National rules out NZ First as coalition partner

NATIONAL BUSINESS REVIEW: National Party leader John Key has ruled out working with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters post-election altogether and says opponents are wrong to suggest that would change if he was struggling to form a government.

Mr Peters' party is being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office over questions how donated money was spent and Parliament's privileges committee is looking at whether rules were broken regarding an undeclared $100,000 donation from billionaire Owen Glenn.

Last week Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen said Mr Key had given himself a wriggle out clause by saying unless Mr Peters could give credible answers to questions swirling around him he would not work with Mr Peters.

Today Dr Cullen criticised Mr Key for his hardened position, saying he was disregarding natural justice and not letting inquiries finish before passing judgement.

"John Key's stance shows that he has no respect for basic New Zealand values of fair play," Dr Cullen said.

Mr Key told NZPA that the bar he set for who he would work with was higher than if they were cleared by investigations or not.

"I have to have confidence in them and confidence in their word. The sheer weight of allegations and the actions of Mr Peters in the last few months means that I have lost that confidence in him."

Mr Key ruled out having Mr Peters as a minister, forming a coalition with his party or entering any kind of support arrangement with NZ First.

"The lot... we have categorically ruled him out altogether."

Mr Key said he did not think Mr Peters would be able to clear up all the allegations swirling around.

"I think it's highly unlikely he will be able to resolve to my satisfaction answers to all of those allegations and that still leaves you with his handling of the situation."

Progressive leader Jim Anderton, speaking on TV One's Agenda programme this morning, said Mr Key was not being brave and knew Mr Peters may not be in a position to negotiate following this year's general election.

"I'll give you this prediction that if Winston is there and he has the numbers to make John Key the prime minister you'll find John Key finds very quick reasons why Winston's a man of high integrity fast."

Mr Key responded: "As is so often the case Jim Anderton has got it wrong."

Mr Anderton took a serve at the SFO. He described the fact that a bill disestablishing it is on hold while the SFO conducts this inquiry as "a nice lifeline for them, so no one in this situation has got their hands completely clean".

Also on Agenda Green co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said it was up to her party, but her preference would be not to have to work with Mr Peters.

"If you're sitting around a Cabinet table with someone you have to be able to trust them, you have to be able to take their word."

She hoped the allegations that most concerned her -- relating to Mr Peters recanting criticism of Simunovich Fisheries during a 2003 parliamentary inquiry into scampi quota -- could be looked at. The SFO said there was not enough evidence to inquire at this point.

ACT leader Rodney Hide, who was successful in getting the SFO to look at what undeclared donations from Sir Robert Jones and the wealthy Vela family were spent on, wants a wider inquiry.

He thinks the SFO should look at all political donations to the party over the past 15 years.

United Future leader Peter Dunne said in the first instance his party would base who it worked with on policy. However the fact that Mr Peters let the controversy draw out without giving straight answers would be a factor "you take into account as to whether you can do business with that person subsequently".

Mr Dunne said it was unlikely other small parties would be put in the position of deciding whether to work with Mr Peters as National had ruled it out and Labour was unlikely to try again.

SFO investigators met Mr Peters' lawyer, Peter Williams QC, yesterday. The lawyer was confident information he was able to given them would result in Mr Peters being cleared.

On Friday Mr Peters stepped aside as Foreign Affairs, Racing and Associate Senior Citizens Minister until the investigation was complete.

Harawera - "Labour's finished"

SUNDAY STAR TIMES/STUFF.CO.NZ: Fresh signs have emerged that Labour's prospects of forming a new government after the coming election are narrowing, with a blunt attack from a crucial coalition player.

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira told the Star-Times that the Labour-led government was "stale" and arrogant and it was time for a change of government.

"They're suffering from the arrogance of being in power too long. At the moment they're a coalition corpse. They're gone, and anybody who is associated too closely with them is likely to be gone as well."

National leader John Key last week ruled out working with NZ First leader Winston Peters in any National-led government, a move that places the Maori Party centre stage as the largest minor party that can negotiate with either Labour or National.

"Clearly we're not going to be the party that wins the most votes, but we are hoping to be the players after the election, and we are doing all that we can to take the seven [Maori] seats and put ourselves in a position where we will not be the last cab off the rank, but be the first limousine," said Harawira.

The comments are a reference to Labour leader Helen Clark's remarks before the 2005 election, when she said the Maori Party would be the "last cab off the rank" for Labour as a potential support or coalition party.

However Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said the Maori Party as a whole had no view on whether there should be a change of government, and that was for voters to decide.

Labour reveals party list

ONE NEWS: Labour is seeking to show its diversity by bringing a host of new faces onto its party list.

The list has been revealed on Sunday afternoon, and shows eight new MPs are likely to join Labour's ranks in Parliament after the election.

Former Race Relations conciliator Rajan Prasad is one of the highlights of the party list.

Dr Prasad is the highest-ranking non MP on the list at number 12.

Other newcomers include 28-year-old Jacinda Ardern at number 20, currently based in the UK where she is employed as Senior Policy Advisory to the Home Secretary, and Auckland-based Asian lawyer Raymond Huo.

Also new on the list and likely to enter Parliament is former global head of policy for Oxfam Phil Twyford, CTU Secretary Carol Beaumont, and Maori education advocate Kelvin Davis.

Labour's front bench takes the top eight places, while Maryan Street, Nanaia Mahuta and Winnie Laban are at nine, 10, and 11 respectively.

Labour President Mike Williams says the party's been operating a programme of renewal for the last few years and it's paying off.

Williams says Labour's had an embarrassment of riches in terms of selecting who would be the list.

Top 55 on Labour's list

1 Helen Clark (Mt Albert)
2 Michael Cullen (list only)
3 Phil Goff (Mt Roskill)
4 Annette King (Rongotai)
5 Parekura Horomia (Ikaroa-Rawhiti)
6 Pete Hodgson (Dunedin North)
7 Chris Carter (Te Atatu)
8 David Cunliffe (New Lynn)
9 Maryan Street (Nelson)
10 Nanaia Mahuta (Hauraki-Waikato)
11 Winnie Laban (Mana)
12 Rajen Prasad (list only)
13 Ruth Dyson (Port Hills)
14 Trevor Mallard (Hutt South)
15 Lianne Dalziel (Christchurch East)
16 Shane Jones (Northland)
17 David Parker (Waitaki)
18 Clayton Cosgrove (Waimakariri)
19 Darren Hughes (Otaki)
20 Jacinda Ardern (list only)
21 Raymond Huo (list only)
22 Sue Moroney (Hamilton East)
23 Mita Ririnui (Waiariki)
24 Sua William Sio (Mangere)
25 Moana Mackey (East Coast)
26 Phil Twyford (North Shore)
27 Charles Chauvel (Ohariu)
28 Carol Beaumont (Maungakiekie)
29 Kelvin Davis (Te Tai Tokerau)
30 Steve Chadwick (Rotorua)
31 Ashraf Choudhary (list)
32 Lynne Pillay (Waitakere)
33 Darien Fenton (Helensville)
34 Rick Barker (Tukituki)
35 Carmel Sepuloni (list)
36 Stuart Nash (list)
37 Damien O'Connor (West Coast-Tasman)
38 Judith Tizard (Auckland Central)
39 Mark Burton (Taupo)
40 Mahara Okeroa (Te Tai Tonga)
41 Martin Gallagher (Hamilton West)
42 Dave Hereora (Papakura)
43 Louisa Wall (Tamaki Makaurau)
44 Lesley Soper (Invercargill)
45 Clare Curran (Dunedin South)
46 Grant Robertson (Wellington Central)
47 Chris Hipkins (Rimutaka)
48 Iain Lees-Galloway (Palmerston North)
49 Brendon Burns (Christchurch Central)
50 Hamish McCracken (Northcote)
51 Erin Ebborn-Gillespie (Wigram)
52 Errol Mason (Te Tai Hauauru)
53 Chris Yoo (list)
54 Jo Bartley (Tamaki)

Winston Peters Affair: Peters meeting with Prime Minister today

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says he will present the Prime Minister with evidence on Friday that allegations against him regarding party donations are wrong.

