be beholden to others again to speak how they felt.

Mrs Turia quit Labour over the foreshore and seabed policy and became a rallying point for Maori opposed to the Government on the issue.

If Mrs Turia retains the seat at next year's general election, the Maori Party will not have to pass the 5 per cent party vote threshold to gain list seats in Parliament.

It could hold an influential position if there is no clear winner between Labour and National, and the main parties seek coalition partners or look for support agreements.

- NZPA