Dirty tricks not on say Greens

WELLINGTON - The Green Party wants National to lay off what it claims are dirty tricks designed to undermine its strong showing in Coromandel.

It has written to Prime Minister Jenny Shipley and National campaign manager Jeff Grant urging a clean campaign.

Greens campaign manager Roland Sapsford says National is using "deliberate misinformation" in a bid to stop Jeanette Fitzsimons winning the seat.

His concerns include:

* Conservation Minister Nick Smith's use of an unauthorised link to the Website of the Green Party's youth branch, the Wild Greens, to allege that the Greens advocate sabotage.

* A National billboard in Coromandel claiming that a vote for Jeanette Fitzsimons would mean a new Kopu bridge would not be built.

* A billboard reading "Vote Jeanette and you'll give Sue Bradford a job," implying that the veteran protester does not work. She is the Green candidate for Rodney and has earned $30,000 a year since 1987 in various jobs.

- NZPA