The New Zealand First leader is also signalling he will not be offering to stand down from his ministerial post when he meets with Helen Clark in Auckland on Friday.

The Serious Fraud Office announced on Thursday it will look into allegations that donations to Mr Peters' New Zealand First party from Sir Robert Jones and the Vela family did not reach their intended destination.

Mr Peters told Morning Report on Friday he will prove the allegations against him are untrue.

"I will talk to the Prime Minister about this matter today. With the concrete evidence, she will know these allegations are vile, malevolent, malicious and wrong."

Radio New Zealand's political editor says it is a serious issue for the Labour-led Government, which has increasingly been tainted by the allegations made against Mr Peters and New Zealand First.

Miss Clark says she is approaching the issue "deliberately and carefully" and has stood down ministers in similar situations in the past. She says Mr Peters has engaged legal counsel and she will meet with him on Friday.

National Party leader John Key says Miss Clark has no choice but to stand down Mr Peters, as he cannot be New Zealand's international representative while under investigation by the SFO.

"He is our human face of New Zealand as he travels abroad to represent us, and I think it's unconscionable to have a person that's under investigation from the SFO for such serious allegations to be credibly kept on as our representative."

Parliament's privileges committee is also looking into whether Mr Peters had failed to disclose a $100,000 donation from expatriate businessman Owen Glenn.

Miss Clark says that in February Mr Peters spoke to her, denying that his party had received the donation. Mr Glenn says he made the donation.

Sir Robert Jones told Morning Report on Friday that Mr Peters has not shown him any financial records. A $25,000 donation from Sir Robert, intended for New Zealand First, was first paid to the Spencer Trust.

The Lower Hutt businessman says he has written to New Zealand First MPs Dail Jones and Doug Woolerton seeking clarification over the issue, but has not received a satisfactory response.

Sir Robert says he would be upset if the allegations his donation never reached its intended destination are proved.

Hear Winston Peters speaking to Morning Report's Sean Plunket

SFO inquiry ridiculous - Peters

At a meeting of Grey Power members near Auckland on Friday Mr Peters attacked a number of media organisations, saying the media does not know who it is dealing with and he will choke the media with facts.

He says he has written to the Serious Fraud Office and is questioning why he was not interviewed before an investigation was launched. He says he is not prepared to be intimidated.

Mr Peters says the SFO investigation is "ridiculous" and no one from the office has spoken to him about claims which he insists could be cleared up in minutes.

He says the investigation has been launched because of his past criticism of the office for failing to follow up on taxation cases. He says the SFO did not have the courtesy to tell him about its decision - he heard it on the radio.

Threshold met for investigation

SFO director Grant Liddell says investigators will, in particular, look at allegations that funds donated to the party by Sir Robert and the Vela family did not reach their intended destination.

Mr Liddell says he is satisfied the threshold has been met for beginning an investigation and that it may reveal serious and complex fraud. However, he emphasised that there may be innocent and honest explanations over the donations.

Mr Liddell says he is satisfied that the $100,000 donation from Owen Glenn is above aboard, as documentary evidence shows the money was donated for Mr Peters' legal expenses.

Earlier this week Mr Peters rejected evidence submitted to the privileges committee from Mr Glenn that he asked the businessman to donate money to help pay Mr Peters' legal costs.

A bill currently before Parliament to abolish the Serious Fraud Office has been put on hold by Miss Clark until the investigation is completed.

NZ Herald Digi-Poll: August 2008

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: National is shedding support to chief rival Labour as the election nears, but it still has enough backing to govern the country alone in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey.

Like several other polls over the past month, the August Digipoll shows a narrower gap between the two major parties of 13.7 percentage points - far smaller than the 24.6 point difference seen in the same poll in July.

John Key and Helen Clark are neck and neck as preferred Prime Minister.

National registers 50 per cent support in the poll - still a huge number given that an election is less than three months away.

But the trend will be something of a worry to the party, with its support dropping 5.4 points since July while Labour's has lifted 5.5 points to 36.3 per cent.

It is the closest race registered in the DigiPoll since March of this year when there was a 10.6 per cent difference.

Translated into seats in the House, National could govern alone with 62 seats in a 122-seat Parliament - something Mr Key will be conscious of given his move yesterday to effectively rule out working with NZ First leader Winston Peters after the election.

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Mr Peters' party would fail to reach Parliament on the poll's results, with NZ First registering just 2.1 per cent support. In July it reached 4.1 per cent which suggests the ongoing controversy surrounding Mr Peters is hurting his party.

National's fall in support has come after a month where it has been under pressure on several fronts, including over secret recordings taken at its annual conference cocktail party which fuelled Labour claims that Mr Key has a "secret agenda".

While National has been releasing more policy, such as its welfare and energy plans, it appears to have had little impact.

An analysis of where National has shed support shows it is down five percentage points in Auckland while Labour is up almost the same amount.

Key rules out NZ First as post-Election partner

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: John Key says Winston Peters would be unacceptable as a minister in a government led by him unless he can provide a credible explanation on the Owen Glenn saga.

Peters is facing questions over his credibility after billionaire Owen Glenn said the New Zealand First leader asked him for a donation towards his legal challenge for the Tauranga seat in 2005.

Mr Glenn also said that Mr Peters personally thanked him for the donation.

Mr Key said Mr Glenn's letter to the privileges committee was a huge hit to Mr Peters credibility.

"Faced with today's revelations, Helen Clark must stand Mr Peters down as a minister," Mr Key said.

"That is what I would do if I were Prime Minister. Helen Clark has stood ministers from Labour down for much less.

"Governments and ministers must enjoy the confidence of the parliament and, ultimately, the public. Faced with today's revelations, it is no longer acceptable for Mr Peters to offer bluster and insults where simple, courteous, honest answers are required."

Mr Glenn's statements contradict assurances Mr Peters gave to Prime Minister Helen Clark that he did not know about any donation from Mr Glenn.

They also contradict public statements Mr Peters has made that he did not ask for money.

On her way to the House, however, Helen Clark said she believed the matter was "best left" with the privileges committee.

"Mr Peters says something different [to what Mr Glenn has said]. I'm not in a position to adjudicate,' she said.

"I have to be fair; we're in the middle of a parliamentary process. We have a conflict of evidence, we have allegations - we don't have an outcome."

Asked earlier by the Herald whether she still had confidence in Mr Peters she said: "There is obviously a conflict of evidence."

Mr Glenn'sstatements are contained in his letter to the privileges committee looking at whether Mr Peters broke Parliament's rules by failing to declare Mr Glenn's $100,000 donation.

