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Maori Party MP Hone Harawira says there is "no doubt" Winston Peters is picking up some Maori support as he faces investigations into his donations, saying the common response from Maori was that "the bastards are always picking on him".
The latest Roy Morgan poll has shown a lift of support for NZ First over the first half of September, which has coincided with a drop in support for the Maori Party.
The poll gives NZ First 5 per cent support _ up from 2.5 per cent in the preceding fortnight but lower than the 6.5 per cent it enjoyed in mid-August.
The rebound is contrary to other major polls. TVNZ's Colmar-Brunton poll was taken over five days during the same period and gave the party just 1.5 per cent.
It was taken over a period which included damaging evidence from donor Owen Glenn over his $100,000 donation to Mr Peters' legal costs.
Mr Harawira said he would not be surprised if Mr Peters was getting Maori support, but did not think it would affect the Maori Party at the ballot box.
"I have no doubt there is support for Winston. Anecdotally, that's what I'm hearing from Maori communities. If I mention Winston Peters, people will say, `Yeah, the bastards are always picking on him'. I don't know if that translates into the polls, but Maori have a habit of supporting one another, particularly when there is a perception we are being picked on."
Asked if he believed it was racially driven, Mr Harawira said he believed Maori perceived it that way.
"You won't find too many Maori who think there's genuine justice within the justice system."
Co-leader Pita Sharples has previously said the Maori Party would give "moral support" to Mr Peters as he faced the privileges committee.
Mr Harawira said its stance did not amount to a judgment on the rights or wrongs of Mr Peters' donations. It had stayed out of the "slanging match" and would not resile from its support on the basis of polls.
"We don't offer our moral support and then pull the plug on it because of votes. We give it unconditionally."
Poll commentator Colin James said it was unwise to read too much into single surveys, especially for the smaller parties in the margins where the numbers tended to bounce around.
"This may be the start of a trend, or it might not be. We don't know yet."
In its commentary, the Roy Morgan company said there could also be some "fallout" in support for Labour because of the Owen Glenn donation. Labour had gone down 1.5 points to 36.5 per cent and National had risen three to 47.5 per cent.
"As Labour had also evaded the truth in their partial knowledge in this, coupled with Helen Clark's support of Peters, they are also tarred with the same brush."
Roy Morgan has consistently reflected stronger support for NZ First than other polls, which have had the party under the 5 per cent threshold.
The Herald's most recent DigiPoll, at the end of last month, had NZ First at 2.5 per cent _ down on the 4 per cent it got in the July poll.
The Herald's "Poll of Polls", which produces a rolling average from results of all major surveys, showed NZ First had dropped from a high of 4 per cent in early June and July to 2.4 per cent. The Maori Party was steady on 2.6 per cent. The poll did not include Roy Morgan's latest poll, because only the second fortnightly poll in each month was used.
Polls are also expected this weekend from TV3 and Fairfax Media.
