Turia tips clean sweep for Maori Party

By KEVIN TAYLOR

A new poll shows the Maori Party mounting a serious challenge to Labour in the Maori seats, raising the possibility of a clean sweep at the next election.

The TVNZ Marae-DigiPoll survey released yesterday showed that of 598 voters on the Maori roll, 35.7 per cent preferred a Maori Party electorate candidate compared to 26.3 per cent for a Labour candidate.

NZ First, which is not fielding candidates in Maori seats next year, was the third preference with 9.7 per cent support.

The poll result, electorate by electorate, although only a very small sample, showed the Maori Party ahead in three seats - Te Tai Hauauru, held by party co-leader Tariana Turia, Te Tai Tokerau, held for Labour by Dover Samuels, and Waiariki, held by Labour MP Mita Ririnui.

Mrs Turia said yesterday that the party was "building towards" a clean sweep of the seven Maori seats next year. "We have been saying all along that our intention was to work very strongly to win the seven seats - and that still is our intention."

She said the party, officially only eight weeks old, was surprised at the strong result, not only because it had no candidates yet but also because it had no policies yet either.

"But I think it's a change in the wind. Obviously our people have been wanting a political future and this is a result of a number of attempts to establish a Maori Party."

Mrs Turia is the only non-Labour MP in a Maori seat, having quit Labour and winning Te Tai Hauauru back in the subsequent byelection.

Labour Party president Mike Williams said the result was "a wakeup call" and showed Labour had a fight on its hands.

Mr Tamihere rebutted claims that a clean sweep by the Maori Party was possible. The poll demonstrated the Maori Party had gained momentum on the back of "nothing - no policies, candidates or anything else".

"It's making it very tough for us, because it's run on emotion and passion. There's no issues we can debate or converse on ... so I don't know how solid that vote will be."

The poll showed that in Mr Tamihere's own seat the Maori Party is biting at his heels with 27.5 per cent support, compared to 31.9 per cent for him. But Mr Tamihere was unfazed, saying that ran contrary to indications he was getting.

Mr Samuels was also unfazed by the result for his electorate, which showed 42 per cent Maori Party support and only 20.5 per cent for him. He saw the poll as a referendum on the Foreshore and Seabed Bill.

Mr Samuels said Maori were intelligent enough to know that previous governments had done nothing for Maori, but this Government had achieved a lot.

Mr Williams questioned Marae-DigiPoll's methods, saying a phone survey would not reach working-class Maori because many had no home phones. The poll would have reflected the views of middle-class Maori.

"The vast bulk of Maori are working class and you can't poll them in that fashion. They have pre-paid phones."

Meanwhile Mrs Turia admitted on the Marae show yesterday that she might not have helped her party by saying it would be prepared to work with whoever the Government was after the next election.

Asked about the view Labour was pushing that a vote for the Maori Party could be a vote for National, she said that would worry supporters and "of course I haven't helped by saying that we'd be willing to work with whoever the Government is".

But she was unapologetic, telling the Herald later that that did not mean the Maori Party would put National into government.

"If National were the government next time - and that would have to be without our vote because clearly we are not going to make them the government - we would be prepared to work constructively.

"But it's not our intention to make National the government."