The letter was released this morning after the committee met at Parliament.

A letter to the committee from Mr Peters was also released, in which he says Mr Glenn's statement "does not coincide with my recollections."

In Parliament's question time this afternoon, Helen Clark said she still had confidence in Mr Peters who she described as "hard working".

In brief:

* Mr Glenn says Mr Peters asked him for a donation - Mr Peters denies this
* Mr Peters says his lawyer Brian Henry solicited the money - Mr Glenn says he paid Mr Henry without having met or spoken with him
* Mr Glenn says Mr Peters thanked him for the donation at the 2006 Karaka yearling sales - Mr Peters says they were at the yearling sales the following year but that he did not thank Mr Glenn until being advised of the payment on July 18 2008.

'Conflict of evidence'

The glaring discrepancy presents a credibility crisis for Mr Peters, who is also Foreign Minister.

Helen Clark is expected to call Mr Peters in to explain the differences between what he told her and what Mr Glenn says.

Hide urges sacking

Act leader Rodney Hide urged Helen Clark to sack Mr Peters.

Mr Hide said Mr Peters had misled the people of New Zealand and the Prime Minister - who he said was throwing out her principles to try to "jam through" the emissions trading scheme legislation.

That legislation needs New Zealand First's votes to pass into law, and Mr Peters' party has not yet confirmed its support.

Asked how the Prime Minister could sack Mr Peters when it was a case of one person's word against another, Mr Hide said people should examine the motives of both men.

"There's no motive for Owen Glenn to mislead Parliament," Mr Hide said.

"And then look at Winston's track record."

Mr Hide noted Mr Glenn had donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Labour in recent years along with his donation to Mr Peters' legal fight - now his credibility was being questioned.

"That's a disgusting way to treat a person who's been very charitable when he had no need to be.'

Electoral petition

Mr Glenn's letter says: "The payment was made by me to assist funding the legal costs incurred personally by Rt Hon Winston Peters MP concerning his electoral petition dispute, at his request.

"Mr Peters sought help from me for this purpose in a personal conversation, some time after I had first met him in Sydney.

"I agreed to help in the belief that this step would also assist the Labour Party, in its relationship with Mr Peters. I supported the Labour party."

Mr Glenn said he had never made a donation to the New Zealand First Party.

"I declined an earlier request to so do."

Mr Glenn does not specify the date on which he met Mr Peters in Sydney but Mr Peters believes they met at a Bledisloe Cup weekend on August 13, "well before the 2005 election."

The implication in Mr Peters' letter is that - because it was well before the election on September 17 - they could not have discussed the electoral petition which was begun after the election.

However it was common knowledge at the time that New Zealand First was concerned at the spending of the eventually successful National candidate Bob Clarkson, and that an electoral petition was a possibility.

According to the judgment of the electoral petition, Mr Peters' electorate chairman, Roy Townhill wrote on August 24 to Mr Clarkson's campaign manager, Wayne Walford, telling him his $20,000 must have been breached - just 11 days after Mr Glenn and Mr Peters had their conversation in Sydney.

Karaka

Mr Glenn says in his letter that he met Mr Peters socially at the Karaka yearling sale, he thinks in 2006.

"He thanked me for my assistance."

Mr Peters in his letter says he believes the meeting at Karaka took place the following year.

"I recall that in 2007 (and my diary confirms this) Mr Glenn and two others joined the table in which I and a friend shared a sit down lunch with about eight leading names in the horse racing fraternity."

Mr Peters does not directly challenge Mr Glenn's statement that Mr Peters had thanked him for the donation but refers to previous statements he has made.

"In my evidence to the committee and in my press statement 18 July I did not thank him until my lawyer advised me on July 18 2008."

'Deep contradiction' - Greens

Greens co-leader Russel Norman said there was now a "deep contradiction" between the statements of Mr Glenn compared with those made by Mr Peters and his lawyer Mr Henry.

"I think that the Prime Minister must have serious doubts now, because there is clearly contradiction on one of the key points," Dr Norman said.

He pointed to Mr Glenn saying Mr Peters had asked him for the money.

"And Mr Peters - when he made his great song and dance of holding up a 'no' sign - denied any knowledge whatsoever of it," Dr Norman said.

"I think it would be fair to ask your Foreign Minister what's going on."

Dr Norman also said it would be helpful if Mr Glenn gave oral evidence to the Privileges Committee by video link so that questions could be asked. He could not comment about whether this was likely.

Seniors to be boosted by United Future

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: Superannuitants would get a pay boost under United Future's senior citizens policy, leader Peter Dunne says.

In a speech to Auckland Greypower members today, Mr Dunne said his party wanted to change the way the level of superannuation was set.

The level of universal superannuation is currently based on a set percentage of the average wage, also taking inflation into account.

It is calculated retrospectively.

But Mr Dunne said under his party's policy it would be calculated in advance based on forecast figures. That would ensure seniors were not "cheated of their full entitlement".

The party would also introduce a free annual "warrant of fitness" health check seniors and would guarantee them access to publicly funded elective surgery within six months of diagnosis.

It would also make private healthcare premiums for seniors tax deductible.

Govt: National contradictory on road toll policies

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: Transport Minister Annette King says the National Party seems to have several different positions on road tolls.

National transport spokesperson Maurice Williamson said on Sunday that the party's policies for building roads would lead to some motorists paying up to $50 a week, or between $3 and $5 a trip, on some roads.

But deputy leader Bill English backed away from that on Monday, describing Mr Williamson's comments as "a bit exuberant".

He said $2 tolls are more reasonable.

He told Nine to Noon on Monday that New Zealand has little opportunity for tolls because it does not have the traffic volumes of countries such as Australia. He said $2 tolls are more reasonable.

Ms King told Nine to Noon the Government has built considerable infrastructure without the need for partnerships with the private sector.

She said such partnerships are not a panacea for roading because projects have to be a certain size to attract private funding.

Hear more on Nine to Noon

Parliament resumes as election campaign looms

NATIONAL BUSINESS REVIEW: MPs return to Wellington this week for the beginning of the second to last scheduled sitting of Parliament before the election.

Parliament is due to sit for three weeks from this Tuesday, and there is then a one-week adjournment before the last scheduled session begins on September 23.

This Parliament will expire on October 6 and an election must be held by November 15.

Dissolving this Parliament before that time and setting the election date is entirely the choice of Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Most people are picking November 8 as the most likely election date, though some in National are still convinced it will be held as early as October 18.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has given few hints on her thinking about election dates and how long Parliament will sit for.

Miss Clark is most likely to prefer a longer formal election campaign in the hope that she can trip up National leader John Key and eat into his party's lead in political popularity.

Balancing this is her desire to make progress on a large amount of legislation.

The Government is keen to send a large number of bills through to select committees for the next Parliament to work on.

There more than 50 bills parked on Parliaments's order paper which the Government wants to make progress on.

Many of these are first readings which take up to two hours of Parliament's time to send to select committee.

Others are at more time-consuming stages, where progress can be slowed by the opposition if it wishes to.

There are also a number of large bills ministers want to see put into law.

Amongst these are bills reforming police and immigration legislation.

Most importantly is the Government's desire to pass its emission trading scheme legislation into law as the centrepiece of its climate change policy.

