Northland byelection: Winston Peters feeling buoyed

Winston Peters. Photo / Northern Advocate

NZ First leader Winston Peters has kicked off his day campaigning in the Northland byelection with a visit to the Moerewa Affco meatworks, clearly buoyed by a poll showing he is well ahead.

The 3News Reid Research poll showed he was on 54 per cent while National's Mark Osborne was on 34 per cent. He said it was clear those votes were coming from National.

"Right now we're pulling more National voters than Labour voters. That's because the National Party voters up here are brassed off about the [Mike] Sabin issue ... and they're brassed off, the farmers and other people, with the way they've been treated. They can see where the dollars are going."

He said he was "not overconfident" but was not worried that National would be able to haul it back. "We've come from 17,412 votes down and we are going to turn it around and I'm confident we are going to turn it around on Saturday."

Mr Peters dismissed suggestions that if he won National could try to form a confidence and supply agreement or a lesser memorandum of understanding on specific policy areas. He said National already had sufficient numbers on confidence and supply.

"People here know he's got a majority. Why would he need NZ First? He doesn't need us and said he's got all the parties he needs for stability."

Mr Peters' radio advertising in the byelection includes the line that a win for Mr Peters will not change the Government, but it will change they way it treats Northland.

Mr Peters would not commit to supporting the Resource Management Act reforms National is planning, but said reform was needed because of the costs and length of time it took to get consents. However, he said he did not know what National was proposing.

"I want rational, sane policies, not the kind of jungle things you see in some parts of the world where at the end of it houses collapse, people lose their lives. And that's what I suggest Mr Key needs to discuss with us and I'd welcome a discussion with him if he wants to be sincere about it."

Mr Key is due to arrive in Dargaville for the last day and a half of campaigning this afternoon.

Mr Peters said National had "been throwing everything at this in the last few weeks, including a whole lot of statements that were not true. They are all falling by the wayside. They have contacted some people as much as six times and round about now I think those people are getting more and more brassed off that that's the first six times and probably the last time they've going to hear from them."

Mr Peters said his father had worked at the freezing works he was visiting in Moerewa.

Affco Moerewa was also a former employer of his rival, Mr Osborne, was an accountant with responsibility for Moerewa in the 1990s. Mr Osborne was scheduled to visit it yesterday but delays meant he had to change his plans.