Labour leader Andrew Little joined Jacinda Ardern for the final day of campaigning in the Mt Albert byelection today - but says there are no plans to take that combination into September's general election.
There has been speculation that a strong showing by Ardern tomorrow could lead to pressure from some within Labour for her to be elevated to the deputy position, currently held by Annette King.
Little joined Ardern for a walkabout the Sandringham Rd shops and tour of a local early childhood centre Little Pearls, and said the speculation was just that, and there were no plans for any change.
"We are going to have a very strong team going into the general election and you see the front bench at the moment, that's not going to change.
"We have a Labour caucus right now that is functioning, focused and ready to go actually. The most important thing is getting into the election and getting a change of Government."
King told the Herald there had been no movement from Labour MPs to review the deputy position, and none had suggested to her that she should consider standing aside.
Jacinda Ardern in Khan's Halal Butchery chatting with shopper Dalal Omar about tomorrow's byelection. Photo / Nick Reed
"Quite the opposite. I think the caucus view me as part of the glue that is essential to the caucus. I bring the experience.
"We are of the view that we have a steady team to go into the election, and everybody needs to go out and fight for their particular area. [As a list MP] I'm freed up to travel the country, which I am doing - I'm in Blenheim today, Nelson yesterday."
Ardern said talk about a leadership position was "just people trying to put pressure on me".
"I put enough pressure on myself, I can say for sure."
National is not running a candidate in Mt Albert, meaning Ardern's main competition is from Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter.
Such is Ardern's profile that her byelection billboards feature her first name only - and that could continue ahead of September's general election.
"We have actually been talking about whether or not we can recycle some of the things we have been using, I think that makes good sense," Ardern said.
"I think people would expect that we do a bit of that, try and minimise the waste as much as we can. But it depends a little bit on the way our general election billboards are generated."
Byelections usually have lower turnout, and with no National candidate and the general election looming Ardern expected tomorrow's could be low.
With a victory virtually assured, Ardern did not think the turnout would be a reflection of her campaign's success.
Andrew Little and Jacinda Ardern are cracked up by a resident's comment as they campaign along Sandringham Rd. Photo / Nick Reed
"There have certainly been a lot of people who have voiced strong support, but at the same time have felt that whether they voted or not wouldn't necessarily make a difference to us taking the seat. So that has affected things for sure.
"For me success will be what this leads to in the general election - whether we can translate this support we have managed to generate into strong party vote. This is stage one. Success will be then how we are able to deliver in September."
Thirteen candidates are competing for David Shearer's seat after the former Labour MP and party leader resigned in December to take up a United Nations posting in South Sudan.
New Zealand's newest party, The Opportunities Party headed by Gareth Morgan, is contesting the byelection, standing ex-Morgan Foundation staffer Geoff Simmons.
More than 3000 people have voted so far in the byelection. The first results are expected to be announced around 7.30pm on Saturday night.