The Greens and New Zealand First are yet to say whether they will support the bill and without both parties votes it will not make it through Parliament.

The Greens announced last week they would decide their position on Tuesday after seeking the public views on the issue.

They are torn politically on whether to support the bill which they believe makes progress in some areas, but is very flawed in others.

If the emissions bill does gain enough support to pass then the Government will most likely need the last scheduled session to complete this Parliament's legislative programme.

Many select committees would also like more time to complete inquiries and contemplation of bills before Parliament is dissolved.

While parliamentary business does roll over to the next Parliament, it is up to the Government and individual select committees to set their programmes.

National announces plans for toll roads

STUFF.CO.NZ: Several large toll road projects would be built in partnership with the private sector under a National government, the party's transport spokesman, Maurice Williamson, said today.

Mr Williamson told Television New Zealand's Agenda programme that increased spending through slightly higher debt levels and public-private partnerships (PPPs) would allow a number of large projects to be brought forward.

Examples that Mr Williamson suggested included:

* The Waterview motorway on State Highway 20 in Auckland;

* a second Auckland harbour crossing;

* the Transmission Gully motorway north of Wellington;

* the south Waikato expressway; and

* State Highway 1 north of Auckland.

Mr Williamson said bringing in private sector money to fund these sort of projects would free up taxpayers' money to allow needed but lower priority second tier roading projects to go ahead.

He suggested a toll of between $3 and $5 dollars would be acceptable for a 40-minute saving in travel time.

The Government was spending about $1 billion on new roading and National was suggesting putting up to $300 million more into PPPs.

"So you're probably talking about 20 per cent of the new project and relative to the rest of the roading network it's sort of less than 2 or 3 per cent," Mr Williamson said.

He believed the public would only support congestion charges if there were good public transport alternatives to using cars, because without a choice the charge would be resented as a tax by other means.

National has proposed a rise in Government debt to speed up roading and other infrastructure projects such as broadband.

Mr Williamson said other countries – even those wealthier than New Zealand – extensively used PPPs through the government sector.

He cited private companies building and managing the maintenance of schools and hospitals in Australia.

Mr Williamson said National should at least look at doing that with a prison in New Zealand. 

Maori Party releases party list

NEW ZEALAND HERALD:The Maori Party has released its candidate list for the upcoming election.

Maori party president Professor Whatarangi Winiata said the party's seven Maori electorate candidates had the top seven spots.

The Maori Party currently has four MPs, all from Maori electorates. It won just 2.12 per cent of the party vote nationwide.

On current polling it may win some more Maori electorates, but looks unlikely to win enough of the party vote to get in any list MPs unless there is a large increase in that vote.

The list is:

1. Tariana Turia
2. Pita Sharples
3. Hone Harawira
4. Te Ururoa Flavell
5. Angeline Greensill
6. Derek Fox
7. Rahui Katene
8. Naida Glavish
9. Iritana Tawhiwhirangi
10. Hector Matthews
11. Te Orohi Paul
12. Amokura Panoho
13. Grant Hawke
14. Bronwyn Yates
15. Josie Peita
16. Richard Orzecki
17. Mereana Pitman
18. Te Awanuiarangi Black
19. Georgina Haremate-Crawford

National loses absolute majority in latest 3 News Poll: August 2008

3 NEWS: Labour is on the move. The latest 3 News poll shows that less than three months out from the election, their support is heading upwards.

And once you add the Greens and the Maori Party into the mix, a Labour-led coalition is not out of the running just yet.

National is still in control though.

Helen Clark's smile has been all over her dial this week; her experience and strength on the international stage is rarely questioned.

Perhaps she knows the man who wants her job won't be getting it without a fight, and perhaps a fright.

The secret tapes saga does not appear to have been fatal for National. It remains steady on 48 percent.

But Labour has crept up to 37 percent, the closest it has been all winter.

Crucially, Labour's potential coalition partner the Greens are on six percent, down one.

Winston Peters' New Zealand First is suffering from the fallout over who funds his party, dropping one point to three percent, below the crucial MMP threshold to make it back into Parliament without an electorate seat.

Act is up one point to two percent, a level of support that would see Roger Douglas return to Parliament.

The Maori Party is on two percent, United Future one percent.

Take these results into Parliament and John Key's National can almost govern alone with 60 seats. It would need Act's three seats to get it across the line.

The poll results show how tight it really is under MMP: in opposition, Labour would have 46 seats, the Greens seven, Maori four, Jim Anderton's Progressives one and United Future also with one.

That adds up to 59 seats, proof National can not afford a bad campaign, and that Winston Peters' antics are not popular.

On these results, Peters is out of Parliament. Only a fool writes him off, but has his horse bolted?

In the preferred Prime Minister stakes, John Key is up two to 34 percent, and Helen Clark moves up three to 31 percent - further proof she is not dead yet.

But Peters is on the slide, down to four percent.

More people now think Clark is performing well, up six points to 63 percent, and fewer people think she is doing a bad job.

For Key, the trend is good too. He is up amongst those who think he is rollicking along, and fewer people think he is doing a bad job .

So while this is still Key's and National's election to lose, Clark is heading in the right direction, and as far as recent polls go, she will consider this 11-point gap close.

And for Key, it's not sleepless nights yet, but it's not exactly sleep-easy.

The poll of 1000 voters was taken between August 14 and August 20, and has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

Act releases its party list

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: Former Labour Party finance minister Sir Roger Douglas is in line for a possible return to Parliament after securing third position on the ACT Party list.

Party leader Rodney Hide and Heather Roy are in the top two slots.

Sir Roger co-founded ACT, but has never represented it in Parliament - having retired as a Labour MP in 1990.

On current polling, ACT will struggle to return to Parliament with more than one or two MPs, assuming Mr Hide retains his Epsom electorate.

But Mr Hide says ACT will campaign hard for the party vote.

Anti-Electoral Finance Act campaigner John Boscawen is number four on the ACT list, while the fifth slot is being held open at this stage.

The party's top 10 list is:

Mr Hide, Mr Roy, Sir Roger, Mr Boscawen, number five to be advised, Hilary Calvert, Peter Tashkoff, John Ormond, Colin du Plessis and Shawn Tan.

National announces party list

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: The National Party has added a new name to its top 20 line-up for this year's election.

Campaign chair Steven Joyce is number 16 on the party's list which was issued on Sunday.

Party president Judy Kirk says Mr Joyce's ranking reflects his ability, and she says he will be a fresh face among an experienced top 20.

Several new candidates have made it into the top 50, ranking higher than a number of current MPs, such as John Hayes (Wairarapa) and Colin King (Kaikoura).

Ms Kirk says the entire caucus is happy with their rankings, saying it's important to continually refresh the party with new people.

Party leader John Key says the 2008 list reflects the modern face of New Zealand, with representation from Korean, Pacific Island, Maori and Indian communities.

Responses

Hear a report on National's party list from Radio New Zealand's Morning Report program (18 August 2008)

New Zealand Morgan Poll: August 2008

NBR: National has retained a healthy lead over Labour in a new poll but NZ First appears to have benefited from recent publicity with a 1.5 point increase.

The latest New Zealand Morgan Poll surveyed 834 voters during July 28 to August 10.

National Party support was up half a point on the last Morgan Poll at 48 percent. The poll showed no reaction to publicity around secretly recorded conversations of National MPs at their recent party conference.

