National has more cash, Labour has more troops, presidents say

National has more campaign cash to spend but Labour has more troops on the ground, according to the presidents of the two main parties.

National's president, Judy Kirk, said today she believed the party had the biggest fighting fund since it had kept records.

"We're very well-funded, we've had a good strategy with our fund-raising," Ms Kirk said.

"We've had huge growth and revitalisation in the National Party."

Labour's president, Mike Williams, said his party could not match National when it came to cash.

"We're not even close to National. We're going to spend probably a little bit more than we did last time, but National certainly has got an awful lot of money," he said.

"I think where we can out-hustle National is that we've got more troops on the ground."

They were speaking on TV One's Breakfast programme, which also featured New Zealand First's president, Doug Woolerton.

Mr Woolerton said he was "absolutely envious" of the money the big parties had for their campaigns.

"But we like to think we can make one dollar worth five of theirs."

Mr Williams said the campaign so far had been "kind of strange" because National and NZ First had anticipated an early election.

"They ran hard very early, and I think are peaking early," he said.

"I think what we would be most proud of is keeping our nerve, which is a difficult thing to do but it pays in the long run."

Mr Williams said he thought the campaign would soon start to focus on the leaders, and the head-to-head debates involving Helen Clark and Don Brash.

Mr Woolerton explained the thinking behind the unusual NZ First campaign posters showing its leader Winston Peters staring out to sea.

"He's watching the tide come in for New Zealand First," Mr Woolerton said.

- NZPA