Peters puts kibosh on right coalition

11.45am

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters today poured cold water on the possibility of a grand right coalition comprising National, ACT, New Zealand First and United Future.

The possibility of such a coalition was raised after a snap Herald DigiPoll survey on Monday showed support for Labour and the Greens falling but United Future increasing from 1.1 per cent to 6.6 per cent. That would give them eight MPs, compared with just one now.

National leader Bill English said the poll had "ripped the election wide open" and that National would rule with the support of like-minded parties.

But Mr Peters this morning said the grand coalition idea was the result of Mr English talking it up to try to convince people to vote for National.

"New Zealand voters know, at this election, how bad National is doing and how bad any potential coalition from ACT and National is going to shape up on election night," Mr Peters told National Radio.

"Why are we wasting time by discussing things that will not happen?"

But Mr Peters would not give a categorical no when asked if he was ruling out joining a right coalition.

"No, this is a desperate measure on the part of a National Party that's in freefall to try and skew this election in the same way the Labour strategists have been saying the same thing from the other side of the spectrum in an attempt to turn people off the party that I lead," he said.

ACT leader Richard Prebble said the right coalition was highly unlikely but did not rule it out.

"I would want to look at the policies rather than the personalities," he told National Radio.

"If there are people who are going to support the policies that I'm in favour of, then I will work with them."

United Future leader Peter Dunne said people had to vote before parties started talking about coalitions and he did not expect an approach from any party before the election.

Mr Dunne admits the party is more to the right than left, making it a more natural coalition partner for National than Labour.

"I think that's possibly so, but we've got to then look at who's more likely to be in a position to form a government," he told NZPA.

"At this stage, and looking at all the polls, it seems that Labour's more likely to be in that position."

Prime Minister Helen Clark said the idea of the four parties cobbling together a coalition was "pretty desperate stuff".

"My reading of the public mood is that people want to see this Government returned and what people are focusing on now in the countdown to the campaign is who it will work with," she said.

Miss Clark has repeatedly stated her preference is to run a majority government in coalition with the Progressive Coalition -- likely to return only its leader Jim Anderton -- or a minority government, again with Mr Anderton but seeking support from other parties.

She has said the Green Party had ruled itself out of any coalition over its demands that a moratorium on genetic modification be extended.

Miss Clark has also ruled out a coalition with Mr Peters -- who this week described her as a "black widow" who ate her mates -- and Labour this week ran ads badmouthing both NZ First and the Greens.

However, Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons remains optimistic her party and Labour can work together.

"Helen Clark has called us a lot of names and has taken out ads claiming things that can't be substantiated but I think it is just election politics," Ms Fitzsimons told National Radio.

"Obviously Labour was going to try its very hardest for an absolute majority. If it can't get that then I have no doubt at all that Labour and the Greens can work together as, in fact, we've done for the last three years."

- NZPA

Full news coverage:
nzherald.co.nz/election

Election links:
The parties, policies, voting information, and more

Ask a politician:
Send us a question, on any topic, addressed to any party leader. We'll choose the best questions to put to the leaders, and publish the answers in our election coverage.