Labour had a fillip, up 1.5 points to 34 percent.

NZ First, which has been in the news over questions relating to donations, was up 1.5 points to 6.5 percent -- which sees the party clear the 5 percent party threshold that a party needs, if it does not have an electorate seat, to be in Parliament.

The Green Party lost half a point to sit on 7.5 percent, the Maori Party and ACT lost a point each to hold 2 and 1.5 percent support respectively.

The poll also found more New Zealanders 44.5 percent (up 6 points) believed the country was heading in the right direction compared to 41 percent (down 6 percent) that said the opposite.

Consumer confidence was also stronger, up 7.1 points to 94.9, and up 12.9 points since early July.

One News/Colmar Brunton Poll: August 2008

ONE NEWS: National is on track to win gold in this year's election despite recent unwelcome headlines.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has picked up support but is still trailing in National leader John Key's wake.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters was caught up in the saga over receiving secret donations from wealthy businessmen.

And secret tapes hinted at leadership divisions and a secret agenda in the National Party.

But despite the drama, it doesn't seem to have hurt the party. National still has the support of more than half of all voters.

Labour has closed the gap a little, now on 37%. But Labour's gain is the Greens' loss. They are polling just 3.5%. The Maori Party sits just above 3%, New Zealand First is in deep trouble on 2.6% and United Future and the Act Party barely registered.

Parliament would change dramatically on these results. National would have 66 seats, Labour 48, and assuming they hold their electorates, the Maori Party picks up four and United Future, Act and the Progressives one each. But without electorate seats and polling under 5%, both New Zealand First and the Greens are out of parliament.

Clark was grieving this weekend after losing her guide and friend in a remote mountain hut, but the political battle grinds on.

Key is in front as preferred Prime Minister on 36%, Clark is tracking up and only just behind on 33%. Peters has lost ground and is down on 3%.

The New Zealand First leader is well off the pace and on these poll numbers it would be time to hang up his hat.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%.

Fairfax Media Poll: August 2008

STUFF.CO.NZ: Labour has just weeks to turn around a likely election rout before Prime Minister Helen Clark names the day she goes to the polls.

Today's Fairfax Media-Nielsen poll has National shrugging off one of its worst weeks under John Key to maintain a seemingly unassailable lead - up three percentage points to 54 per cent support, compared with Labour, which is steady on 35. The rise is even more marked for Mr Key. His popularity as preferred prime minister is up four points to 43, with Miss Clark on 31.

The result is a blow to Labour's hopes that a mini recovery in last month's poll signalled the start of a fightback before an election date must be named.

Equally alarmingly for the Government, the lift in National's support comes despite unguarded comments by National MPs to a cocktail party saboteur who leaked recordings of deputy leader Bill English's suggestion that state-owned Kiwibank might be sold "eventually".

His apparent undermining of Mr Key sparked Labour warnings that National had a hidden agenda. But voters appear to have taken those warnings with a grain of salt, and marked the affair down as loose talk, rather than a signal of sinister intentions.

The poll was conducted in the immediate aftermath of the cocktail party controversy, over the seven days till Tuesday.

That will buoy National as it prepares to unveil its party list tomorrow.

But that may be checked by the finding that its promise to outspend Labour on tax cuts is looking less credible to voters, now it has also pledged to retain Working for Families and other Labour policies.

Just 35 per cent of voters questioned for today's poll thought National would still be able to afford bigger tax cuts than those outlined by Labour - compared with 48 per cent who thought not.

The poll showed, meanwhile, that voters are somewhat less gloomy about their economic prospects than four months ago, with 45 per cent believing their financial situation would improve in the next 12 months, compared with 30 per cent who thought it would get worse.

In April, the figures were 42 per cent and 39 per cent respectively.

Miss Clark must name an election date by mid-October - but that is assuming an election on the last possible date, November 15.

It would also assume a shorter-than-usual campaign - and Labour has more to gain from a longer, rather than shorter, run on the campaign trail.

So the pressure will be on for Miss Clark to name a date by mid-September - just weeks from now.

But in a sign of just how unstoppable National's lead looks, today's poll comes as it prepares to break with tradition and announce a record 73 candidates for its list - compared with its usual 65.

On current polling, that would leave it short of MPs. In recent years, Labour has also moved to a longer list.

Sitting MPs are expected to be ranked in the top 50 on National's list but new-comer Steven Joyce, a former campaign manager, is expected to vault ahead of some into a higher ranking. Another might be Maungakiekie candidate Sam Lotu-liga.

Former All Black Michael Jones is understood to have been courted but eventually decided against running.

The poll surveyed 1102 voters and has a margin of error of 2.9 per cent. The party vote results excluded 11 per cent of voters who answered "don't know".

National to allow gas power stations

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: A National government would overturn the ban on new base-load thermal power stations, party leader John Key said today.

Releasing his party's energy policy at an infrastructure conference in Auckland, Mr Key said the Government's energy policy was creating the risk of electricity blackouts.

Mr Key said while New Zealand should still develop renewable resources the lesson from this winter was that thermal electricity stations were essential for keeping the lights on.

National feared that the Government was underestimating future demand and the ban was dangerous political symbolism.

"Our country simply cannot afford to have insecure supply of electricity," Mr Key said.

Mr Key said National saw a future for gas generation, but said his party's emissions trading scheme (ETS) would result in no new coal stations being built unless new technology reduced pollution.

National's ETS would be introduced within nine months of taking office and was likely to result in the phasing out of the use of coal at the Huntly power station, Mr Key said.

National supported the Government's goal of 90 per cent of renewable energy by 2025 and reform of the Resource Management Act would assist that.

"However, we will not let the 90 per cent target get in the way of security of supply... we will continue to need the constant reliability of thermal generation."

An incoming National Government would move immediately to reform the Resource Management Act as the legislation was currently the key barrier to new generation.

The amendments would include "priority consenting", removing the ministerial veto and stopping frivolous objections.

The new priority consenting process would mean major national infrastructure consents would be called in and determined centrally with a decision required within nine months.

Mr Key said a National government would review the multiple agencies running the electricity sector and said one possible outcome of the this was scrapping the Electricity Commission.

On wider infrastructure plans, Mr Key repeated pledges to increase investment through a "`modest" rise in debt levels.

This would lead to $5 billion more in spending on infrastructure over the next six years.

There would also a be a greater role for the private sector in major infrastructure development.

Mr Key said National's 20 year infrastructure plan would include a new category of state highway called "roads of national significance".

This would include roads such as State Highway 1 that were the backbone of the road network and which would get priority treatment.

National's wide energy policy also included plans to expand oil and gas exploration by spending $25 million over three years on seismic exploration, as well as reviewing the minerals regime to ensure it encouraged the sector.

United Future not revealing coalition favourites

ONE NEWS: United Future's keeping its options well and truly open ahead of the election as to who it could do business with after polling day.

Leader Peter Dunne says he's open to working with either Labour or National should the opportunity arise.

He says they're there to knock off the rough edges and keep both parties honest so that their policies are in tune with the needs of mainstream New Zealand.

But Dunne says it will be the public who will determine who leads the next government, not his party.

United Future wants reforms in family laws

NATIONAL BUSINESS REVIEW: United Future would reform New Zealand family law, party MP Judy Turner says.

