Prime Minister dismisses claims GCSB was involved in mass surveillance of New Zealanders and attacks the Pulitzer-winning journalist who made them.

John Key is the king of the political selfie, the prince of the walkabout. His is a campaign high on charm and low on policy detail but one which the polls suggest is working.

It was a day to talk of cabbages and kings -- or at least kingmakers -- for Labour leader David Cunliffe in Napier.

Labour leader David Cunliffe is refusing to reveal who made the decision to rule the Maori Party out of a Labour government after several Labour MPs confirmed the decision had taken them by surprise.

On the face of it, Mana Party leader Hone Harawira and Labour Party hopeful Kelvin Davis agree on major issues that have plagued the Tai Tokerau electorate for years.

He called him ''Shylock'' and a ''nasty little creep'' but Labour candidate Steve Gibson was among those queueing to shake hands with Prime Minister John Key today

In an effort to lower rates and weaken the currency, Labour is pledging to broaden the RBNZ's policy goal by re-writing its main objective.

For the past month, National leader John Key and Labour leader David Cunliffe have bemoaned the focus on Dirty Politics and the lack of attention to their policies.

David Cunliffe is sticking by his decision to rule out the Maori Party in his government, but will not say if Labour would rather go back into Opposition than back down.

Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell says Labour's David Cunliffe may have done himself out of a chance of becoming Prime Minister by ruling out the Maori Party.

Finance Minister Bill English says tax cuts will begin taking effect from 2017 – conditions allowing - by which time a National Govt will have $1.5b a year free cash.

Labour leader David Cunliffe says there'll be a maximum of three parties in any Government he leads, and has ruled out including the Maori Party.

Labour's finance spokesman David Parker this morning jibed that Act-held Epsom should be used to trial that party's policy of abolishing the Resource Management Act.

"That hall looks as healthy as the Labour Party," someone remarked of the Runanga Miners' Hall - a building with a fine history to organised labour in the party's spiritual home.

After being relinquished by National's Chris Tremain, the battle for the seat of Napier has been heating up between Labour's Stuart Nash and National newcomer Wayne Walford.

Labour leader David Cunliffe has dissociated himself from his Rangitata candidate, Steve Gibson.

National's polling has barely flickered in the three weeks since the Dirty Politics book was launched the latest Herald-Digipoll reveals.

David Cunliffe is letting Labour down on the detail of a capital gains tax. The danger is that his imprecision will let down the case for a tax that New Zealand's economy needs.

The election campaign tax battle turned nasty yesterday as PM John Key accused David Cunliffe of punishing grieving children, and he returned with a Pike blow.

Labour's support among men has fallen to just 18.4 per cent in today's Herald-DigiPoll survey, taking a traditional gender gap in support for the party to a new low.

Labour will not impose Capital Gains Tax on a family home and its spokesman has reiterated that firmly today in a video interview with the NZ Herald.

Housing Minister Nick Smith was shouted down when he claimed at a forum on Auckland's housing crisis that foreign buyers weren't impacting on prices.

When I wrote recently that this election was done and dusted, a storm of protest erupted on the NZ Herald's website from Labour's deeply unattractive, rabid tribalists.

Power bills have been rising relentlessly. The two sides of politics are divided on house best to rein that in - competition or regulation.

Despite the building tension surrounding the election, the first major debate between party representatives on technology and innovation remained relatively civil.