KEY POINTS:
National will be pitching for votes in Labour heartland this weekend as the parties face off for another political debate to woo ethnic voters before the election.
MP Pansy Wong, who will represent National at the Mt Albert War Memorial Hall on Sunday, said she would try to show voters that her party "has superior policies, and a leader they can trust".
"This debate is held in Helen Clark's territory - a Labour stronghold - but I still think helping them understand National's policies on immigration and law and order will be key to winning them over," she said.
Hundreds of immigrants and refugees are expected to turn out for the debate to hear seven political parties - Labour, National, Progressive, Act, NZ First, the Greens and United Future - as they pitch for votes from the ethnic communities.
The politicians will debate immigration and tell voters how their parties will support immigrants and refugees in New Zealand.
A Herald street poll of Asian voters in Mt Roskill, Mt Albert and New Lynn suggests Labour is comfortably in front with 44 per cent support, 10 points ahead of National.
Most of those surveyed said immigration would most influence their voting decision, followed by law and order and tax cuts.
Helen Clark was the preferred prime minister with 54 per cent support, while a lack of trust was one of the main reasons cited for National Party leader John Key sitting on 30 per cent
There was support for Labour's coalition partners - the Greens and New Zealand First both received 4 per cent support - but National-friendly parties such as Act did not even register among those surveyed.
A spokesman for Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter, who will be leading the Labour team at the debate, said yesterday that Mr Carter was unavailable for comment and referred the Herald to the party's top Chinese candidate, Raymond Huo.
Mr Huo said the poll showed that Labour's vision for strong, inclusive communities was well received by ethnic minorities.
"This clearly shows that policies like Working for Families, KiwiSaver, cheap doctor visits and the 20-hour free childcare mean much more to these voters, who find National's single focus of tax cuts by way of borrowing unacceptable," he said.
Indian immigrant B. Mohan said his support for Labour stemmed from the party's "number-one welfare policies" which had helped him to "survive five years of unemployment".
"The National Party and its millionaire leader, John Key, will never be able to understand the poor, and we cannot trust the rich politicians who listen to consultants rather than their hearts," said Mr Mohan, who has been without a job since moving to New Zealand in 2003.
Fijian-Indian businessman Krishna Dutt, 55, of Blockhouse Bay, said he was giving his vote to Labour because it was under Labour's policy that he and many other Fijians migrated here, and thought a National government would be less sympathetic to "family reunification".
Debate organiser Dr Nagalingam Rasalingam, president of Ethnic Voice NZ, said it would help to inform immigrants and ethnic minority voters of what each party stood for.
AT THE DEBATE
Labour: Chris Carter.
National: Pansy Wong.
Progressives: Matt Robson.
NZ First: Peter Brown.
Green Party: Keith Locke.
United Future: Pulotu Selio Solomon.
Act: Ashok Kumar.