Mrs Turner said United Future would push to introduce "shared parenting" as the default position in cases where there was a dispute over custody in the family court.

She said shared parenting was currently granted in only one in nine cases where the Family Court was called upon to make a judgment.

"Shared parenting would mean that when both parents want custody, there will be a presumption that day-to-day care will be shared unless there are good reasons why it should not be."

Mrs Turner said research showed children benefited when they continued to have significant relationships with both parents after a breakup.

United Future would also allow the Family Court to order DNA testing to confirm whether a man is the biological father of a child and would look at ways of making the child support system fairer.

Party leader Peter Dunne said he had ordered a review of the child support system, in his capacity as revenue minister.

The review was aimed at making the system more responsive to factors such as shared care, parents' income levels and the costs of raising children.

Peters, NZ First trails in Tauranga

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: A snap poll of the Tauranga electorate has put National's Simon Bridges 20% clear of the New Zealand First leader, Winston Peters.

Mr Peters is seeking to win back Tauranga, which he lost in 2005 after 21 years as the local MP.

But a One News Colmar-Brunton poll of 519 people in the seat has Mr Peters on just 28% compared with 48 for Mr Bridges, who is standing for National after the retirement of one-term MP Bob Clarkson.

Labour's Anne Pankhurst comes in third on 15%.

In the party vote, National is well ahead on 55% with Labour on 31 and New Zealand First on 6.

That result for New Zealand First is less than half of the 13% support that the party polled at the 2005 election.

The poll was taken between Thursday and Saturday, and has a margin of error of 4.3%.

Govt. responds to National’s welfare policy

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: The National Party's welfare policy has been labelled totally outdated by the Government.

"The policy reflects a return to the 1990s", Social Development Minister Ruth Dyson said today.

National leader John Key said today a government formed by him would have "an unrelenting focus" on getting beneficiaries into work.

Announcing core elements of National's welfare policy, he pledged there would be no cuts to benefits and National would not introduce a work-for-the-dole or a community wage scheme.

"Instead we will be going one better and will focus on long-term unemployed by requiring them to get paid work and get off the benefit," he said.

"Within 12 months of taking office, National will require everyone who has been on the dole for more than a year to re-apply for their benefit and undergo a comprehensive work assessment."

Under the benefit policy, solo parents will have to seek part-time work once their youngest child is six.

At present there is no obligation for domestic purpose beneficiaries to seek work.

National will also increase the amount of money beneficiaries can earn without losing any of their benefit - from $80 to $100.

It will relax the abatement regime for beneficiaries with a part-time job - beneficiaries lose 70c in every dollar they earn over $80 a week and National will raise that to $100 to encourage them to work.

Ms Dyson said it was a case of "back to the past" for National.

"The 1990s is back and today the National Party showed how bereft they really are of new ideas," Ms Dyson said.

The policy would introduce a "work or no benefit" approach, increase bureaucracy and stop progress towards a core benefit.

Punishing beneficiaries would mean their children would suffer the most, while the Government's current policy gave people the support and incentives to work, Ms Dyson said.

Mr Key said paid work was the route to independence and well-being for most people and the best way to reduce child poverty,

"Long-term welfare dependency locks people into a life of limited income and limited choices."

Other main points of the policy are:

* introduce more frequent assessments during the first few months a person is on a sickness benefit;

* put into law inflation adjustments to benefits. This is currently done by convention;

* reject the Government's planned new benefit terminology because the intended single core benefit "has ended in a farce";

* require the most frequent applicants for benefit advances to attend a budget advisory service at the Government's expense to get qualified advice.

National release welfare policies

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: People getting an unemployment benefit for more than 12 months would have to be reassessed under a National government.

Leader John Key was outlining the party's benefits policy in a speech at the Papakura Returned Servicemen's Association on Monday afternoon.

Of the 17,710 people receiving an unemployment benefit, 30.4% have been out of work for more than a year.

They would have to reapply for their benefit within 12 months of National taking office.

Mr Key also announced that people on the domestic purposes benefit will have to spend at least 15 hours working, training or job-seeking once their youngest child turns six.

That will also apply to 5600 sickness and invalid beneficiaries categorised as capable of working.

National believes it is in the interests of sole-parent families to be in the workforce, and argues that work obligations have been successful in reducing the number of people on the unemployment benefit.

The party would also increase the amount beneficiaries can earn before their benefit is reduced, from $80 a week to $100 dollars a week.

National is promising to index benefits to inflation, enshrining in legislation Consumer Price Index adjustments to welfare. It is currently done by convention.

Voters could fall for tapes – political expert

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: The controversy over taped Bill English and Lockwood Smith conversations could sway swing voters, says a political studies academic.

University of Auckland senior lecturer Dr Joe Atkinson said the electorate is "volatile" and could be influenced by the recorded conversations.

"Swing voters are often quite naive about this sort of thing. Ordinary people want their politicians to be straight forwardly candid and honest and they're always shocked when they hear that they're not and the media encourages them to be shocked about that," Dr Atkinson said.

He said some naive voters may trust John Key less.

"This gives Labour more ammunition for their: slippery Key can you trust National line that they ran at the last election," he said.

Dr Atkinson said the story has been covered by the media partly because National has not released any detailed policy.

"In a funny kind of way, National opens itself to this kind of salacious political talk precisely because it has been vague about policy in the same way that Winston Peters is getting heavy metal from the media because he's being vague about what happened," Dr Atkinson said.

He said National seems to have decided not to release policy until the election campaign and will "have to take this nasty stuff" until the campaign-proper begins.

"The problem with that kind of strategy is that they might find the polls have changed direction and that they've left it too late," Dr Atkinson said.

He said the broadcasting of secretly recorded conversations will not stop politicians from talking to their constituents but they may "choose their words more carefully".

"What is new is that there is taped evidence of politician playing this complicated game but it is politics as usual," Dr Atkinson said.

Labour to not support binding MMP referendum

STUFF.CO.NZ: Labour would not support National's plan for a referendum on MMP and Prime Minister Helen Clark has accused the party of wanting "unfettered power".

National's leader John Key on Sunday promised a government led by his party would hold a binding referendum on MMP no later than 2011.

If required, a second referendum would be held to establish what system should replace it.

But given that many minor parties rely on MMP for their place in Parliament, a future minority National government could struggle to win sufficient support for a referendum.

If that was the case they would then need Labour's support.

But Miss Clark yesterday said that was very unlikely.

"It is not in our policy to have a referendum on MMP. If it aint broke don't fix it is the usual formula and it isn't broke."

"What the National Party really want is unfettered power. They don't like the thought of having to share power with other parties.

"Now I've been in the position as prime minister for close to nine years where we have shared power with other parties and by and large I've come to the conclusion that is not a bad thing."

Mr Key on Sunday outlined National's plans for a referendum as one of 10 election pledges in a speech to his party's annual conference.

He said there had always been the expectation when MMP was put in place that people would get to have another say further down the track.

Mr Key said because two referenda might be needed any change was unlikely until the 2014 election or "possibly later".

Mr Key said he believed voters would reject MMP.

"I think the country may well vote MMP out, but I think they will vote in another proportional system," he told reporters.

"I don't think they'll go back to first past the post."

Maori disappearing from electoral roll

STUFF.CO.NZ: A Maori population on the move is creating headaches for authorities as thousands of electoral enrolment forms are returned unopened, decimating numbers on the roll in the lead-up to this year's general election.

