PM backtracks on Alliance poll

6.00pm

Prime Minister Helen Clark today backtracked on her statements yesterday that the Alliance had made up a poll, but she still refused to accept the results.

The CBG Research poll of the Waitakere electorate in West Auckland put Alliance leader Laila Harre on 27.5 per cent, Labour candidate Lynne Pillay on 19.4 per cent and National's Marie Hasler on 18.9 per cent. CBG Research, run by Ms Harre's husband Barry Gribben, questioned 696 people between July 15 and 20 for the poll.

But Miss Clark yesterday dismissed the result.

"I suspect they haven't done a poll at all. I think they made it up," she said.

Today she backtracked but still questioned the results.

"I accept they did a poll. Whether or not it's credible is another matter, and the feedback we have is that it isn't," she said.

Alliance deputy Willie Jackson last week said he had a poll which put him ahead in the Maori Tainui seat, Miss Clark said. However, a TVNZ Marae-DigiPoll survey released yesterday showed Labour's Nanaia Mahuta leading with 53 per cent -- well ahead of Mr Jackson's 17 per cent.

"When you're faced with a question about a poll, and the last one you've been told about is clearly a fiction, I think you're right to be sceptical," she said.

Miss Clark refuted there had been any groundswell of support for the Alliance since a Labour poll taken about three weeks ago showed Ms Pillay with 45 per cent support, Ms Hasler 30 per cent and Ms Harre with just 7 per cent.

"I accept Barry's word they did a poll. I just don't think the result really bears out what's happening on the ground," Miss Clark said.

Ms Harre accused Miss Clark of being in denial and said it showed she was out of touch with what was happening in Waitakere.

"It just seems so extraordinary to us and it will seem extraordinary to the people of Waitakere who know how hard we are working in the electorate, who know our presence is much stronger than any other campaign team," she told NZPA.

"It will actually just look to them as if Labour are completely out of touch with what's happening here."

Ms Harre admitted she was surprised by the size of the Alliance's lead but not that the tide had turned in its favour. The poll reflected the party's experience on the ground and Miss Clark should be pleased about it rather than casting aspersions on its validity, she said.

"We do have a record of working well with Labour and it gives Labour a very good option for ongoing, stable coalition governance."

Dr Gribben said the poll was scientifically credible and invited doubters to examine the methods, techniques and sampling methodology and talk to the pollsters.

"I stand by the results and I would like nothing better than for someone else to do a poll to confirm them," he told NZPA.

Waitakere is do or die for the Alliance; to get any MPs into Parliament it needs to attract at least 5 per cent of the party vote or win a seat. National polls have it attracting at best 1.4 per cent, so a win in Waitakere is essential.

- 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.