Unfancied nags get a start

Election 2005 might appear to be a two-horse race, with the thoroughbreds in Labour and National against a handful of worthy steeds with a chance of finishing well enough to earn a few seats in Parliament.

Outside those, the 19 parties contesting the party vote offer a few nags, draught horses and the odd Shetland pony.

To contest the party vote, parties need to have at least 500 signed-up members, a requirement that stymied the extreme right-wing National Front.

Among the eight parties to enter the fray since 2002 one sure to win a few sympathy votes is the 99 MP Party, which is dedicated to reducing the number of MPs from the 120 or more who can be elected under MMP.

Running under the slogan "Curing Parliamentary Bloat", the 99 MP Party also wants to cut politicians' perks, and allow MPs to give themselves salary increases only in line with inflation.

They want to vote themselves out of office almost as soon as they are elected.

"We want a reduction in MPs," said leader Margaret Robinson, of Karori.

"We're not aiming to be there a long time. We would hope to get into Parliament, get the number reduced, and get out again."

Her party, which has around 600 members, received $10,000 from the Electoral Commission for campaign advertising .

It was formed after a petition calling for a reduction in the numbers of MPs received 292,000 signatures.

Oddly, should the 99 MP Party breach the 5 per cent party vote threshold to reach the corridors of power it would automatically result in fewer MPs.

With no electorate candidates and just two on the party list, the 99 MP Party will be unable to fill the quota of six MPs a party would get if it won 5 per cent of the party vote, reducing Parliament by four seats.

One party sure to be missed for their comedy value is the McGillicuddy Serious Party. They bowed out after 1999, saying MMP was silly enough without them.

Also gone is the lowest polling party of 2002 - the New Millennium Party, which received 274 votes nationwide for a mighty 0.01 per cent of the party vote.

But the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party is back for another crack, after managing 0.64 per cent of the party vote last time.

The New Zealand Family Rights Protection Party might win a few votes from people interested in family rights, or, as the only party without a website up and running, from those with a degree of antipathy for technology.

Leader Vaialai Palelei is not on his party list as he is not yet a New Zealand citizen, despite being here for 40 years.

He said 98 per cent of Pacific Islanders were churchgoers who had become disaffected from their traditional Labour vote by a softening on moral issues such as prostitution and civil unions.

Mr Palelei said the party had about 4000 members, but having only been formed in March, it expected to have to wait until the 2008 election to make an impact.

He felt Samoan MPs such as Labour's Mark Gosche and Taito Phillip Field were not representing Pacific Islanders' interests fully.

- NZPA