About 47,000 Maori voters have been wiped from the both general and Maori rolls this year as enrolment packs are being returned, address unknown.

More than 28,000 of those names have been taken off the Maori roll, shrinking it by nearly 12 per cent.

This is proportionally almost double the names taken off the general roll.

More names were being removed every day as unopened packs were returned, said Electoral Enrolment Centre spokesman Murray Wicks.

The Ikaroa-Rawhiti electorate, which will be a closely-fought battleground between the Maori Party's Derek Fox and sitting MP Parekura Horomia has been badly hit, losing 3628 voters and cutting the roll to just over 31,000.

Mr Fox said he was "very concerned" about the number of names being wiped off the list.

"It's a terrible waste of mana that at a time when Maori have a real chance to determine who is in government, we are losing people off the roll."

He said he believed a number of those taken off the roll had moved to Australia, a trend that worried him.

"There's a minimum of 120,000 Maori in Australia," he said.

"It's a terrible indictment on this country that people don't want to stay here. It's a terrible loss to families, iwi and the country."

He criticised the Electoral Enrolment Centre, saying he did not think it was doing "as much as it might have" to sign up voters.

But East Coast registrar of electors Sue Braybrook said they were doing everything possible.

"We are sending contractors up to work the (East) Coast, and to the polytech and the wananga. We've got electoral stands outside The Warehouse and at Burger King, and we're sending all the information to Maori media."

Mr Horomia, said it was "up to all of us" to encourage whanau and wider communities to get enrolled.

National Party Conference: More National MPs captured on tape

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: National last night also released photos of rubbish at leader John Key's Helensville electorate office it says was interfered with.

After the incident on Tuesday night, food was left behind but the bag it was in and papers were taken away.

National has blamed the secret recordings on Labour and Mr Key accused the party of a "dirty tricks campaign".

He said security camera footage from the cocktail party would be reviewed and legal advice was being sought about whether the recordings were illegal. Under the Crimes Act it can be illegal to tape a conversation if the circumstances indicate the speaker wants it to be private.

Mr Key blamed Labour activists for infiltrating the cocktail party, saying some were ejected later in the conference weekend.

"I don't think you have to be Sherlock Holmes ... We've got someone out there with strong motivations who has provided low-quality tapes."

TV3 said last night its source was not a member of Labour, or any party.

Clinton Smith, a blogger on the left-wing website thestandard.org.nz, was seen later at the conference but said he left of his own choice rather than being "ejected".

He said he had applied to cover the conference but his application had been declined. He did not know who had made the recordings.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen said Mr Key should apologise to Prime Minister Helen Clark for the "dirty tricks" remark.

Helen Clark has said she has no knowledge of where the tapes came from, adding: "I think his [Mr Key's] paranoia is getting the better of him."

Meanwhile, the latest victim of cocktail party secret taping, National MP Nick Smith feared the worst - that he was "entrapped" into talking loosely about National's policy on nuclear power.

Dr Smith's recording played last night - a conversation about how National was in a "neutralise phase" with its election strategy - was not as controversial as the others that have been leaked.

Dr Smith had earlier told Parliament that he believed he was recorded by a man claiming to be a Young Nat who asked him lots of questions about National's nuclear power policy.

He told the Herald the man claimed to be a fan of nuclear power and asked two or three times why it wasn't National policy. Dr Smith did not say how he replied, but described it as "an exercise in entrapment" that left him asking, "Did I express myself as clearly as I would on a public platform when discussing National's policy on nuclear power?"

Dr Smith's recording follows those of Lockwood Smith and deputy leader Bill English that fuelled National's problem in being associated with "secret agendas".

Mr English said he would like "eventually" to sell Kiwibank, and Lockwood Smith suggested he would like to do things in government "that may not be policy right now".

SPY POSED AS YOUNG NAT

The only barrier to National's cocktail party was the $45 ticket price and a couple of welcoming party stalwarts.

That's all the spy (or spies) needed to breach on their way to record at least three MPs talking loosely.

And as the night wore on, it got much easier - the door was unmanned and a pile of unused nametags was sitting there.

Nick Smith, the latest victim, provided the first description of the spy, "a tall, young guy in his mid to early 20s who looked unusual for a Young National".

"His dress was not as conservative as I am used to from Young Nats."

Lockwood Smith could not describe the man who caught him talking about swallowing "dead fish" to get elected, but also recalled him claiming to be a Young Nat who said he was "so happy about the way things are going - except for ... "

Nick Smith said he was disappointed that political party conferences would now be like those overseas where party members have to "go through hoops" to attend.

WHAT'S ON TAPE

Nick Smith was recorded saying:

"We are quite deliberately in neutralise phase at the moment. We don't want to fight the election on KiwiSaver. You got to decide what you want to fight the election on. We want to fight the election on tax. We want to fight the election on education standards. We want to fight the election on law and order."

English retracts from Kiwi Bank comments

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: National's deputy leader has moved to reassure voters about the party's plans for Kiwibank and Working for Families, after comments he made at the party's annual conference over the weekend.

Bill English was secretly taped saying that National would eventually sell the state-owned Kiwibank; he now says that was "loose language". He says the party has no plans to sell Kiwibank.

Mr English says his comments have caused concern and confusion, and he should not have made them.

In the recorded conversation, he also indicated that National's leader, John Key, did not understand the complexities of Working for Families. Mr English said on Tuesday that he wanted to make it clear those comments were not a criticism of Mr Key.

Anderton wants review of Electoral Finance Act

NATIONAL BUSINESS REVIEW: Progressive leader Jim Anderton believes the Electoral Finance Act (EFA) should be reviewed after his party was reported to the police for a potential breach of the law.

The Electoral Commission has ruled an advertisement run by the Progressive Party in the Southland Times in April about BZP was electioneering and did not carry a promoter statement as required.

Mr Anderton told Newstalk ZB he believed the situation was bizarre and would have an impact on his ability to do his job.

He believed putting out an advertisement advising people of a law change was an appropriate thing to do as he is the associate minister of health.

Mr Anderton, who voted for the law, doubted that anyone believed that political parties would end up being caught by the fine print of the legislation and believes the EFA should be reviewed.

The commission said the ad contained a party slogan so it counted as an electon ad under the law.

The decision by the Electoral Commission was one of 10 decisions released on complaints with two being passed on to the police -- the Progressive Party ad and a complaint about push polling, statements designed to influence voting.

Labour, National, the Greens and NZ First had complaints made against them but the commission found no offences under the Electoral Finance Act.

On July 10 Colleen Neilson complained to the commission that she got a call from an unknown person who was doing a survey, but who also put arguments for and against political parties.

The commission said there was not enough evidence for it to rule on so decided to refer the incident to police to look at. The commission sent reminders to parties about push-polling and canvassing.

A complaint was also made against a Post Primary Teachers Association billboard, but the commission ruled its message was about policy and not an election ad.

PPTA president Robin Duff welcomed the decision saying the "How dense do you want them?" billboard campaign was part of an ongoing effort to improve conditions and wages for teachers.

"There is no way that should have to grind to a halt because it is is an election year," Mr Duff said.

National Party Conference: Plans to sell Kiwi Bank revealed

ONE NEWS: The government says revelations that the National Party would sell off state-owned asset KiwiBank are a serious blow to the party's credibility.

