NZ First leader Winston Peters has delivered National a humiliating bloodied nose in the Northland byelection, with a majority of 4,012 votes after the counting.

Provincial New Zealand wants to shake down the Government for some of the largesse offered to Northland with its byelection promise of new bridges galore.

What a madcap couple of months. The Northland byelection campaign has had all the infantile pranking, ill-discipline and personal baggage of an Auckland airport carousel at Maadi Cup time. Here, from....

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is the Bear Grylls of national politics. He knows every survival trick going, writes Claire Trevett.

Last night's 3News-Reid Research poll has Winston Peters registering a thumping 54 per cent, writes John Armstrong. If replicated on Saturday, the result will be akin to a massacre of National.

John Key is bound for Northland where he will be campaigning alongside candidate Mark Osborne, two days out from the Northland byelection.

A win by Peters in the Northland byelection could affect the outcome of some upcoming bills, and could have changed the result of recent ones.

A new poll has NZ First leader Winston Peters with a commanding lead in the Northland byelection even though almost half of the voters said they did not trust him.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters hopes to stand in Northland again in 2017 if he wins the byelection but will not commit to the seat if he loses.

Labour will oppose a bill setting up the two referendums deciding the fate of the flag because of a sticking point over the order of the questions.

Despite John Key's claim that such antics are commonplace in by-elections, they are not, writes Claire Trevett. It is more traditional to emphasise how policies already under way will benefit the electorate in question, rather than promise new things.

Yesterday's announcement is classic pork-barrelling, writes John Armstrong. It indicates National is seriously worried that Winston Peters may well carry off a victory.

Prime Minister John Key is unapologetic about rolling out multi-million-dollar promises during the Northland byelection.

Labour leader Andrew Little has given supporters a hint that they can vote for Winston Peters in Northland, but he rejects any comparisons to National's 'dirty deals' in Epsom.

The mischief in me wants Winston Peters to win Northland. The upset would be huge and National would lose a seat to New Zealand First, writes Rodney Hide.

Guy Body's take on the Northland byelection.

Taking such an early lead over his National rival in the campaign will give Winston Peters' bandwagon even more momentum, writes John Armstrong. Peters' support registered at 35 per cent in the poll,

The first poll of the Northland byelection shows NZ First leader Winston Peters has taken an early lead.

The self-appointed Pied Piper of the North, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, has the words "Follow Me" on the back of his campaign bus.

Andrew Little is wise to have ignored the pressure that was coming even from Labour quarters.

The Northland byelection had the makings of a real nailbiter if Labour had stood aside and made it a two-horse race.

Peter Dunne says he would look at revisiting his post-election concessions from the National Party if New Zealand First leader Winston Peters wins the Northland byelection.

My mother was in Garry Knapp's campaign team in the Torbay electorate.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters called an expansion of the SIS's surveillance powers "Nazism" in Parliament last night.