National's deputy leader Bill English has been reported as saying the party would consider selling off KiwiBank eventually.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen says it would be bad news for the economy and raises questions about what other public assets would be in National's sights.

In a recording of English speaking to a delegate at National's Conference at the weekend, English is asked whether National will sell KiwiBank. He replies it would be sold eventually, but not now.

Cullen says that appears at odds with National's promise not to sell state assets in its first term.

National is standing by its pledge not to sell state assets in its first term and says the party would also seek a mandate from voters if they intended to change their position.

National Party Conference: Key outlines plans to borrow more

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: National's refusal to say how it will pay for bigger tax cuts than Labour leaves more questions than answers over possible reductions it might make in Government spending.

Party leader John Key yesterday unveiled his plan for a big push to build more road, electricity, telecommunications and water infrastructure - to be financed by borrowing.

The overall financial direction outlined by National at the weekend has drawn heavy fire from Labour.

This morning on TV One's Breakfast programme Prime Minister Helen Clark said the plans were hilarious and crazy.

"We're not borrowing for tax cuts? yeah right," she said.

"I just think it's mind boggling stupid. You go out and borrow at a time when the international markets are in crisis?"

On Newstalk ZB she described National's plan as incredible.

"The big idea is just borrow the money. Run up the debt. All our students know how hard it is to pay a debt back, all our families know how hard it is to pay a mortgage back and here we are in the middle of international financial market turmoil and the National Party want to borrow the money."

But Mr Key said the increase in debt was conservative - two percentage points of GDP.

He denied Labour's suggestion that National was planning to borrow so it could increase the size of its tax cuts.

The infrastructure plan, for which National will borrow $750 million more a year than Labour, is aimed at reducing bottlenecks and improving economic growth.

Its unveiling by Mr Key at National's annual conference in Wellington confirmed that the party intends to increase the country's debt if it wins this year's election.

National has also promised a more generous tax cut programme than Labour.

It says it will follow Labour's October 1 cuts with a second round on April 1 next year and another on April 1, 2010.

"We're borrowing for infrastructure, we're not borrowing for tax cuts," Mr Key said. "It is blindingly obvious what we're doing."

But it remains anything but obvious how National intends to finance its more-generous tax cut programme.

It appears some Government spending will get the chop, and changes will be made to the KiwiSaver scheme.

Mr Key said that when National's tax cut programme was announced in the first week of the election campaign, it would be clear the party had made some choices.

"We've got some priorities ... New Zealanders will have to assess the merits of what we're supporting and what we're not to make that change."

Mr Key refused to outline what spending National might cut, saying only that there were some things the current Government was funding that he would not.

The argument over debt, spending and tax cuts is shaping as a dominant feature of the election campaign as Labour tries to paint National as a reckless and risky option for voters.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen said it was the worst possible time to increase borrowing, as international financial markets were under pressure.

National wants voters to see it as a party that has ambitions for the country and is prepared to raise debt to improve long-term conditions.

The infrastructure plan, which would invite more private involvement in major projects and more Government spending, is an important element in creating this image.

Mr Key said that even after the borrowing, New Zealand would be one of the least-indebted OECD countries.

It is not known if National has new projects in mind or intends to borrow to pay for projects already planned.

But it is understood the party will identify specific projects during the election campaign.

They are likely to include Auckland's Waterview motorway link.

Morgan Poll: August 2008

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: The gap between Labour and National is narrowing according to the latest Morgan Poll.

The survey has National at its lowest level of support since April, dropping 4.5 points to 47.5 per cent. Labour has risen 1.5 points to 32.5 per cent.

Of the minor parties, the Greens are up slightly to eight per cent, New Zealand First just makes the MMP threshold on five per cent and the Maori Party is up two points to three per cent. ACT has also seen a jump in its popularity and is polling 2.5 per cent, its highest result since March last year.

Greens, NZ First and Maori Party - all possible National coalition partners

ONE NEWS: New Zealand First, the Maori Party and the Greens remain potential post-election partners for the National Party this year, although its leadership admits its options are limited compared to the government's.

Leader John Key has outlined the party's coalition options ahead of its annual conference in Wellington today.

He says National has a lot of choices up its sleeve, not just limited to Act and United Future.

John Key says ultimately the Maori Party, potentially New Zealand First, and even arguably the Greens are possibilities, despite the scrutiny Winston Peters' party has weathered in Parliament over the last week and despite vehement disagreements between National, the Maori Party and the Greens in the past.

He says his party has choices and can work constructively with other parties if required.

But the former currency trader is conceding the potential coalition problems National could face at this year's election.

While Key's party is capturing over 50% of the vote on current polls, its list of possible partners in Government is more limited than Labour's.

This leaves the party vulnerable, should its support slip.

Key says in a sense the good news is also the bad news, because while his party is strong, some potential partners are polling at quite low levels.

While he cannot predict how final results will play out at the election, Key says he has worked hard under MMP to keep options up his sleeve.

Greens release Youth Affairs policy

ONE NEWS: The Green Party has released its Youth Affairs policy, which would include a universal student allowance and eventually phase out tertiary education fees entirely.

Co-leader Russel Norman says a recent study shows students who receive an allowance are twice as likely to complete their studies.

He says for that reason, the party supports a universal allowance, while also capping annual tertiary education fees.

They would hope to cap fees at $1,500 per annum, eventually revising that down to virtually nothing.

The party's policy also includes the introduction of a paid 'gap year' for students for a range of environmental and social projects.

More contentiously, the Party would also introduce a legal age limit of 18 for personal cannabis use.

National Party Conference: Tax cuts in 2009 if National wins

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: The National Party says it will introduce a new programme of tax cuts, beginning in April 2009, if it becomes government after this year's election.

Leader John Key addressed about 700 delegates on Saturday at the party's annual conference in Wellington.

He said a National government would treat tax cuts announced by the Labour-led government that are due to start in October as the first tranche of its programme.

A second tranche would be delivered in April 2009, and a third the following year.

He told delegates National believes taxpayers should not have to wait 18 months for a second round of tax cuts, as is the plan of the Labour-led government.

"Our tax plan has been extremely well crafted," he told delegates. "It reflects the objectives that we want to be met which is that New Zealanders get to keep more of their own money while facing the right incentives.

"It has and will be funded by National making clear choices and having a clear sense of priorities.

John Key reiterated that National would not have to borrow to fund the tax cuts.

He provided no further details about the party's tax plan, saying voters will have to wait the election campaign to hear the full details of National's policy.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen says those on low incomes are likely to be worse off under National's tax plan.

Dr Cullen says the tax cut programme outlined in this year's Budget leaves no room for more substantial cuts, unless it's funded by more borrowing or spending cuts.

He says it is likely National would have to borrow more to pay for tax cuts.

National Party Conference: Key warns against complacency

RADIO NEW ZEALAND: Delegates to the National Party's annual conference in Wellington which begins on Friday evening, are being warned not to be complacent about the election.

National holds a substantial lead over the Labour Party in opinion polls.

But leader John Key says the fortunes of political parties can change quickly, and MMP adds a different dimension to politics.

He says he is taking nothing for granted and nor should the delegates.

This message is echoed by party president Judy Kirk, who says members need to work hard, remain focused and, above all, not become complacent.